The Tulip Driven Life

By: Thomas F. Booher The following is a portion of a chapter from a short book on applying Calvinism to our everyday lives that I am working on. Preaching needs to take theology and apply it to everyday struggles with sin in the context of our culture and present day situation. This has been, in my estimation, woefully neglected in Calvinistic circles. Theology is practical and has authority over us, therefore, theology should be preached practically and authoritatively. The pastor should exhort with the text. The gospel saves and sanctifies, and we are commanded not to merely trust in the promises of God and the gospel, but to also make war against the flesh by the power of the Spirit. When we cease to seek to apply theology practically and make war with the flesh by the power of the Spirit, we cease to live the TULIP driven life. Another way in which we grow as Christians is by taking what we learn from Scripture and applying it to our own lives. We need to unde...

I was flipping through the radio stations as I drove over to McDonald's. On 107.3 I heard a booming, vaguely familiar voice, speaking about holy living. I turned back to the station and quickly realized this was none other than James MacDonald, of The Elephant Room fame. I never heard of MacDonald until I heard about the Elephant Room controversy. So he started off on the wrong foot with me. But after hearing him preach for about five minutes, it is evident the man is a great preacher. I mean, he actually preaches. He brings one under the Word. By that I mean, he isn't merely teaching (though he is doing that too) but within the teaching is integrated a pastoral care, a shepherding. He sounds like he has authority over me and is trying to lead me into the way of righteousness, into the way that Scripture calls us. Not simply right doctrine, but right practice. A holy living, not merely a holy thinking. My disgust with non-Calvinist churches was their general negl...