Why Many Modern American Evangelicals Don't Like Reformed Baptist Preaching

James White has posted a couple of videos on his blog that answer a question I've been having: Given that when I look at the scriptures I see that membership in the elect is up to God not to us - He chooses us, why do most evangelicals think that we are saved by exercising our free will? I mean both concepts can't be right. However as long a person believes and trusts Jesus for salvation, he/she is saved, does it really matter who started it? God or us?  I think it does matter because the Bible is clear.  "We love Him because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19) All we do is respond, but we can't respond on our own.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14:6

Why Many Modern American Evangelicals Don't Like Reformed Baptist Preaching

Is there a Connection Between Jesus and Vespatian?

The Roman emperor Vespatian is often offered as some one who who Christians modeled Jesus after. Titus Flavius Vespasianus, known as Vespasian lived November 17, 9AD – June 23, 79AD, reigned from 69 AD until his death in 79 AD. They say this because of one obscure reference in Tacitus' book The Histories:

At Alexandria a commoner, whose eyes were well known to have wasted away ...fell at Vespasian's feet demanding with sobs a cure for his blindness, and imploring that the Emperor would deign to moisten his eyes and eyeballs with the spittle from his mouth.
... Vespasian .... did as the men desired him. Immediately the hand recovered its functions and daylight shone once more in the blind man's eyes. Those who were present still attest both miracles today, when there is nothing to gain by lying.
Tacitus, The Histories, 4.81

Apparently Vespasianus cured a man of blindness by rubbing his spit in the man's eyes. Critics say "see, Chrisitans say Jesus did it because this guy did it." Before I go on, I don't want to downplay Vespatian at all. He is an important figure.

1. He started a new dynasty of Roman emperors
2. It was he that put down the Jewish Revolt and inadvertently insuring that Josephus would write and publish his works.

However, I would not put any stock into Vespatian performing miracles because Tacitus wrote his account about 30 years after the emperor died. Also Christians have been recounting Jesus' miracles before Vespatian ever took power. Remember some scholars date Mark to the 40's AD. There is no evidence of Jesus performing the miracle of healing the blind with his spit as being later than Vespatian. If anything I think the borrowing was from the other way around.

Vespatian
Athiest Watch: Answering Jesus Myth Arguments

Apologetics 315: How Can A God of Love Send Anyone To Hell? MP3 Audio by Albert Mohler

Here is another great resource from Apologetics 315. I really like this sermon by Albert Mohler. Her really puts his finger on the pulse of the issues. No one likes thinking about hell nor accepting the truth that each and everyone of us deserve it. Thank god for Jesus who saves us from the inevitability of Hell. God's justice demands that we go to Hell. His mercy spares us.

Apologetics 315: How Can A God of Love Send Anyone To Hell? MP3 Audio by Albert Mohler

Iron Sharpens Iron: James White: "Muslim-Christian Relations... Plus an Overview of the Recent Dialogue with Imam Syed Z. Sayeed: Jesus in the Qur'an & the Bible"!

The good news is that Iron Sharpens Iron is still on the air! James White was a a recent guest and he talked about his recent debate with Imam Syed Z. Sayeed and Muslm/Christian Apologetics and Relations. It's awesome!

Iron Sharpens Iron: James White: "Muslim-Christian Relations... Plus an Overview of the Recent Dialogue with Imam Syed Z. Sayeed: Jesus in the Qur'an & the Bible"!

YouTube - Poor Apologetics: "First Cause"

"Poor Apologetics" is what the following video exemplifies.






What takes more faith:
A race of beings, of which there is no proof, or a natural phenomena caused all of reality to come into existence.
or
That an omnipotent being brought the universe into existence out of nothing, who has revealed Himself through personal relationship with His creation and left us evidence?

God is way more plausible...especially if you are in relationship with God. Almost all of science agrees that the Universe began to exist. There was a point at which there was no universe and then in some way that science can't explain the universe begins to exist. People who deny God must give an answer: How? Why? Many try to get around this, as is done in the video, by trying to toss it back to theists by asserting that if everything that exists must have a designer then God must have a maker. The video attempts to address this by countering the theistic answer that God does not have a beginning by just calling the point a re-definition to avoid the topic. The thing is we know that the Universe is not eternal. We know it had a beginning and if not changed it will have an end. We know something about God by what is revealed in scripture. We know God is eternal - transcending time and space. God never began to exist because there have never been nor will there ever be a point that God does not exist. This is a part of who God is by definition. This is the God that monotheists have been proclaiming for millenniums. This video unfortuntely is refuting a straw man, not the God of heaven and earth - the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!

YouTube - Poor Apologetics: "First Cause"