Losing Your Black Card Is Not a Game - Obama’s Other Daughters

This was a very funny video built on the idea that as a black person one has to prove that he/she is black enough. If you do not think enough like some arbitrary standard or don't know enough about African-American culture people joked about kicking you out of the community using the term "revoking your black card". This skit explores this idea and asks what it could be like if this was literal.

The Origins Of Disney's Mulan Are Darker Than You Thought

The Nine Worlds of Norse Mythology

TOP 10 Most Powerful GREEK GODS

10 Wars Started For Stupid Reasons

Why did Britain Abolish Slavery? (Short Animated Documentary)

Avengers Endgame Final Battle - 16 Bit Scenes

I love the new examples of pixel art on the Internet. This one is a shot-for-shot remake of the final battle.

Infinity Snap in real time. With Hawkeye family. Endgame, Infinity War, ...

Here is great example of good video editing. The endings of Infinity War  and Ant-man and the Wasp, as well as the beginning of Endgame are all supposed to be happening simultaneously in the narrative.  Really interesting video,

Evolution of Iron Man in Games 1991-2020

The Evolution of Thanos (with Jim Starlin)

Batman: 80 Years of the Dark Knight

Cable, Apocalypse & Beta Ray Bill Were Created By This Comics Couple

The Evolution Of Anime

Who Invented Books? | COLOSSAL QUESTIONS

This was really cool. A history of publishing.

The first and last king of Haiti - Marlene Daut

Calvinism vs. Arminianism - Does God Choose Us or Do We Choose God?

Allen Parr recently posted a video summarizing the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism. I largely agree with what he said. He did not endorse one over the other but treated the issue as important but not worth anathematizing anyone.

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Parr's video caught Leighton Flower's attention and he posted a response video. What amazed me was that it seemed to me that Flowers did not really understand what Parr said.

Libertarian Free Will and the WCF with Chris Date

This is a long but important debate. WCF is the acronym for the Westminister Confession of Faith which is a statement of faith by Presbyterians in the year 1646 AD. Leighton Flowers and Chris Date debate what the authors believed about Free Will. Although the authors of the Confession were Calvinists, Flowers argues that they affirmed Libertarian Free Will.



Why not read it for yourself? What do you think?

Responding to "DeCalvinizing Ephesians 2:8"

Leighton Flowers has posted a video about how he understands Ephesians 2:8 and he definitely does not look at it the way I do.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  Ephesians 2:8

It really comes down to question about what does the scripture says is the gift? Is it saying that grace to be saved or is it the faith? Leighton Flowers is arguing that the gift of God is the grace to be saved not the faith because he believes that every individual has enough faith to believe.

I'm interested in Flower's argument because he tried to use Greek grammar to make his argument. However, I have heard people who see this passage as teaching that the faith is a gift also use Greek grammar to prove their point. I think the confusion comes from where one start. If you think that every person has enough faith to believe then you would think that it is the grace (God's unmerited favor) that is the gift of God. I read this as both the grace and the faith by which the grace is applied both come from God because there is no way we can argue that everyone has that kind of faith apart from God giving ti to them.

Jesus said

44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. - John 6:44

Sovereignty DeCalvinized

Leighton Flowers's video is about how he defines "sovereignty" as opposed to how Calvinists define it. He argues that he believes in God's sovereignty but he does not believe that the Bible defines what that means the way Calvinists like Pastor John Piper teach it.



Professor Flowers defines "Sovereignty" through making a distinction between the scope of God's

power versus what God has decided to do with Creation.  He argued that God is indeed control of everything but has chosen not to be in meticulous control of everything  such as human free will allowing us to make decisions. He quotes A.W. Tozer when Tozer taught that God in his infinite power chose give us the ability to choose between good and evil.

Flowers further tells us that Calvinists misunderstand Sovereignty because Calvinists like John Piper  teach that God determines and decides all human decisions and actions because God is Sovereign. Flowers counters by saying "Sovereignty" does not mean that. Flowers and several Arminians think that Calvinists are arguing that evil thoughts and motivations originate in God himself. And despite the way he played the re-contextualization of John Piper's statements I do not think that Calvinists like John Piper, John MacArthur, and James White are arguing that at all. I have heard Flowers agree that most Calvinists would not affirm that God is the author of evil, but he thinks that it's inescapable that their theology demands that conclusion. I do not think that is a fair assessment.

Here is why. Years ago James White, who is Calvinist, debated George Bryson, a Arminian, on this issue on the Bible Answer Man radio program.  Bryson asked White if God predestines the rape of children? I think James White gave the good answer: God has a purpose for any evil God allows to happen. White did not say that God caused the evil. For example, God does not hold a gun to your head forcing you to do evil.  And yet God knew what was going to happen and for his own purposes history and lives play out the way it does.

We have to remember that when people sin it is not God's fault because it is the fault of the sinner.

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. - James 1:12-14

Instead God, can turn acts that had evil intention by the people committing into something good for his people.  Recall that when Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers and sold him into slavery and about 30 years later, God raised Joseph into being second only to the Pharaoh in Egypt allowing him to save so many people from death by salvation. Please recall how Joseph understood what happened to him and the part his brothers played in his life. 

19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. -Genesis 50:19-21

There are many scriptures that shows us exactly that. God predestines what occurs, but we cannot always know the reasons why God does what He does. When Calvinists teach that God predestines everything they are not saying that God is the author of evil - no evil comes about because of us. 

The Chopping Block // Reformed Theology

I grew up in a Church of God In Christ, which is predominantly Black Christian denomination. While I was growing up there was never any discussion of the Calvinist position on Soteriology.  It was assumed that every human being had free will and if they ended up in hell it was because of their own free will choice to deny Christ. We never really discussed any other train of thought. As an adult, I've realized that it way more complicated than I thought. It is my experience that many African-American Christians do not discuss or concern themselves with Soteriological issues beyond being born again and going on to serve God as much as their White brothers and sisters. This is why I really like the following video because it's four black Christians honestly discusses it and given that they don't have the same background and experiences as guys like James White, John Piper, Leighton Flowers, or any of the prominent scholars that I see discuss these things. That is why it is interesting.