Dr Paul Allen

Cover via Amazon Last weeks gay-marriage flop-flip with World Vision did not come out of left field. ( Monday  they announced that a monogamous homosexual relationship was in-step with Christian faithfulness, and  on Wednesday  they said ‘ummm…nevermind; sorry about that’).  But this was a  schisim  that was a long time coming, and illustrates a profound danger inherent in mercy ministries that are not built upon a theological foundation. It was about a year ago when Richard Stearns , the World Vision president,   spoke at Q . There he urged the attendees to stop engaging in cultural battles, and in context the taboo issues were abortion and gay marriage. In fact, he said younger Christians “need to stop shaking their fist at the culture” and then later, “no one ever died from gay marriage…they die from poverty.”  The implication being that what really matters is not one’s doctrine of marriage (or of life, or of Scripture), but one...

We have no shortage of excellent books on the subject of holiness. J.C. Ryle’s Holiness has stood the test of time while R.C. Sproul’s The Holiness of God and Jerry Bridges ’ The Pursuit of Holiness represent two modern classics.  We might well ask whether we really need more books on the subject. Kevin DeYoung ’s The Hole in Our Holiness answers with a resounding “Yes!” DeYoung believes there is a hole in our holiness, a gap between gospel passion and the pursuit of holiness. The hole is simply this: that we don’t really care much about holiness. “Passionate exhortation to pursue gospel-driven holiness is barely heard in most of our churches. … I’m talking about the failure of Christians , especially younger generations and especially those most disdainful of ‘religion’ and ‘legalism,’ to take seriously one of the great aims of our redemption and one of the required evidences for eternal life—our holiness.” I have thought about this often over the years and am inclined...

Personal holiness has not been a topic that’s received great emphasis in the churches and ministries. In Rediscovering Holiness , J. I. Packer points to the same reality. Packer identifies 3 evidences that Christians today evidently do not think personal holiness is very important: It’s not the topic of much preaching, teaching, or writing.  It’s seldom valued or expected in Christian leaders. It’s not shared in the message of evangelism, declaring to the world that without holiness, “no one will see the Lord” ( Heb 12:14 ). Apart from Packer’s own book , here are a few more faithful works, listed from older to recent, that I believe are good resources for every Christian in their pursuit of holiness: J.C. Ryle, Holiness . This maybe the classic work on the subject and even Ryle’s greatest contribution to the library of faithful Christian teaching. Fortunately, it’s old enough that it can be read online . And there’s also a recent edition with a nice biographical sketch...

November 6th. These are materials that may guide your thoughts on the issues facing the country.  This multitude of counselors will serve you as you consider how to faithfully participate in this year’s election. Wayne Grudem outlines  24 issues that we face in this election  and breaks down the political and ideological stance of both parties on each issue. He also offers reasons  Why Evangelicals Should Support Mitt Romney . John MacArthur has preached two landmark sermons regarding the moral (and not merely political) issues that are uniquely at stake in this election:  Abortion and the Campaign for Immorality  and  Homosexuality and the Campaign for Immorality . (There is  a summary version  from the Grace To You Blog.) Pastor John also responds (video) to the question about  whether it’s OK for Christians to vote for a Mormon . Norm Geisler asks and answers, “ Should an Evangelical Vote for a Mormon for President? ...

Churches focused on personal holiness don't always seem to be "on mission." How do we avoid repeating this mistake? Two thoughts come to mind. One, we must remember that holiness is part of our mission. Christ calls us to make disciples, not just decisions ( Matt. 28:19 ). Helping people obey Jesus and pursue holiness is an important aspect of the Great Commission ( Matt. 28:20 ). Two, we must emphasize that the pursuit of holiness is really the pursuit of Christ. We aren't simply trying to be better. We are working---as God works in us---to be more like Christ who is in us. In witness and in sanctification we are making Christ known. You observe that, in many circles today, "We know legalism (salvation by law keeping) and antinomianism (salvation without the need for law keeping) are both wrong, but antinomianism feels like a much safer danger." How did we get this way, and how do we correct without overcorrecting once more? The las...

Horatius Bonar (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Is there a silver bullet for increasing Christlikeness ? It’s doubtful that speaking like that will bring more clarity than confusion. But there is biblical precedent for talk about finding “the secret.” In Philippians 4:11–13, the apostle Paul , having thanked his friends for their generous provision of his needs, concedes, Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. There it is, “the secret.” Paul says he’s learned “the secret” for contentment in any situation: Jesus, the one who gives his soul strength. If there’s a secret for contentment, might there be any help in talking similarly about “the secret” to sanctification? It’s a risk, but one that may be worth taking, i...

From Kevin DeYoung 's forthcoming book, The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness (Crossway; August 31, 2012), page 123: We must always remember that in seeking after holiness we are not so much seeking after a thing as we are seeking a person. The blessings of the gospel — election, justification, sanctification , glorification, and all the rest — have been deposited in no other treasury but Christ .  We don’t just want holiness. We want the Holy One in whom we have been counted holy and are now being made holy. To run hard after holiness is another way of running hard after God. Just as a once-for-all, objective justification leads to a slow-growth, subjective sanctification, so our unchanging union with Christ leads to an ever-increasing communion with Christ. Related articles An Interview with John Piper (challies.com) Twelve Propositions on Sanctification (challies.com) What Sanctification Is and Is Not (ch...

St. Peter Denying Christ, by Gustave Doré (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter by Pietro Perugino (1481-82) Fresco, 335 x 550 cm Cappella Sistina, Vatican. Ελληνικά: Λεπτομέρεια από την νωπογραφία του Πιέτρο Περουτζίνο, Ο Χριστός Παραδίδει τα Κλειδιά στον Πέτρο, 335 x 600 cm, Καπέλα Σιξτίνα, Πόλη του Βατικανού. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) 1.       Kevin DeYoung ’s Initial Post: “Make Every Effort”   Count the letters carefully: effort is not a four letter word. Even those who believe in blood-bought, Christ -wrought, undeserved, sovereign, gospel grace do not despise effort in the Christian life. How can we?  2 Peter 1:5  tells us to “make every effort.”   Of course, anyone familiar with this passage will remember that the effort enjoined by Peter is God -graced effort. Verse 3 says we have divine power through “knowledge of him.” Verse 4 says we can becom...