Guest Post

Ninety-Five Theses for a New Reformation

Ninety-Five Theses for a New Reformation

Ninety-Five Theses for a New Reformation

A Guest Post from Professor Donald T. Williams

Several months ago, I received an inquiry about how to publish a book. It had a fascinating title: Ninety-Five Theses for a New Reformation–A Road Map for Post-Evangelical Christianity. With its depth and breadth of content, yet it’s surprisingly easy-to-read style (not to mention the author’s own poetic contributions–he is an accomplished poet) I needed little encouragement to help him in the process, and so we set to work to agree a design format and cover to present it with appeal, warmth, and gravitas. Don recently shared news of his book’s release under his own imprint, Semper Reformanda Publications. Here’s what he wrote:


Do you believe the Evangelical movement needs not just a Revival but a new Reformation? Do you think the new book Ninety-Five Theses for a New Reformation (Semper Reformanda Publications, 2021) can be a factor in leading us in that direction?  Here is how you can help!

  1. Get and read the book.
  2. Buy additional copies of it for all your friends and relatives—well, at least for those who might be interested, and particularly for strategic people like your pastor or youth leader who need to be in the vanguard of Reformation.
  3. Donate a copy to your church library, local library. school library.
  4. Write a review for Amazon, publish it also on your Facebook page or other social media, and share it to any relevant Groups you belong to.
  5. Start a Sunday School class or study group where you discuss one Thesis each week (they are all tied to Scripture).
  6. Invite me to speak to your church, school, or other group.  (You can contact me via email at dtw@tfc.edu for that purpose.)
  7. Above all, pray for God’s blessing on the project. Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain. Believe me; I have verified the truth of that verse through much experience!

The church always needs Reformation–perhaps more desperately now than at any time since Martin Luther nailed the original 95 Theses to the Wittenberg church door in 1517. May God use this poor unworthy book to help it happen again! Soli Deo gloria. Amen.

To order, go here.


Thanks to Dr. Donald T. Williams for allowing me to share this content. To find out more about him and his writing ministry, visit his website here.

Posted by Jim Holmes in Current Issues, Guest Post, Heritage, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Spirituality, Theology, Windows on My Work, Worldview, Writing, 2 comments
Election 2020: Two Visions for America (Decision Magazine)

Election 2020: Two Visions for America (Decision Magazine)

Election 2020: Two Visions for America (Decision Magazine)

Franklin Graham is indefatigable in his labors to further the Christian faith and the Judeo-Christian worldview that has been the foundation and cement of so much of the American nation.

When it comes to casting your vote, what are the issues involved?

It is axiomatic that a person should vote not so much for the personality of the candidate as for policy that the candidate will apply once in office. The runup to the 2020 elections has been characterized by media hysteria, and often, in such situations, the real issues remain unaddressed as the cameras and the news anchors concentrate on the personalities of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates rather than on their worldviews and values, thus leading to the policies they espouse.

I am not an American citizen, so I do not have the right to vote in the 2020 election. However, I do see the issues, and I appreciate the clarity with which Franklin Graham presents them. Consider the following notes from the October 2020 Decision Magazine online. The full text may be found HERE.

By way of quick snapshot, notice that the policy differences are, in most cases, diametrically opposite. Phrased this way, I might ask you questions such as:

  • Do you believe in the sanctity of life or in the slaughter of preborn infants?
  • Do you believe in the right and responsibility, under God, of following your own conscience?
  • Do you consider that a judiciary should act in keeping with the values of the nation’s founding fathers?
  • Do you believe in the biblical work ethic, and the proportionality of reward in keeping with initiative and industriousness?
  • Abraham Lincoln well said this:

    Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.

    The issues at stake in the November 2020 election are much more that a few blisters on our behinds.


    Where the Parties Stand

    “I think it’s the duty of every individual Christian at election time to study the issues, study the candidates, then go to the polls and vote.”
    —Billy Graham, 1952
    Every four years, as delegates from both major American political parties gather to officially nominate a presidential candidate and running mate, the party platforms are finalized and adopted, and policy positions are set for at least the next four years.

