The Renewal Bible Study

Pro-War Essay Fails In So Many Ways

2007-11-21T03:07:00.000-08:00

An essay circulated into my inbox last week that made the case for our involvement in the war in Iraq. It is not a new essay. Researching around, I found it was written in July 2006. But despite the age of this essay, there are some who believe that the arguments presented are still valid, even if some may hold some reservation on the details.Despite the length, I have written a response to

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano

2007-09-13T23:05:00.000-07:00

If you look, God will find youBy Pastor Paul ViggianoBy now we've all been sufficiently exposed to the passions and despair of Mother Teresa via the new volume titled Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light. As a Protestant apologist, I have chosen to never take issue with certain individuals. Mother Teresa tops the list.Yet the angst of this woman so dedicated to granting relief to the sickly and

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano

2007-06-05T04:44:00.000-07:00

Falwell's impact will remainMinister isn't being judged by the espousers of modern liberalism and apostasy. He's facing a higher judge and will have little reason to apologize.By Pastor Paul ViggianoI never considered myself a huge Jerry Falwell fan - at least until now. The hue and cry cascading off the walls of the dark caves of Western paganism at the mere sound of Falwell's name leads me to

Christians vs. The Constitution? I Hope Not.

2007-05-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

As odd as it may sound, the title of this post is essentially what we are facing in the political arena. The presidential election isn't for another 18 months, but early debates have generated a lot of attention lately, mainly due to U.S. Representative Ron Paul's stance on the U.S. Constitution. If you haven't heard of or know about Ron Paul, he is one of 10 candidates that are seeking to win

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano: Resurrection Day Edition

2007-04-09T03:18:00.000-07:00

Evidence of Faith, Cause for HopeHere are ten reasons why the resurrection of Jesus Christ remains the most important occurrence in history.By Paul ViggianoBranch of Hope Orthodox Presbyterian ChurchCharles Hodge, the renowned 19th century Princeton theologian, penned these words concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ: "It may be safely asserted that the resurrection of Christ is at once the

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano

2007-03-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

Speaking the language of unityBy Pastor Paul ViggianoWhen God set out to confound men's efforts at building their own tower to heaven, he simply confused the language so they couldn't understand one another's speech. Apparently the easiest way to scatter and disassemble a people is to make communication difficult.When Alexander the Great sought to unify his entire conquered territory, which

O Tempora, O Mores!

2007-02-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

I encountered the following excerpts in mnemonics section of a manual intended for use in teaching high school kids about Architectural Engineering:“The more exaggerated the image, the better. The more bizarre and outstanding an image, the more arousing it is and the clearer is the memory that results…The association can be improved by making the image three-dimensional, in color and as vivid as

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano

2007-02-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

How about science-based ethics?By Paul ViggianoFaith-based science is the hot new derogatory maxim. From the sacred halls of secular bioethics, the encyclicals blazon: "We must annihilate the influence of the theist, and pure science must reign as the uncontested canon of decency and morality." With papyrus firmly clenched in their mandibles, the monkeys fly.Inscribed on the parchment are the

"Why Dada?"

2007-01-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

WHY (?) — The favored question of my intrepid children; so simple and yet so profound. It’s a very different sort of thing than asking who, what, when or how (though all carry their suppositions of objective correspondence). Why (?) implies both an orchestrated intentionality of things and the intelligibility of such post facto. When someone asks “why?” they’re searching for the ultimate intent

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano

2006-12-31T22:57:00.000-08:00

There are still Herods aplentyBy Paul ViggianoAmbrose Bierce, in his Devil's Dictionary, defines politics as "A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles." This was as true 2,000 years ago as it is today. Jesus was greeted at birth with a political conspiracy. Herod and his advisers wanted the baby terminated. Just why would Herod, a puppet of the Roman Empire, want to kill a

