Des' Calvinist Love-In

How many Presbyterian branches are there?

--OPC
--PCA
--PCUSA

Any more?

Too many to count, brother. Our denomination is rife with schism. To the point I wonder if we can really characterize our Church governance as synodical.

PCUSA
PCA
OPC
RPCNA
RPCGA
CPC
ARP
SPPC

That's only in the USA and Canada. I'm sure there are a few I'm missing.

If you ask me, most of the recent (and numerous) divisions occurred over relatively minor doctrinal concerns or petty issues in the body.

do you think it might have had something to do with the fact Latin for left is sinistra ?

my Aunt Barb is left handed, too, which places you and her in what? like 11% of the population?

my dad, sister, husband and two of our kids have green eyes, and that makes them even more of an oddity.

Good night! That shows you how up in the times I am!! Are the three mentioned (OPC, PCA, PCUSA) the most common? Those are the only ones I've heard of in this region.

Haha! Possibly. But I think it has more to do with the sheep moving off to the right to be with Christ and the goats moving off to the left.

I think left-handers are becoming more common (since we're no longer considered evil). Also, while there are far less of us in the world, there are quite a few in Australia. I have a friend who has five children and three of them are left-handed! He and his wife aren't though.

i am glad to see you posting again!

i'm an admirer of Owen, and Goodwin, Watson, Edwards, and all the Puritan writers.

The Death of Death in the Death of Christ was a good one. the language is 'outdated' of course, but once you've grown accustomed to Shakespeare, it seems pretty up to date.

The "outdated" language doesn't bother me at all since I am very familiar with Shakespeare and am actually writing a story in the Elizabethan period. It is Owens style that tends to really bog me down. But I will try the one you mentioned if I can find it

Well, let me help you find it.


https://www.monergism.com/death-death-death-christ-ebook

If you have an e-reader, it's free. That fits a homeless man's budget.

Does it annoy anyone that TULIP and the Biblical beliefs comprised therein are called CALVINISM?? Wherefore? John Calvin with his longing to be obscure and leave the glory to God would turn over in his grave!

I have never liked assigning a mans name to any theological view of scripture. I prefer reformed theology as a title .
Blessings
Bill

That is a better one. But most people don't know what that means (Not that they know what Calvinism truly means anyway).

P.S. I love the quote in your signature. Is that The Screwtape Letters?

Does it annoy anyone that TULIP and the Biblical beliefs comprised therein are called CALVINISM?? Wherefore? John Calvin with his longing to be obscure and leave the glory to God would turn over in his grave!

Oddly enough, TULIP never came into existence until around 1905.

Yyyyyyep. It isn't worded with precision either.

I am not Reformed. I am evangelical and Protestant. I like R.C. Sproul (though have never read his books) especially talking about the holiness of God and not just his love, love, love, love. Yes, he is the God of love, but still that quality of him gets really overemphasized especially in the American culture today, where love does not mean what the Bible says. I am struggling with limited atonement and some parts of predestination.I wish that people understood predestination better, it gets a bad vibe from pretty much every place in the media and even in Hollywood in movies like The Adjustment Bureau and others. I also like John Piper and have read a few of his books. What I do not agree with R.C. Sproul on is I believe in continuationism not cessationism. I believe that miracles can still happen through the laying of hands and not just distant prayers and that a lot of people (not everyone) in western Christianity sadly believe miracles do not happen, even though you see them in the Old Testament and the New Testament. I just do not like putting God in a box. I like Todd White and his ministry, even though sometimes miracles weird me out, the real ones and not the fake ones. God bless my brothers and sisters in Christ.