    In August, with the coronavirus altering how the conventions conducted their business, the Republican Party met in Charlotte, North Carolina, streamlining its official proceedings and relying on its 2016 platform to stake out a consensus of who it is and what it believes. The Democratic Party, meeting in Milwaukee, chose to adopt a new party platform. What follows is a comparison—drawn from those platforms, the Democratic and Republican party websites, and public statements—on where the two major parties stand on key issues for evangelical voters.


    Abortion on Demand & Federal Funding

    Democrats say they will “restore funding for Planned Parenthood” and will oppose and “fight to overturn federal and state laws that create barriers to women’s reproductive health and rights. We will repeal the Hyde Amendment, and protect and codify Roe v. Wade.” Congressional Democrats have repeatedly defeated “born-alive” protection bills and supported increased funding for abortion domestically and internationally.

    In keeping with the belief that “the family is the bedrock of our nation,” the GOP platform affirms, “The unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.” The GOP supports a Human Life Amendment and state laws requiring informed consent, parental consent, waiting periods and clinic regulation. The GOP has broadly supported President Trump’s ending of funds for international abortions and partial defunding of Planned Parenthood.


    Religious Liberty & Conscience Rights

    Although the party states: “Democrats celebrate America’s history of religious pluralism and tolerance,” the platform says they will “reject the Trump administration’s use of broad exemptions to allow businesses, medical providers, social service agencies and others to discriminate,” meaning policies would aim to give preference to LGBTQ rights in cases in which religious exercise and rights of conscience conflict with liberalized interpretations of sexuality.

    Republicans affirm that religious freedom in the Bill of Rights protects the right of the people to practice their faith in their everyday lives. The platform endorses the First Amendment Defense Act, which would protect faith-based institutions and individuals from government discrimination. Additionally, the Trump administration has instructed federal agencies to accommodate rights of conscience for government employees, reversing Obama-era policies.


    Human Rights & Global Religious Freedom

    Democrats laud religious freedom as a “fundamental human right,” but will never “use it as a cover for discrimination.” The platform vows support for Iraq’s Christians and Yazidis, China’s persecuted Uyghurs and other religious minorities. Also: “We will restore the United States’ position of leadership on LGBTQ+ issues” in diplomacy and foreign policy, advancing the GLOBE Act and making LGBTQ issues a priority at the State Department, USAID and the National Security Council.

    The GOP favors integrating human rights issues into every level of diplomatic relations. Beginning in 2018, the U.S. has hosted an annual Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, drawing an international coalition to defend and promote global religious freedom. “Religious freedom for all people worldwide is a foreign policy priority of the United States, and the United States will respect and vigorously promote this freedom,” President Trump wrote on June 2.


    Federal Judges

    The Democratic platform says: “Our courts should reflect our country. Democrats will appoint people to the bench who are committed to seeing justice be served, and treating each case on its merits. We will nominate and confirm federal judges who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, including as public defenders, legal aid attorneys and civil rights lawyers.” Candidate Biden has vowed to seek judges who “respect” the Roe v. Wade abortion ruling.

    The GOP platform states: “A critical threat to our country’s constitutional order is an activist judiciary that usurps powers properly reserved to the people through other branches of government.” The party supports the appointment of justices and judges who respect the constitutional limits on their power and respect the authority of the states. President Trump has promised to continue working to appoint conservative federal judges.


    Economic Empowerment & Poverty

    The platform says: “Americans deserve an economy that works for everyone … it is a moral and an economic imperative that we support working families by rebuilding the American middle class.” The party supports raising the minimum wage to $15/hr., helping make home ownership more attainable, eradicating homelessness, “ending poverty and enabling all Americans to live up to their God-given potential.”

    The GOP supports eradicating welfare dependence by proposing “the dynamic compassion of work requirements in a growing economy, where opportunity takes the place of a handout, where true self-esteem can grow from the satisfaction of a job well done.” The Trump administration included Opportunity Zones in the 2017 tax reform law to spur economic opportunity in poor areas.


    National Defense

    The platform says the U.S. military “must be the most effective fighting force in the world.” To keep it that way, Democrats “will bring forever wars to a responsible end,” rationalize the defense budget, invest in future technologies, repair civil-military relations, and strengthen the covenant with service members, veterans and military families. They vow to reverse the Trump administration’s transgender ban and rebuild trust in the VA while improving mental health outcomes for veterans.