Our Generations

2006-12-18T16:53:00.000-08:00

There we stood, in the sight of God and man, taking the vows of our troth—the culmination of two families called to the tabernacles of covenant and kinship in one house. The stained-glass-filtered rays mixed with cascades of flickering candlelight in kaleidoscopic fashion as Celtic strings rang dulcetly. Cameras flashed with intermittence. Tears welled in my bride’s eyes as the minister called

Love What is Good; Hate What is Evil

2006-12-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

“Rub a dub dub,Three men in a tub,And who do you think they be?The butcher, the baker,The candlestick maker.Turn them out, knaves all three!” If the originator of this nursery rhyme were yet living they’d write new hate-speech legislation just for him. The fact that it still exists in this form is honestly a pleasant surprise but I don’t anticipate it to continue unedited for much longer. The “

A Little Something for The Charismatics

2006-11-30T15:22:00.000-08:00

Nemo saltat sorbius nisi infanus est. (A folk saying of the old Latin Church)Translation: "Nobody dances when sober unless they are insane."To that I'll add-- Quiquid latine dictum sit altum videtur.Translation: "Anything said in Latin sounds profound."

Some thoughts on the Bible, History and Correspondence

2006-11-28T10:52:00.000-08:00

As people who take the Bible to be “the only rule for faith and practice,” we must aver from the traditions of men, especially when such traditions are claimed to be of hermeneutic necessity. Allowing the Bible to interpret the Bible—“the analogy of faith” as it is called, has always been the rudimentary approach of orthodox believers. The alternative is the effective denial of the Christian

Ontological Argument: Rebuttal

2006-11-06T23:06:00.000-08:00

First off, I'll state here that I am in disagreement with Ehud's evaluation as to how we ought to vote. And second, as one who has and will vote for the candidate I believe to be the best for the job, I can say that this is not something I find as "the principle of the thing" to satisfy my "guilt-ridden conscience" for my "self-gratification." Ehud goes a little too far in making a

Moving the Boundry Stones

2006-11-02T08:56:00.000-08:00

Are there any yet living who might remember,the foregone days of our sweet splendor?The Good Word taught us in the days of yore,men do mock as myth & lore;How came this blite upon our lands?Forsaken are His Laws' demands.What does such faithlessness betoke?Man's chains, Leviathan's yoke.So the peoples of the West now descend,into chaos without end;The black-robed Priests have declared,no unwanted

Ontological Politics

2006-11-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

Ought Christians to mourn if Muslims blew up the Vatican? In such case ought we to express solidarity with the Roman church? Would we rally for its reconstruction in a show of defiance toward Islam and their purposed attack on Christendom? I mean, as a Protestant and a Calvinist, I recognize such happenstance, were it to come about, would be a providential judgment of God of a lesser evil by a

Of such Men, we are in short supply

2006-10-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

"If all else fails, I will retreat up the valley of [Tennessee], plant my flag on the Blue Ridge, rally around the Scotch-Irish of that region, and make my last stand for liberty amongst a people who will never submit to tyranny whilst there is a man left to draw a trigger." ~ George Washington at Valley Forge

DENOMINATIONALISM:

2006-10-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

A Response to the Home-Church MovementIntroduction: The word Denomination is defined as follows: A) “An act of denominating.” B) “A value or size of a series of values.” C) “Name, designation, especially: a general name for a category.” D) “A religious organization uniting local congregations in a single

Another reason to take your kids out of public schools

2006-10-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

I graduated high school 17 years ago (man, has it been that long?!) and though my school didn't have the "creme de la creme" of students, it wasn't that bad either (though just a few short years, Ehud and Big Calvin saw its drastic decline). After reading this article, I cannot fathom how bad it must be at my alma mater or at any other public school for that matter. Mind you, should the Senate

Inquiry: Questions for Tony & Co.

