The Tulip Driven Life

By: Thomas F. Booher I want to begin by saying that I have not written much for The Tulip Driven Life in the last couple of years. Time constraints have been a large factor, but the biggest reason I haven't written much is that I haven't really seen the point in doing so. I left (I think and hope) the cage stage of Calvinism, and after my fiery volleys, I realized I burnt some bridges unnecessarily, and was left with an echo chamber of other fire-wielding Calvinists who loved anything I posted that really "stuck it" to free will, but only kinda sorta liked other Reformedish stuff that I posted. Facebook has become (for me at least) an ineffectual way to reach non-likeminded Christians. All my Christian friends, apart from some in my family, are Reformed. Most on the Tulip Driven Life are Reformed. I like preaching to the choir, but really, there's plenty of websites with more qualified men of God to get your theology fix from.  But something changed in...

             GREENVILLE PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IS THE USE OF CONTRACEPTION BIBLICAL? Thomas Booher AP 42 Ethics March 26, 2016                The question of whether or not using contraception is biblical is a difficult one because there are many variables at play. Despite the variables, however, principle must determine practice; practice ought not make principle. Therefore, the first question to ask regarding the use of contraception is to ask what the principle for using contraception is. The principle must be taken from Scripture, and while Scripture has little to say about contraception directly, it does have much to say about children, which is directly related to the matter of contraception. In a sinless, unfallen world, contraception wouldn’t even be considered, because covenant children are a blessing from the Lord, witho...

By: Thomas F. Booher When reading the OT prophets, I can see the temptation to read Israel as America, because we would like to believe that God has made some special covenant with us as a nation that ensures our protection, at least if we repent. This isn't the case, as God now saves all who put their faith in Him, and His covenant is with believers and their children. The reason this isn't a step back is that we have something that Israel didn't yet have, namely, the sacrifice of Christ for our sins. We stand before God justified because of the righteousness of Christ credited to our account. Our promises are primarily spiritual and eternal, not physical and temporal this side of heaven (though in glory we will inherit the universe). The truth of the matter is, if this doesn't sound better to you, it calls into question your faith, because Christ promised that we would face trials in this life and be hated, but those who ENDURE to the end will be saved (Matt....

GREENVILLE PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SAVED BY CHRIST? Thomas Booher AT 41 Christian Education November 24, 2015                 Hello, I’m Thomas Booher. I’m guessing if you are reading this that you already understand that I want to tell you about my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and how you can be saved by Him, too. You may or may not have heard of Jesus before, but if you live in the United States, especially within the Bible belt, my guess is that you likely have. I believe that Jesus is God, but also became man some 2,000 years ago. In fact, He’s fully God and fully man, and He had to be both in order to die on a cross in such a manner that man’s sins could be paid for and Christ’s Father, who is the God of all things, would no longer be angry with sinners, like you and me, for their sins.     ...

GREENVILLE PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY ANALYSIS: SHOULD NON-REFORMED CHILDREN BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND REFORMED SCHOOLS? Thomas Booher AT 41 Christian Education November 24, 2015             Should children who are not Reformed be allowed to attend a school that is Reformed? One may wonder how a school can be Reformed if its students are not. The argument will be that it is the curriculum and the teachers that make a school distinctly Reformed, regardless of the personal convictions of the children (and their parents) who attend the school. In order that the Reformed witness not be diluted, however, certain parameters must be established, and certain concessions must be made by the parents and their children who are not Reformed.           A Reformed school must have a Reformed curriculum, and teachers that affirm the Reformed faith. ...

Below is a rough draft of a paper on evangelism that I wrote for seminary. GREENVILLE PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BOOK REVIEW: THE PASTOR-EVANGELIST Thomas Booher AT 41 Reformed Evangelism November 23, 2015                 The Pastor-Evangelist sheds light on the minister’s duty and role in evangelism. The book offers a comprehensive yet concise panorama of the different means of proclaiming the gospel to unbelievers, such as preaching, prayer, small groups, Sunday school, lifestyle, and hospitality evangelism. Interspersed are more doctrinally focused chapters relating to Christ’s example as the ultimate pastor-evangelist, kingdom evangelism, revitalizing a dying church, and practical measures on how to implement these evangelistic methods in the local church. Each chapter is written by a different author, keeping the reading fresh, but some ...