    The Republican platform favors building and maintaining a strong military as the path to peace and security. The party’s Principles for American Renewal says: “Keeping America safe and strong requires a strong military, growing the economy, energy independence and secure borders.” The party platform seeks to restore the nation’s military might and to rebuild troop numbers. Military pay has risen more than 2% each year since 2017, after six years of raises below 2%.


    The ‘Equality Act’ & Sexual Orientation Gender Identity (SOGI) Laws

    Candidate Biden has vowed to fast-track the Equality Act, which would federalize sexual orientation and gender identity in laws across the nation with detrimental outcomes for public education, domestic religious liberty and many other arenas. The Democratic Party has not taken a position on SOGI laws per se, but the party platform and party position statements, as well as legislative actions, have strongly supported “LGBTQ+” rights when they have conflicted with the religious beliefs of faith groups.

    President Trump has continued to signal opposition to the Equality Act—a bill that would create legal chaos as sexual rights collide with the religious beliefs and practices of millions of Americans. The GOP platform doesn’t mention SOGI laws, but it includes strong statements in support of “traditional marriage and family” as “the foundation for a free society, and has for millennia been entrusted with rearing children and instilling cultural values.” It laments the Supreme Court ruling legalizing national gay marriage.


    Israel & Jerusalem

    “Democrats believe a strong, secure, and democratic Israel is vital to the interests of the United States. Our commitment to Israel’s security, … its right to defend itself, and the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding is ironclad.” Democrats support Jerusalem as the capital and oppose efforts to “unfairly single out or delegitimize Israel.” They oppose settlement expansion and any steps that “undermine prospects for two states.”

    Republicans express “unequivocal support for Israel,” pointing out that it is the only Middle Eastern country with freedom of speech and freedom of religion. The GOP recognizes “Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish state.” The party opposes the U.N.’s treatment of Israel as a “pariah state.” In 2018, President Trump moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, fulfilling a campaign promise.


    To read further, be sure to activate the link HERE.


     

Posted by Jim Holmes in Current Issues, Gospel, Guest Post, Reflections, Spirituality, Worldview, 0 comments
“My Name Shall Be Great Among the Nations”

“My Name Shall Be Great Among the Nations”

“My Name Shall Be Great Among the Nations”

The quote is from Malachi 1:11, a declaration by the LORD (Jehovah) of Hosts–the God of the armies of heaven and earth. It’s a declaration of certainty and fact, not a wish or a whimper. It’s as certain as certain can be!

When I was approached late last year by a representative of The Master’s Academy International with a view to helping produce a book of daily readings, I was immediately excited and energized by the prospect. The ministry has numerous staff and graduates in far-flung parts of the world, and each with a conviction and burden to make Christ’s name great in the location in which he serves.

Enjoy reading and reflecting on the reading for January 10 from a brother serving in South Africa


January 10

Kind in Heart, Humble in Spirit

To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit
1 Peter 3:8

David Beakley: Christ Seminary | South Africa

Loving and caring for others is a difficult task. It is even worse when it is a command and the “others” don’t particularly care for your love. But when it is done out of joy, the world takes note. When Peter told his readers “to sum up” in this verse, he was summing up his instructions that were very pointed and directed toward fellow believers in submitting to bad governments, bad employers, and bad marital relationships. And, if that were not bad enough, Peter gave this call of submission to people who were already suffering and experiencing persecution for their faith! How is this possible?

South Africa is a very complex country, with a complex history that has been checkered with oppression, strife, and hypocrisy—largely in the name of the “state” church, which at the time was professing evangelical. In 1994, the government changed and the servant was now the master. Needless to say, there was a backlash against “White Christianity.” But, when a student-pastor from Christ Seminary understood these words from Peter, and saw a converted “enemy” from the previous regime, he went to meet his foe only to discover a brother. After they discovered and rejoiced in their “unity of mind,” they both preached together in a Township church to a full house.

The result was a testimony that resounded throughout the country. A secular and polarized culture was now hearing—and intrigued by—the gospel message of peace from two unlikely brothers.

How might you demonstrate loving submission, kindness of heart, and humility of spirit to those around you today?


Did you enjoy reading this excerpt? You may purchase the physical book on Amazon HERE or the Kindle version HERE.


Featured Image: A beautiful landscape panorama that has been used for the cover of the book.