2006-09-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

In the interest of clarity I’d like to propose a short list of questions that might help us triangulate the pertinent topics of discussion for any future meeting. Despite the fact that I kept the tally of questions as short as possible, I recognize that answers to such inquiries often need be lengthy so I don’t necessarily expect an immediate response in full; feel free to take them a couple at a

Round 2: Continuity/Abrogation vs. Discontinuity/Reiteration

2006-09-07T02:25:00.000-07:00

Here we go again. Once again, Tony has returned to "correct" us Reformed folk. I had thought it would be a better exchange than last years clash. It started out pretty good, but in Tony's recent rebuttal, I get this indictment against me:I’ve never seen anyone, even in the Reformed tradition, rape the scriptures like an existential-postmodern Schliermacher, using a question-begging methodTony

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano

2006-09-06T05:40:00.000-07:00

Who wants Proposition 85 to fail in November?The California measure requires a doctor to notify a parent or guardian of an under-18-year-old-girl 48 hours before aborting the girl's baby.By Paul ViggianoProposition 73 is making another go at it, this time as Proposition 85; the measure requires a doctor to notify a parent or guardian of an under-18-year-old-girl 48 hours before aborting the

Just Couldn't Stay Silent

2006-09-01T00:35:00.000-07:00

I caught this piece of news several days ago. I wonder if Matthew 18 meant anything to her? Now, because of her outcry, non-Christians have fodder to throw at Christians. I guess she just couldn't stay silent.

Evangelical Romanism

2006-08-31T14:24:00.000-07:00

What’s the deal? Christians, as Protestants, we left Romanism for very distinct reasons. Our spiritual antecedents were pilloried (figuratively & literally) for holding to Orthodoxy. Why then has the “Evangelical Community” come to renounce virtually all of the tenets of the Reformation? If asked, most pop-Christian church-goers will delineate themselves from the Catholic Church in issues of

An Arminian Interlude

2006-08-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

Dave Kennard (my Elder) spoke this past Lord’s Day. While the sermon was overall a good one, one point struck me as exceptional. He mentioned it matter-of-factly, almost as a side note—he said, “Arminianism is an implicit denial of the Trinity.” [Paraphrased] Now, I’ve done a fare share of reading on this subject but I’ve never crossed this particular indictment of Remonstrant thought before. I

The Fourth Commandment - Part I

2006-08-26T02:59:00.000-07:00

Being a father of two and working graveyard shift doesn’t really afford me the time to delve as deep into Scripture as a seminary student or theologians and pastors who do this for a living. I’m just a layman who tries to find time to study and meditate upon His Word, and God willing, understand it. If I am really blessed with time, I also read comments by other theologians and pastors on the

"Emergency Contraception" Without Prescription

2006-08-25T04:55:00.000-07:00

And so the country continues to go downhill as the FDA has announced that women 18 and older can now buy the "morning after" pill without a prescription. Of course, that's just not acceptable to those in Planned Parenthood who are "troubled" that there is an age restriction at all. How pathetic.I remember about 5 years ago, I was debating with a Left-leaning Christian woman who actually argued

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano

2006-08-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Bush's stem cell veto no surpriseYou may argue with the president's line of reasoning on when human life begins. But it is consistent and Americans voted for him on right to life issues.By Paul ViggianoDelivered in Jeff Goldblum's inimitable style, the line castigating the scientists was, "They were so concerned with if they could do it, they never stopped to ask if they should do it." The next

Some Christians find theological message in Mideast fighting

2006-08-08T00:07:00.000-07:00

(Article reprinted from the Daily Breeze)Hundreds of parishioners gathered at a Hope Chapel service in Hermosa Beach last weekend to hear a sermon titled "What the Heck is Going On?"By Kate McLaughlin DAILY BREEZEWith war raging in the Middle East, the ominous words at the top of this page, which according to the Bible were spoken by Jesus to his disciples on the Mount of Olives, have a clear

Mom's Donuts & The American Mind

2006-07-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

When I was a boy, my mom used to make homemade rolls and donuts. She would make several varieties. She would make cream filled rolls. She would make jelly filled rolls. She would make donuts and donut holes. But regardless of what kind of roll or donut she would make, she put them all through the fryer, where hot and bubbling oil was contained for the cooking process. The donuts may have been

What is "work" on the Sabbath?

