Tag: Recommended

My Story, Take 2

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

If you’ve tried to wade through my long telling of my story, I pity you! Thanks for taking that time, however. Over the last 4 years many have, and quite a few have dropped a line to let me know they were blessed by it.

Now, for a new group blog of reforming fundamentalists, I have posted a shorter and hopefully more readable story. Eventually I’ll be bringing that edition over to my blog. But for now, go over and check out Fundamentally Changed, and read my story, take 2.

The group blog is led by many of the founders of the Transformed by Grace group site. It is intended to be a single source of relevant and important articles and posts on IFB fundamentalism, from a reforming fundamentalist perspective. I hope to contribute to it from time to time.

Wine and the Christian

~ Bob Hayton ~ 2 Comments

Tim Archer just finished up a good series on wine and the Christian. He tries his best to present the entire teaching of Scripture on the topic as he reviews all the pertinent Scriptural passages briefly.   His series in effect, presents a bird’s eye view of the issue, in a non-combative, irenic way. I encourage you to check it out.

He does quote one of my posts, in the series, and he also links to a few of my previous posts on this thorny issue. So of course this bodes well for his series!

Check out his twelfth post, which includes links to all the previous ones. You can click here to see some helpful links on the subject too. Feel free to peruse my previous posts on this issue as well.

“Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear” by Max Lucado

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

Author: Max Lucado
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 221
ISBN: 9780849921391
Stars: 4 of 5

Fearless is the latest book from best selling author, Max Lucado. In fact it officially releases today. I jumped at the chance to receive an advance review copy of this book, partly because I had never read Lucado before. I’ve heard good things of his writing, but had just never read one of his books. Often, popularity doesn’t translate all that well into Biblical faithfulness, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Max Lucado. As I worked my way through the book, I found it not only faithful, but accessible, well-written and timely.

Lucado interweaves stories, analogies and practical Christian advice in a masterful fashion. Each chapter focuses on a specific species of fear. He examines the fear and brings the Scriptures to bear upon it. The book also includes excellent discussion questions for each chapter. They would serve well as a general outline for small group sessions. Usually discussion questions are minimal, but with Fearless, they include a time of discussing the particular fear at hand, Scripture passages to look up and some final application questions.

Max Lucado displays a well-seasoned faith and he knows how to address the spectrum of fears that face us today. His pastoral warmth shines through the book. I particularly enjoyed his thoughts on parenting and fear for the well-being of your children.

We can take our parenting fears to Christ. In fact, if we don’t, we’ll take our fears out on our kids. Fear turns some parents into paranoid prison guards who monitor every minute, check the background of ever friend. They stifle growth and communicate distrust…

On the other hand, fear can also create permissive parents. For fear that their child will feel too confided or fenced in, they lower all boundaries. High on hugs and low on discipline. They don’t realize that appropriate discipline is an expression of love. Permissive parents. Paranoid parents. How can we avoid the extremes? We pray.

Prayer is the saucer into which parental fears are poured to cool. Jesus says so little about parenting, makes no comments about spanking, breast-feeding, sibling rivalry, or schooling. Yet his actions speak volumes about prayer. Each time a parent prays, Christ responds. His big message to moms and dads? Bring your children to me. Raise them in a greenhouse of prayer. (pg. 60)

The book’s conclusion addresses how to react to the fear that is so rampant in this dark time of economic upheaval and terrorism on a global scale.

Let others breathe the polluted air of anxiety, not us. Let’s be numbered among those who hear a different voice, God’s. Enough of these shouts of despair, wails of doom. Why pay heed to the doomsdayer on Wall Street or the purveyor of gloom in the newspaper? We will incline our ears elsewhere: upward. We will turn to our Maker, and because we do, we will fear less. (pg. 177-178)

I confidently recommend Fearless. You will be enjoy the book and be encouraged to trust God more

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Amazon.com or direct from Thomas Nelson.

Reforming Fundamentalism, Bob Bixby and Blogging

~ Bob Hayton

If you have followed fundamentalist blogging at all, or if you consider yourself a bit of a reformed (or former) fundamentalist, in the IFB sense, listen up. Bob Bixby has a phenomenal post detailing the history and motivations behind his 7 years of blogging. He is hanging up the towel on Pensees, but this last post is well worth a hearing.

Along the way he explains his concept of an “emerging middle”, a coming together of the younger and more careful (in my estimation) wing of fundamentalism and the more conservative wing of evangelicalism (e.g., MacArthur, Piper, Mohler, Dever and others). He goes on to show how he has long advocated that young fundamentalists work for change withing the fundamentalist system, and he sees some evidence of a “refreshed fundamentalism”. His post still details many remaining fundamentalist warts, and also includes a good bit of introspection and self-critique.

Bixby models how a serious minded leader should view blogging. He lets you into his thought process on the advantages and disadvantages of blogging, and I for one was blessed by it. He points out the obvious in fundamentalist blogging — its a battlefield out there. Blogwars never end, and so a day comes when that emphasis has to be left behind. In my own blogging I’ve made drastic changes in the focus of my blog. And I can see one day hanging it up as well.

All in all, whether you’re identified with IFB fundamentalism or not, this is an interesting and important read. It won’t be available for long, so check it out.

New on the KJV Only Debate Blog…

~ Bob Hayton

You may want to check out my team KJV Only? blog. I’m continuing a series I started on this blog, called Testing the Textus Receptus. Today’s post centers on Rev. 16:5 one of the “certainly erroneous” passages in the KJV, to use E.F. Hills’ (a KJV defender himself) term.

Come on over and check out the post. Then consider linking to our blog, or subscribing if you’d like.