Romance at Its Best

The recent hit by Eric Church, Love Your Love the Most, is without a doubt one of the most romantic songs of all time. If ever a song could get a man out of the doghouse it is this song. Any woman who does not simply melt upon hearing these lyrics is beyond heartless. This song is a rare glimps into the soul.


Sidenote: Eric Church grew up about 20 minutes from my house!

Exiled Preacher: An interview with Stuart Burgess

Here is an interesting interview on creationism with a Christian scientist (i.e. a scientist who is a Christian, not a follower of Scientology, although most interviews with followers of Scientology are quite interesting ; ) ).

Exiled Preacher: An interview with Stuart Burgess

Guess what I found today? Installment 6

After returning from a brief trip to the bathroom, I noticed a mostly empty container of chocolate pudding sitting on the kitchen table. Then I found two small children with chocolate pudding masks. Apparently, my three year old daughter thought it would be fun to wear pudding. My two year old son was completely covered. All I could see was a big grin through the mess. It was a job too good for him to have done alone. We have always encouraged creativity and my daughter is very artistic. No doubt she saw this as a masterpiece. This is the same daughter who has cut pretty pictures in the tablecloth, her shirt, the cat's hair, and her hair. Also the same daughter who puts random toys in the refrigerator and wants a bellybutton on her forehead. She is going to be a "pineapple tree" when she grows up. I suppose even creativity needs limits. I jokingly said that she will not likely be a doctor; personally, I think she will make a great philosopher. All great philosophers have a love for illogic and the absurd.

LCMS vs ELCA

I spent many hours (months, if truth be told) trying to figure out the main differences between the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). Here are some of the differences between the LCMS and the ELCA.

Distribution of Communion practices (open/closed) - ELCA has Open Communion meaning that anyone present may partake of the Sacrament, LCMS has Closed Communion meaning that only those who have undergone proper instruction may partake of the Sacrament to ensure that a person does not receive the Eucharist in error or to the person's damnation

Ecumenical Worship - ELCA supports, LCMS does not

Infallibility of Scripture - ELCA says yes insofar as the message is concerned but not necessarily in every respect, LCMS says yes Scripture is completely infallible in absolutely every way
An example might be Jesus walking on water; the ELCA would say maybe He actually walked on water, maybe He didn't, the LCMS would say yes Jesus actually walked on water.

How to read theology - a guide for the perplexed

Here are some good guidelines for reading and understanding Theology.

The Blogging Parson: How to read theology - a guide for the perplexed

My Personal Addictions

I am very addicted to Travian. Currently, I am on Server 7.

I am also addicted to Tower Defense (TD) games. Here are some of my favorites:

Mushroom Farm Defender
Flash Element
Simple Tower Defense III
The Horde
Mushroom Revolution

Conversation Between My Daughters

I overheard a conversation between my daughters (ages 5 and 3) that made me very proud. I think my oldest may turn out to be a theologian. She tells her sister Bible stories and has helped us to teach her sister the Lord's Prayer.


3 yr old daughter: ...yeah, they put Joseph in a hole in the ground because they didn't like him.

5 yr old daughter: Sissy, they put him in a dry well because they were jealous of him.

3 yr old daughter: why is our belly button not on our forehead? *giggles*


I don't think my 3 year old will be a doctor.

Apology of the Faith

Okay, so with that last post I've just become a bad guy to a lot of people. I'm not trying to make anyone mad. We are far too quiet when it comes to defending the gospel. I just want to point out the truth because I care. I want everyone to be closer with Christ.



*In the world of Theology the word apology means "defense."

Charles Grandison Finney

Charles Finney (1792-1875) has successfully misshaped Christianity more than any other person in history. While many call Finney a great Theologian, I call him an antichrist. He has led a tremendous number of people away from the true Word of God.

With no theological training whatsoever, Finney began to teach people what he believed about God--not what scripture teaches. His theology (Arminian Theology) is based in heightened emotions and morality and, in turn, conversions. His entire ideology is centered in these things. Finney's theology takes away the need of Christ. Perfection, he says, is what God commands and perfection is attainable as a result from true conversion.

Finney's ideas about conversion are clearly anti-scriptural. He invented "Decision Theology" which has confused innumerable people. Decision Theology states that we are saved because we choose to be saved, not because of Christ's death and resurrection. Finney as much as says this about Christ, "[Christ] could do no more than justify himself. It can never be imputed to us ... it was naturally impossible, then, for him to obey in our behalf..." This goes against the entire meaning of the Bible. The very heart or backbone of Christianity (Kerygma; please see post entitled "Kerygmatic Statement") states that Christ died for us, to save us from sin and death (John 3:16, and many, many more versus from scripture). To contradict scripture in this way is to contradict Christianity as a whole. Thus, Charles Finney is an antichrist.

Why anyone would follow a person who says such things is puzzling. Yet many do, including the enormous Baptist church with all of its followers. Many independent churches, and peitists fall in this category as well.

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"Wake up, O sleeper,

rise from the [spiritually] dead,

and Christ will shine upon you." (Eph 5:14)

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A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: How Charles Finney's Theology Ravaged the Evangelical Movement

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The Disturbing Legacy of Charles Finney