The Official Ten-Code List for Police communications lists 10-19 as meaning “return to…”. We pray that after yesterday’s extreme weather in and around the Ville, anybody affected will be able to return to normal. In this week’s roundup, many folks have stressed, in one way or another, the desperate need of the Church to return to the Gospel. Now for our headline item:
Joel Osteen’s new book has been weighed and found wanting. Southern Seminary bloggers, with one voice, declare the truth about his teachings.
- Kevin Hash compares him to a Bad Doctor.
- Stephen Newell sees no gospel whatsoever in Osteen‘s teachings.
- Denny Burk denounces his Christianity without a Cross and his Gnosticising tendencies.
- S@S Good-ol’-boy Timmy Brister points out how Osteen seems to view Jesus as a “Product“.
- Josh Buice puts Osteen‘s name at the top of a list of False Teachers of our day and parses his Theological Vocabulary.
You may wonder why the Roundup Redactor pays so much attention to chapelblogging. Folks who do not attend chapel are denying themselves a significant source of encouragement and blessing. True, not all chapel sermons are “home runs“, but the Holy Spirit still works through the preached word, and the quality of the preaching in chapel is generally high. Many cannot attend due to employment or other responsibilities, but there are also many who can, and choose not to. Others manage to make it only for the big names, and disappear for the rest of the semester. Perhaps, if this roundup can highlight how others have been blessed, more might be encouraged to come and worship and receive God’s grace. Enough from me, here are the chapelbloggers:
- Will over at Ramblings reports on Russell Moore‘s message of 10/9 (audio).
- S@S good-ol’-boy Owen has his reflections on the very same sermon in particular, and evangelism in general.
- Veteran chapelblogger Terry Delaney reports on Dr. Hayes Wicker‘s message of 10/11 (audio), Rev. Gilbert’s message of 10/16 (audio), and Rev. Brown’s message of 10/18 (audio).
Newsflash! According to one of the Christianity AstrayToday blogs, Willow Creek Pastor Bill Hybels has repented of his minstry paradigm. Southern Seminary bloggers are very quick to respond to the news:
- Kevin Hash is hopeful that Hybels‘ announcement is a good development and will have a positive ripple effect.
- Alex Leung gives a neutral reporting.
- Reid Monaghan reveals how Hybels hasn’t turned from his flawed methodology.
- Dr. Hershael York scoffs at Willow Creek‘s alleged repentance.
- Rick Mansfield says most of our churches are worse than Willow Creek.
For whatever reason, there has been a steady stream of good blogging related to the ordinances this semester. Here is this week’s installment:
- Joseph Gould is doing a carefully thought out series on the Lord’s Supper.
- Trevin wrote an open letter to Bill O’Reilly about his opining on the recent desecration of the sacrament in San Francisco.
- Wes Kenney reported on the resolution On Church Membership and Baptism passed by his local association.
- Corey Reynolds‘ church has been debating how to handle membership candidates who were baptized in other denominations.
An accusation that has been leveled against bloggers and the reformed alike is that they do not evangelize. Your friendly neighborhood redactor likes to share the blog postings on the topic as a reminder that we do. And blogs have helped us in that endeavor.
- Alex Leung shares an evangelistic encounter.
- Matt Perry did it in a hospital waiting room.
- Doug shows the link between fellowship and evangelism.
- Andrew Lindsey was inspired to evangelize by a Brister Blogpost and Dr. Moore‘s chapel sermon of 10/9 (that sure was a hum-dinger).
- Brother Brister promotes Mark Dever‘s recent book on Election and Evangelism, and wraps up his series on Elemental Evangelism.
- Scott Lamb crunched some numbers on evangelism for the PCA and the Missouri Baptist Convention.
- Corey Reynolds evangelized a Pantheist.
- Josh Buice gives five reasons for ineffective evangelism.
These bloggers engaged the culture:
- Brent ponders why the church should stop throwing stones at our culture.
- The bizarrely named Fenderpoo takes a favorable look at science.
- Denny Burk discusses Lake of Fire, the “neutral” documentary on abortion.
- The Roundup Redactor loathes Nickelback, but will contain his revulsion long enough to link to Owen’s essay on their song, The Day When Nobody Died.
Good Ol’ Boys
- Owen Strachan, in addition to his blogging linked earlier in this roundup, had good thoughts on seeking the conversion of countries and also on our education establishment hurling headlong toward free contraception for middle schoolers.
- Timmy Brister attended a party for his wife, wrote about a member of SBC brass who managed not to go off on Mark Driscoll, endorsed his friend’s gospel-driven church, and appealed to us to vote for his question.
- Tony got promoted at his church and played too much soccer this week to blog.
Mr. Redactor,
I am writing to thank you for all your hard work of redacting. I must admit that I fail to be as studious of blogs of late, perhaps because I am woefully ill-equipped for the higher criticism of blog redacting. Nevertheless, my confidence in the medium of blogging is affirmed through your indefatigable efforts to point consistently good blogging from the seminary community and beyond. Were there any other roundup redactors around, I would say you’re the best, but alas, you stand in a class of your own.