Desire-to-be-relevant as ‘genre marker’ in evangelical literature

Some of the books I read present a proposal or viewpoint the author wants his readers to adopt. These books intend to persuade. Sometimes the authors want to persuade me to accept certain practices or theological beliefs. At other times the authors want me to reject certain practices as harmful or doctrines as heterodox. In [...]

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The desire for relevance, the pillar of Evangelicalism

When one reads evangelical literature, one is struck by the concern for relevance and a need for prestige. For example, I was reading an important monograph on problems the Old Testament presented for a traditionally high view of inspiration. One of his important underlying arguments for the adoption of his proposals was the way conservative [...]

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Jonathan Edwards’s argument that God’s foreknowledge determines that future volitions of men are necessary

What follows is my summary of the 12th section of the 2d part of Jonathan Edwards’s Freedom of the Will entitled, “God’s certain foreknowledge of the future volitions of moral agents, inconsistent with such a contingence of those volitions, as is without necessity.” Edwards’ previous section in Freedom of the Will established the [...]

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Isaac Watts was kind enough to write me a letter

I received this letter from Isaac Watts a day or so ago, and he gave me permission to publish it here.*
___________
Abney Park in Stoke Newington, September 30, 2008
To Mr. Ryan Martin
Dear Sir,
I received your recent correspondence inquiring as to my opinion of the changes made to my poem ‘Alas, and Did My Saviour Bleed,’ by [...]

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