Synopses & Reviews
If you were to ask your friends how to get to Heaven, you would probably receive as many answers as the number of friends you have. Someone would probably suggest that you should keep the Golden Rule; someone else might say that you need to live up to the Ten Commandments; others might advise that you should pray, or give to the church and the poor, or that you should just do the best you can.
But when you are dealing with something as important as eternal life and Heaven, you need more than just the opinions of friends. You need the truth
When we look into the Bible we read, Jesus said, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.... Ye must be born again (John 3:3, 7).
Born again? That may sound strange to you. What does it mean? To explain this, let's look at what the Bible has to say.
God's Word, in the first place, is very realistic. It teaches that no one can gain entrance into Heaven by good works or even religious practices. The Bible reveals our true condition: There are none righteous, no, not one.... For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10, 23). Our personal experience also teaches us that we all have broken God's laws and have not even done the best we can do.
The biblical diagnosis for our condition is clear. We, by nature, are described as being dead in trespasses and sins; alienated from the life of God; as having not life (Ephesians 2:1; 4:18). Just as a body without physical life is declared physically dead, so any person separated from the life of God is described in the Bible as spiritually dead.
Separated from God, dead in our trespasses and sins, we cannot hope to enter Heaven. We need new lives, cleansed from sin and its penalty. We need to be restored to fellowship with God. We must be born into a new life--we must be born again.
Jesus Christ came to bring us this new life. He said, I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Receiving the life that Jesus can give is what being born again is all about.
When we think about God's love for us, it is really more than we can comprehend. God sent His Son Jesus Christ from the glories of Heaven to enter the human race and pay the penalty for our sins. This is the extent of God's love for us God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
On the cross of Calvary Jesus willingly bore all our sins and suffered the full force of God's righteous judgment. By His death Jesus provided for our salvation. By His resurrection from the dead, Jesus broke the power of death.
Today the risen Lord Jesus offers new life to all who will receive Him as Savior. He promises, He that heareth My word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life (John 5:24).
If you will respond to the Son of God by receiving Him as your Savior, you can have everlasting life right now. On the basis of God's Word you can have assurance that Jesus Christ has totally suffered the penalty of sin for you. And you can be born again into the family of God, knowing that one day you will live forever with your Lord in Heaven.
And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life (1 John 5:11-12).
Have you been born again?
Synopsis
A collection of essays that confront evangelical accommodation to postmodernism.
Synopsis
Reclaiming the Center is a valuable contribution to the study of contemporary evangelicalism. It is a guide for how evangelicals can move forward with wisdom and discernment without succumbing to the spirit of this age.
Synopsis
When evangelicals confuse an improper passion for novelty witha proper pursuit of academic and pastoral relevance, the resultscan be distressing. I cannot express how grateful I am for thewell-formed wisdom with which this book points to the abiding anddecisive relevance for future route-finding of the old theologicalpaths.
-J. I. Packer, Professor, Regent College
For those evangelicals who-like myself-are increasinglytroubled by extravagant claims made by various evangelical scholarsabout the nature of the 'postmodern' challenge, as well as byearnest calls to develop new epistemological and theologicalperspectives in response to this challenge, the writers of theseessays shed much light. This book is must-reading for everyone whowants to promote a clear-thinking evangelicalism for ourcontemporary context.
-Richard J. Mouw, President and Professor ofChristian Philosophy, Fuller Seminary
Here is a collection of intelligent, provocative, gutsy essaysthat dare to fly into the eye of the scholarly storm overevangelical identity. Though different perspectives are presenteven here, the underlying thesis is clear and worth heeding: theeager, and sometimes uncritical, embrace of postmodernist paradigmsmay be as premature as it has proven to be unproductive for thewell-being of the evangelical church. One of the most importantbooks of the new century
-Timothy George, Dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University
Provocative, timely, and controversial
-Donald G. Bloesch, Professor of TheologyEmeritus, Dubuque Theological Seminary
Compromise and confusion stand at the center ofevangelicalism's theological crisis, and a clear-headed andconvictional analysis of the problem has been desperately needed.Thankfully, Reclaiming the Center has arrived just in time. . . .My fervent hope is that it will open evangelical eyes, humbleevangelical hearts, and awaken this generation to the peril ofaccommodationism.
-R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The SouthernBaptist Theological Seminary
The authors of this well-designed volume provide a bold andwell-argued response to what is sometimes called 'postconservativeevangelicalism.' This important conversation regarding the essence, center, and boundaries of evangelicalism is here explored, interpreted, and assessed from a well-informed theological, philosophical, and historical perspective. . . . I heartily commendthis volume and trust it will find a large readership.
-David S. Dockery, President, Union University