2006-07-13T02:53:00.000-07:00

I’m a Sabbatarian. My wife is also a Sabbatarian. Before my friend, Jaime, gave a lesson on the Fourth Commandment to the Renewal Bible Study group (yes, we used to meet every Wednesday a few years back), we were not Sabbatarian. Even Jaime wasn’t a Sabbatarian. Most, if not all, of the group were not Sabbatarians. But after that lesson, many of us changed our minds, including Jaime. That

Hey! Teacher! Leave Them Kids Alone!

2006-06-14T02:38:00.000-07:00

Every morning when I drive home from work, I listen to the Kevin and Bean Morning Show on KROQ. A lot of the stuff they do, I find them to be pretty hilarious, though often times, it is a guilty pleasure. I really should find something better to listen to, but as much as I channel surf, I tend to land straight back to 106.7.On Tuesday morning, one topic of discussion kept my attention:

The RCA, NCC & WCC on Abortion

2006-06-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

As requested, here’s some background info on my comments as regards the RCA’s involvement with abortion. It’s not an exhaustive expose`, as anything more than a cursory explanation would require more time than I currently have at my disposal. So here goes—from the lesser to the greater:“We believe the Bible teaches the sanctity of human life. Men are given the precious gift of life from God and

The Christian And The Movies

2006-06-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

The SCCCS annual summer conference this year is "The Christian And The Movies". It will be on Friday night, August 4 and all day Saturday, August 5. Admission is free! For more information, click here.What may be of particular interest for those of us who hold to the 2nd Commandment is that one of the presentations is called "The Passion of the Christ: Image, The 2nd Commandment, and the

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano

2006-06-06T22:55:00.000-07:00

What drives the 6-6-6 furor?There's another side and some interesting biblical interpretations to this so-called satanic controversy.By The Rev. Paul ViggianoDriving down Pacific Coast Highway, I see one billboard for the "DaVinci Code," a few blocks later another billboard with the numbers 6-6-06. It's spooky; actually kind of depressing. Here I go out of my way to ridicule Dan Brown for his bad

The Renewal Bible Study

2006-06-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

Once again I’m compelled to relay my experience of having made a return visit to my former church—Emmanuel “reformed” Church as it is so called. Some will deem this appraisal, as they have the one prior, to be overly critical &/or tactless; but I’m resolved as a matter of principle to dissuade any who will incline an ear from the yoke of such a doctrinally diseased communion. Was that over the

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano

2006-05-23T05:47:00.000-07:00

'Da Vinci Code' meets 'Star Trek' It is unnerving that modern western evangelicalism has become such a flimsy entity that a poorly researched, here-today-gone-tomorrow paperback regurgitation of the Holy Blood, Holy Grail novel is actually a faith-shaker.By Paul ViggianoNo thanks, I'll wait for the sequel: Dan Brown's next novel/movie, "The Gospel According to Fred Flintstone." That's the one

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano

2006-05-17T03:50:00.000-07:00

Can anyone be held responsible?The admitted terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui escaped the death penalty in part because of his rough upbringing. How has that become an excuse for evil behavior?By Paul ViggianoZacarias Moussaoui, who played a role in the terrorist attacks of 9-11, was not given the death penalty. The jurors decided life in prison was the appropriate punishment. I didn't follow the case

A Final Analysis (?)

