The Tulip Driven Life

By: Thomas F. Booher Some may believe that a pastor’s inability to defend the faith is an unimportant issue. After all, is not a minister preaching to believers who are already convinced of Christianity? Indeed, he is, and this is precisely why the pastor must have a firm grasp of biblical apologetics. It is the pastor’s job to help equip the saints so that they are always ready “to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). The pastor himself must be well-versed in defending the faith, and he must know how to do it in a biblical manner, so as to teach and model apologetics for the congregation. Defending the faith well comes with benefits for both minster and congregation alike.             Apologetics gives the minister greater confidence when he preaches the word because he knows that his faith is sure. Indeed, the great value and benefit of presupp...

FRAME AND BAHNSEN ON VAN TIL’S APOLOGETIC: A COMPARISON  By: Thomas F. Booher                John Frame and Greg Bahnsen are two of the most well-known advocates of Van Tillian presuppositional apologetics. Both studied under Van Til and are especially qualified to write on his apologetic method. What follows will be a brief examination of both Frame and Bahnsen’s analysis of Van Til’s apologetic. It will become evident that, on the whole, Bahnsen is in greater agreement with Van Til’s thought than Frame is, though both men would claim to accept the heart of Van Til’s methodology. Frame and Bahnsen will be discussed together, examining their interaction with Van Til’s teaching in several key areas, highlighting both their agreements and disagreements.              For Cornelius Van Til, an apologetic dialogue between believer and...

By: Thomas F. Booher Here is an example of sermon outlining. I find it to be incredibly spiritually enriching.                                             Samuel Davies’ Sermon: 1 Corinthians 3:6-7   Sermon Outline Intro: God is sovereign over all things, and He uses secondary means to glorify His name Need: There is spiritual lethargy in the land despite full pews and sound preaching. What is lacking? M.P.: Without the divine agency to render the gospel successful, all the labors of its ministers will be in vain.       I.           The present degeneracy of human nature is so great that the gospel, apart from divine grace, cannot remedy it A.     The seed of the gospel dies on barren soil (Matt. 13 parable) B.     Scripture indicates th...

By: Thomas F. Booher Without the gospel, we are lost. Without the gospel, we have nothing. I can think of no greater truth than the truth of the cross. I can think of no greater need than a recovery of the truth of the cross in our churches. As American culture continues to slip and slide into secularism, as unbelievers increasingly overthrow their consciences, the Christian church will be seen as the most peculiar institution in existence. This means you and I will be seen as the most peculiar people in our land. This is a scary thing, perhaps, but it is not necessarily a bad thing. When persecution comes, and Christ promises that it will come, we have opportunity to stand firm and faithfully. We have the privilege and duty to speak the truth, to shine light into the darkness. But our own light has been partially eclipsed by the darkness of the world. Obviously, light cannot be dimmed by darkness, for darkness is the absence of light. Yet we Christians too often fear the darknes...