Phil Gons

Bible & Tech

You are here: Home / Archives for Phil Gons

Phil Gons

Do You Back Up Your Blog?

by

In a recent “Reclaiming the Mind Ministries Special News Update,” Michael noted that his blog was hacked and most of his data was lost.

You may have noticed that the Parchment and Pen blog got hacked. Ouch! Our entire backup was corrupted and we are seeking other means of restoring the database. All those posts . . . gone! Well, not all. We have thus far restored it up to September of last year. That means a full years worth of writing is lost as of today. Hopefully we will get a few more months worth recovered soon. Be advised, we are working on the blog.

Do you back up your blog? If you don’t, you might want to consider starting.

[Read more…] about Do You Back Up Your Blog?

Ware–Grudem vs. McCall–Yandell on the Trinity

by

Bruce Ware, Wayne Grudem, Thomas McCall, and Keith YandellA few weeks ago, a friend informed me of this upcoming debate between Bruce Ware & Wayne Grudem and Tom McCall & Keith Yandell. It’s very relevant to my dissertation topic, so I’m looking forward to hearing the results. Hopefully audio and transcripts will be made available.

I read a paper from Tom McCall several months ago on this subject and was not very satisfied with his approach. I think he oversimplifies matters and confuses categories (especially regarding the notion of essence—much like Kevin Giles does). I have had the privilege recently of interacting with Bruce Ware a little on these matters. While I don’t necessarily agree with everything as he states it and am still in the process of working through some of these issues, I’m far more comfortable with Ware’s approach.

[Read more…] about Ware–Grudem vs. McCall–Yandell on the Trinity

Blomberg: Progressive Dispensationalist or Historic Premillennialist?

by

Chad Knudson pointed out a new book from Baker Academic, A Case for Historic Premillennialism: An Alternative to “Left Behind” Eschatology. It’s edited by Craig Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung.1

Here’s the first paragraph of the book description:

Twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangelicalism, particularly at the popular level, has been virtually saturated with the eschatology of dispensational premillennialism. The distinctive teachings of that system, in particular its affirmation of the pretribulation rapture of the church, have become so pervasive that many evangelicals would be hard pressed to identify an alternative approach. Popular novels that disseminate dispensationalism to a wider readership have only furthered that trend.

[Read more…] about Blomberg: Progressive Dispensationalist or Historic Premillennialist?

  1. The chapters are by Craig L. Blomberg, Oscar A. Campos, Sung Wook Chung, Helene Dallaire, Donald Fairbairn, Richard S. Hess, Don J. Payne, and Timothy P. Weber. [↩]

Van Til on Barth—and Doctrinal Sins

by

Those who are familiar with the writings of Cornelius Van Til are well aware of his strong criticism of Barth’s theology. He takes Barth to task in Christianity and Barthianism and The New Modernism: An Appraisal of the Theology of Barth and Brunner and avers that Barth’s theology is “in all fundamental respects . . . the same as the Modernism of Schleiermacher and his school.” In the theology of Barth we find “basically, the same sort of view of reality and of knowledge as marks the work of Schleiermacher or Ritschl” (The New Modernism, 2d ed.).1

One might infer from his severe criticism of Barth that Van Til considered him outside the sphere of God’s saving work. That’s what Richard Mouw thought—until Van Til himself set him straight.

[Read more…] about Van Til on Barth—and Doctrinal Sins

  1. Van Til mentions Barth 8,588 times (Barth [8,264x], Barthian [119x], Barthianism [140x], and Dutch variations like Barthiaansch and Barthianisme [65x]) and cites him 1,824 times based on the collection of his works available for Libronix. [↩]

John Frame on Seminary

by

Ryan Burns, an MDiv student at RTS Orlando and the main guy behind the Going to Seminary website, posts his 17-minute video interview with John Frame on issues related to seminary education. The interview goes into Frame’s views on the traditional model of seminary as expressed in these two pieces: “Learning at Jesus’ Feet: A Case for Seminary Training” and “Proposal for a New Seminary.”

Here are the questions that Frame answers:

  • 00:08–03:31: “Can you discuss the pamphlet you wrote entitled, ‘Learning at Jesus’ Feet: A Case for Seminary Training’?”
  • 03:32–08:20: “You wrote an article entitled, ‘Proposal for a New Seminary.’ Can you discuss the article and your current thoughts on the subject?”
  • 08:21–10:36: “Do you know of any churches or seminaries doing what you proposed in that document?”
  • 10:37–13:50: “What advice do you have for those in seminary or those thinking about going to seminary?”
  • 13:51–17:13: “Many people don’t know this about you, but you play the organ. Would you play something for us?”

[Read more…] about John Frame on Seminary

“Reprinted with Correcttions”

by

I was looking at some Geerhardus Vos stuff on the Kerux website and got a good chuckle when I read this:

The Nature and Aims of Biblical Theology*

Geerhardus Vos

Biblical theology is a comparatively recent arrival in the theological family. In view of this, it can create little surprise that a wide divergence of opinion prevails in regard to the place she ought to occupy and the rights to be accorded to her, or even in regard to the question whether she can claim any rights or place at all. Many look upon the new-comer with suspicion, while others run into the opposite extreme of paying her such exclusive honor and attention as to treat her older sisters with unmerited coldness and neglect.

. . .

__________________________

* Reprinted with correcttions from The Union Seminary Magazine 13/3 (February – March 1902): 194-99.

Of all the places to have a typo. :)

Download a Free Album from Rhapsody

by

Rhapsody just launched an MP3 store. They are giving out a free album to the first 100,000 people to sign up for a free account. You can choose from anything that they sell. I just grabbed an album—and one for my wife.

You’ll have to act fast. The promotional lasts only a few more days.

Your account will be credited with $10 to be used on your first album by midnight Pacific time, July 4, 2008, if eligible.