2006-05-17T02:42:00.000-07:00

Aside from Ehud’s last analysis, it looks like our discussion with Anon has come to a close…or has it? That’ll just depend on Anon if he continues to read our little corner of the blogsphere. :-) What I write now may give cause for Anon to continue to discuss, but if not, then we can move on to other subjects.DefinitionsIn the case of “religious”, Anon poo-poos the dictionary definition

Fairness Born Out Of Nothing - Evolution's Contradiction

2006-05-05T02:06:00.000-07:00

(I apologize in advanced if my post seems a bit disjointed. Working graveyard does that, you know?)In response to an article I posted from my pastor, an atheist (Anonymous) joined us to discuss his objection to pure “religious opinions” making policies and laws in government. Needless to say, Ehud and I met Anon’s challenges on a variety of subjects that stemmed from his objection. If you have

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano: Resurrection Sunday Edition

2006-04-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Sacrifice and a reason to rejoiceChurches will be full Sunday as congregants share the Good News of the Bible.By Paul ViggianoIt was a haunting event in Egypt those many years ago when the angel of destruction brought death to all the firstborn, both of man and beast. Of course, it was not all the firstborn. There was a way of escape; the application of the blood of the Passover lamb upon the

From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano

2006-04-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a vote for a Christian voice We shouldn't shy away from trying to press others to adopt our beliefs. We do it every time we vote or speak our minds.By Paul ViggianoAfter six months of regular church attendance, the atheist/attorney finally called for an appointment. I was thrilled! Was there a transformation? Had the Lord touched his heart? People come to church for all sorts of reasons.

Of Polytheism, Multiculturalism, & Immigration

2006-04-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

by Bret McAtee~“One Lord means one universe of law, one truth, one common body of knowledge, and one unchanging reality. (This conviction) made possible the University, because it meant a common Universe of truth for all…. Classical polytheism could not offer a common body of truth because of its radical pessimism concerning reality…. Polytheism, however; is a characteristic of the collapsed or

Stop Democracy Planting; Start Church Planting

2006-04-07T03:10:00.000-07:00

It's already been a couple of weeks since Ehud posted the quote from Francis A. Schaeffer, and I have not stopped pondering over the awful blunder we are doing over there in Iraq. Then again, I've never been in agreement with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, mainly because the larger context of history would cast so much doubt over who started what and why.Personal opinion sidenote: From the

A Bit Moore

2006-03-29T12:14:00.000-08:00

This is a poem by Judge Roy Moore & boy does it grab you by the throat--America the Beautiful or so you used to be,Land of the Pilgrim’s pride, I’m glad they’re not here to see,Babies piled in dumpsters, abortion on demand,Oh, sweet land of liberty, your house is on the sand.Your children wander aimlessly poisoned by cocaine,Choosing to indulge their lusts, when God has said abstain.From sea to

The Hills Have Eyes

2006-03-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

I admitt it, I'm a Horror movie buff. Sorry to dissapoint. I'm not writing to defend the genre as such, but rather to offer a conservative Christian interpretation of this very timely, if somewhat conflicted remake. The premise of the movie is that during the U.S. Govt. testing of nukes in the New Mexico desert there was a mining town full of hold-outs who refused to abandon their lawfully-owned

Return to Mordor

2006-03-27T08:29:00.000-08:00

This last Lord's Day we paid a visit to Emmanuel reformed Church (note lower case "r") from whence we were not long ago exiled for daring to approach the pastorate with doctrinal questions. Though we (my wife & I) tried to view the ongoings as charitably as possible, the doctrinal muddling & Heretical proclamations quickly chased such illusions from our minds. For example: The gnostic teaching of

A Bit Late But Still Good

2006-03-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 20 2005Homo On The RangeBret McAtee @ 2:30 pmBrokeback Mountain, a film developed to continue to mainstream all things sodomite upon American culture, is already old news. The film is but one more example of how the ‘love’ that was once described as one that dare not speak its name now won’t close its piehole. Brokeback Mountain seeks to make the audience feel sorry for these

The Renewal Bible Study

2006-03-22T12:19:00.000-08:00

“Men in Western Governments, who were themselves often modern men, did not understand that freedom without chaos is not a magic formula which can be implanted anywhere. Rather being modern men, it was their view that, because the human race had evolved to a certain level by some such year as 1950, democracy could be planted anywhere from the outside. They had carefully closed their eyes to the