Posted by Jim Holmes in Gospel, Guest Post, Publishing Books Today, Reflections, Spirituality, Windows on My Work, Writing, 0 comments
God, Evil, and Suffering: The Crucifixion

God, Evil, and Suffering: The Crucifixion

God, Evil, and Suffering: The Crucifixion

The post below is excerpted from God, Evil, and Suffering: Understanding God’s Role in Tragedies and Atrocities, a mini-book written by Dr. David A. Harrell, and published in the Compact Expository Pulpit Series, an imprint of Great Writing Publications and joint venture with Shepherd’s Fire Ministries.

Dave is currently the senior pastor-teacher of Calvary Bible Church where he has served since 1994. After attending the Moody Bible Institute, he graduated from Grace College, Grace Theological Seminary, and the Omega (formerly Oxford) Graduate School where he earned the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Integration of Religion and Society. He is a former Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling at the Master’s University, Santa Clarita, CA., and founder of Shepherd’s Fire, the mass communication arm of his ministry. He and his wife, Nancy, have three children and seven grandchildren.

Many thanks to Dave for contributing this post. Readers are welcome to share this provided they include the content at the beginning and end of this post.


The Tragedy and Atrocity of the Crucifixion of Christ

Reflecting once again upon my short conversation with the Sunday School class, it was obvious to each of them that indeed the crucifixion of Christ was the greatest of all evils; that God was more, not less, glorified because of it and, as a result, sinners are able to experience more, not less, happiness. But several in the class struggled, and understandably so, with the idea of God’s providential working in the lives of evil men who, by His sovereign decree, independently chose by their own free will to act wickedly in participating in heinous acts. Most indicated that they had never thought about it that way.

Obviously, none of what happened caught God by surprise nor were the choices of those wicked men a violation of His sovereign will. This was evident in the prayer of Peter and John when they stated, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur” (Acts 4:27).

Every Christian would do well to remember that the Father’s wrath of judgment against sin was poured out upon His Son and our substitute, Jesus Christ. Notwithstanding the responsibility of wicked men who cried out for Him to be crucified, Peter made it clear that God ordained His murder when he said, “this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death” (Acts 2:23).

What an amazing concept: Jesus willingly chose to suffer and die on a cross because God ordained Him to do so. He was delivered up by the “predetermined plan.” The word predetermined is the Greek word horizo, meaning “to mark out a boundary beforehand,” from which we get our English word horizon. The word plan translates the Greek word boule used in Scripture to describe God’s will of purpose; that which He has designed, ordained, or decreed in eternity past. Sometimes this is referred to as His decretive or sovereign will. So Peter is literally saying that our sovereign God decreed that Jesus would die on the cross; it was His predetermined plan.

Furthermore, he attributes His sacrificial death to the “foreknowledge of God.” The word foreknowledge is the Greek word prognosis meaning “to foreordain”—a meaning that far exceeds the English concept of merely knowing something ahead of time. Moreover, grammatically speaking, since the term is in the instrumental dative case, it must be understood that Peter was actually saying, “It was God’s foreknowledge (foreordination) that was the sole cause or the means by which the men nailed Him to a cross.” Stated simply, Jesus did exactly what God ordained Him to do, yet those who called for His death and hung Him on the tree were responsible for His murder. Here again we see not only the mysterious convergence of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, but also God deliberately ordaining an evil event to exist as a part of His plan and purpose to glorify Himself—the greatest act of evil in all of history: the murder of Jesus Christ.

Unlike the misguided musings of the Sunday School class, the testimony of Scripture plainly reveals that God is indeed sovereign over His creation. And though He is never responsible for sin, He does bring it about through the voluntary choices of men and He holds them accountable for their actions. Moreover, not only is God removed from actually doing evil, but never do we find an instance in Scripture of any act of evil surprising God and requiring Him to react with a “Plan B.”

In light of all this, it is obvious that no example can be found supporting the Arminian notion that God merely allowed the possibility for evil to exist in order to give His creatures freedom of choice, thereby guaranteeing that man’s choices would always be meaningful, as some would suggest. Instead, we see a sovereign God orchestrating His universe through the use of both good and evil.


This excellent little book (and several others in the series) may be purchased from online vendors such as Amazon HERE or directly from the author HERE.

Posted by Jim Holmes in Gospel, Guest Post, New & Noteworthy, Publishing Books Today, Theology, Windows on My Work, 0 comments