Author Archives: Pilgrim

My (half-hearted) Apology to Jacob Arminius


Dear Mr. Arminius,

I am truly sorry for your loss. Your reputation over the past century has been diminished at the hands of believers everywhere who hold to free-will and Calvinist theology. I, along with multitudes of others, have used your name in vain. We have ascribed the fruits of your theological studies to the works of another man, much more notorious than yourself. Many adherents to modern evangelicalism’s methods of bringing souls to Christ by a simple act of the will apart from a work of grace are lumped together in a category of aberrant theology we call Arminianism. I have realized, to my chagrin, this is giving them far more credit than they deserve. To call preachers who ask lost souls to recite a canned sinner’s prayer devoid of repentance an Arminian is an insult to your good name. Preachers who teach, either directly or indirectly, man’s innate ability to choose Christ contrary to his sinful nature, should not be labeled with your name but with the name of a heretic from ages ago; Pelagius. Continue reading →

My Heart Breaks


On the eve of celebrating our Lord’s victory over sin, death and the grave, my heart is heavy. At work yesterday, the two student workers I’ve been witnessing to decided to make light of God, Christ’s resurrection and anything else remotely related to the gospel. I honestly can’t recall precisely what all they said. I think I’ve blocked it from my memory. Every time I would seriously broach the topic they would generally scoff and mock it, making references to TV shows such as South Park, which regularly stomp on the bible’s pearls of wisdom. They had some good laughs at my expense. Continue reading →

Random Ramblings – Apologetics, Books and Freemasonry


At the suggestion of a dear friend, I will endeavor on occasion to write about random goings on in my life so I don’t remain a mysterious, shadowy figure behind a keyboard spewing rhetoric into the blogosphere every day. So, here goes.

Church Stuff

After Wednesday service ended last night I talked a few moments with my pastor. I asked for wisdom in my witness to my Hindu friend. I briefly told him what I had spoke with him on, and he agreed that my approach was good. He asked if I had invited him to Easter service. I said yes, and that I was very hopeful that he would come.

Pastor then told me I should study apologetics because he thought I had the mind for it. I was surprised. I thought he knew me better than that… I thanked him for the encouragement, but said I was still trying to get my theology straightened out. Apologetics wasn’t a big priority at the moment. I gave him my view that while apologetics was important, the preaching of the gospel is what saves souls and that’s my main focus. I did defend apologetics, giving him my illustration that apologetics is akin to keeping the fish in the pond so they don’t float off down a shallow stream of deceit and die. Apologetics keeps fish in the pond so they can get caught up in the gospel net. Apologetics makes for better fishing! Someday when I have grasped my theology better I will engage this noble ministry more fully. Continue reading →

The Fruit of Free-Will Theology


Just a few short years ago I had come to the end of my rope. I was ready to hang myself in despair. From the time God saved me in 1995 until 2000 when I finished up college, I had experienced marginal spiritual growth as a Christian. From mid-2000 to late 2005 my spiritual life collapsed.

So what happened to wreck my spiritual growth?

The simple answer lies in my efforts to establish my own righteousness after having received grace. I based my assurance on my spiritual performance. The cause of this faulty understanding had much to do with my limited exposure to teachers and preachers of God’s word. I swore allegiance to only 2 teachers and my pastor. Coming from a Pentecostal/Charismatic background I was taught early on to only listen to so-called ‘spirit-filled’ preachers, teachers and prophets.

Translation: I should only perk my ears toward pentecostal types who believed in tongues and spirit baptisms.

I could hardly tolerate any of the TBN preachers and teachers who fit this profile, although I would tune in to John Hagee and Hal Lindsey from time to time. I didn’t bother with the so-called ‘dried-up non-spirit-filled’ teachers, so my options were very limited. My pastor preached messages that were focused more on the happy life than on the scriptures so I wasn’t growing in the word much through him.

Note: Little did I know at the time my pastor was following the Church growth/Seeker-sensitive blueprint for manufacturing mega-churches. But that is another story… Continue reading →

Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman


The other night I sat down to watch the latest Superhero movie, Superman Returns. I grew up dazzled by the man of steel’s heroic exploits. The second movie with General Zod and his cronies was my favorite. I generally don’t acknowledge the last two films in the series – for obvious reasons. The people who developed the latest incarnation of the man of steel apparently do not regard them either. Superman Returns takes place after the events of Superman 2, or so I’m informed.

The main thrust of this post is not a review of the film itself but about some concerns I have with its content. Mainly, I’m talking about the ramifications of purposely portraying Superman as a Christ figure. Wikipedia explains the term like this:

A Christ figure is a literary technique that authors use to draw allusions between their characters and the biblical Jesus Christ. More loosely, the Christ Figure is a spiritual or prophetic character who parallels Jesus, or other spiritual or prophetic figures. Continue reading →

Singing the Praises of … Free Will?


I think I’m going to rename my blog Old Truth: 2nd Edition. Jim keeps posting some gems and today’s article is no different. The highlight is the YouTube video of a church service extolling the virtue of man’s free will to choose his own way. Honestly, I would not have believed it if I had not witnessed it with my own eyes and ears. I thought it was satire; hilarious, gut-busting satire. But no- it’s man singing his own praises to God.

Beware: If you are of the Reformed persuasion you may go into shock viewing this video. It is pure unadulterated Pelagianism. You’ve been warned.

Link: There’s more to Christian Music Than the Style

From Adam to Christ


I finally got my chance to share the full gospel message with the two student workers I have been chronicling about in my past several Adventures in Evangelism posts. Ned is the scientifically minded skeptic who nonetheless is considering adopting Judaism as his faith. Michael is a citizen of Zambia who is a Hindu by upbringing.

Last week as they were leaving my office I made an appointment to meet with them at the student union after work, have a drink and discuss religion. They agreed without hesitation to meet on Tuesday. The day came and I had them working with me that afternoon. We never discussed anything about the meeting or religion during work. At 5:00 they headed home. I almost forgot the appointment myself. I raced out the door and caught them just outside the building.

I said, “Remember our appointment today? Are you guys still game?” Continue reading →

Why We Should Read the Puritans


World from Our Window has an excellent article quoting a passage from Joel Burke’s book Meet the Puritans on the benefits of reading books from the Puritan movement in the 16th and 17th centuries.

I must admit, I haven’t read a lot of Puritan works aside from John Bunyan (highly recommended), John Owen (highly recommended with a caveat; he is difficult to read) and selected texts from others of that period. I’ve been reading Jonathon Edwards, yet he wasn’t really considered a Puritan. He came along after their time, yet his works do reflect the Puritan mindset, theological leanings and pure devotion to God and His glory. Edwards is widely considered to be the greatest theologian ever born on American soil. I cannot dispute that claim.

Great teachers still teach long after their deaths. The Puritans were outstanding teachers and preachers of God’s word and we can still benefit from their collective wisdom today in this Postmodern world.

I thank God for books. They allow us to build upon the wisdom of generations gone by. I thank God that every new generation that rises up in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t need to re-invent the wheel, theologically and doctrinally. The bible is a huge volume of knowledge and wisdom. Its contents are not easily digested. It would take many lifetimes of intense study to master it. Yet, we don’t need to start with a blank page. The dead speak to us from the grave. Many men in church history have devoted their lives to mine the great truths of this holy volume. Take heed and learn!

Note: If you are interested in purchasing Puritan books check out this section from Monergism Books. Personally, I plan on getting the Puritan Paperback Bundle (bottom of page) at some point in the future.