What is Mark’s Good News?

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The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Mark

Mark

So begins the Gospel according to Mark. We might have different ideas about what the term “gospel” means, but for a first century reader the “good news” (from the Greek εὐαγγέλιον) would bring to mind the ideas of a ruler and/or a great victory. [1]

A popular example that captures these Roman ideas from the same time period (9 BC) is the Priene Inscription. It is an engraved stone created in the city of Priene in Asia Minor to celebrate the birth of Emperor Augustus. It is variously translated, but the Greek word for gospel appears twice (noted in bold).[2] Continue reading →

TED Talk: Gen. McChrystal on Leadership

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I came to believe that a leader isn’t good because they’re right; they’re good because they’re willing to learn and to trust. This isn’t easy stuff. It’s not like that electronic abs machine where, 15 minutes a month, you get washboard abs. (Laughter) And it isn’t always fair. You can get knocked down, and it hurts and it leaves scars. But if you’re a leader, the people you’ve counted on will help you up. And if you’re a leader, the people who count on you need you on your feet. – General McChrystal

Irenaeus on Free Will

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Irenaeus

Irenaeus

Charles Spurgeon has written in his treatise “A Defense of Calvinism” that:

The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach to-day, or else be false to my conscience and my God. … Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.

Augustine, the #1 theologian on Parchment and Pen, and his writings had tremendous influence on the Reformers including Martin Luther and John Calvin. The ideas expressed in his writings form the foundation for the tenets of Calvinism. The question often debated is whether the views of Augustine were held by the early theologians of the church prior to Augustine.

In “Calvinism in History“, Reformed theologian Loraine Boettner acknowledges that Augustine is responsible for formulating these views. Continue reading →