Another Article From My Pastor

2006-03-19T10:36:00.000-08:00

It looks like my pastor, Paul Viggiano, is continuing to write opinion pieces for the Daily Breeze. Rather than linking to it and have the article archived, I decided to post it here:The sticky slope of abortion mottoesHere's what the anti-abortion people think when they see the pro-abortion movement's bumper stickers.By Paul ViggianoStrolling Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade with my very

Reprint of "Just Unhappy Cosmic Accidents?"

2006-03-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

(A few weeks ago, I posted "My Pastor's Article" and linked to it. Unfortunately, the link was dead after about week due to The Daily Breeze archiving it. Fortunately, I was able to find it on the net, so I have copied it and have posted here).Just unhappy cosmic accidents?The intelligent thing about teaching intelligent design is that it suggests to young people that they

Questions for the "Non-Sabbatarian Day Of Rest" Advocates

2006-02-26T23:10:00.000-08:00

Why is it that Christians who say "we need to take one day out of the week to rest" also say "the Sabbath is not for today"? If their view of resting comes from the Fourth Commandment, then why not promote the Sabbath? Seems very odd that they would derive a view from God's Law, yet say we do not adhere to that Law any more. To those Christians, it is believed that the Sabbath was abrogated in

My Pastor's Article

2006-02-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, February 16, my pastor, Paul Viggiano, wrote an article for the Daily Breeze, a local newspaper, entitled "Just Unhappy Cosmic Accidents?" (The Daily Breeze has archived the article, but I was able to copy it. It is posted here.) The article is quite insightful concerning what is being taught in the public schools today. With the Intelligent Design curriculum being struck down in

Is Homosexuality Condemned Or Are Those Laws Abrogated?

2006-02-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

The A-Team Blog (here and here) had referenced a very heated exchange between Brian McLaren (deemed as "THE" head of the Emergent Church movement by many) and Mark Driscoll (an emerging church leader, but supposedly much more theologically sound than McLaren). Both of their writings have stirred up quite an eruption over whether or not homosexuality is condemned in Scripture. For one visitor of

Bump

2006-01-31T01:40:00.000-08:00

Just a little bump here to bring some life back to this blog. *bump* Yes, it's been a while and frankly, much too much has been happening in the lives of all involved in keeping this blog breathing. Personally, I have a baby girl due any day now, a job that is slowly killing me (the research into graveyard shifts say so), and a gut that seems to be expanding like the federal deficit (maybe it's

Iraq

2005-07-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

I am terribly dismayed at the war-mongering attitude among Christians these days. It's as though GW's profession of faith and party status entails our allegiance. I know there are arguments about justifiability and questions about Saddam's involvement with terrorist in the past, but I see precious little in the way of a developed Biblical view of war. I know that some of you support the war, if

Let us begin the investigation

2005-07-19T00:27:00.000-07:00

The issue surrounding how we are to interpret Romans 9 is a matter of methodology, namely hermeneutics. I won't presume to think this will be an easy task, but if we are to be diligent in our pursuit to understand God through His Word, then this difficult task will be worth it.So how difficult is the study of hermeneutics? Well, let me start asking questions to illustrate the conundrum:Should

Let's All Take A Step Back

2005-07-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

I am more than a bit troubled at how this debate is going. When I first posted the issues I had with the use of Second Temple Judaism (STJ) in the interpretive method, and the result of it leading to an understanding of "corporate election" in Romans 9, I expected respectful and intellectual responses. Misreadings and misunderstandings have plagued this discussion, leading to problems of

This should make you wonder...

2005-07-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

...why God calls us sheep.Sheep plunge to their deaths.

A Current Debate

2005-06-20T02:36:00.000-07:00

For several weeks now, I've been involved in a debate concerning the interpretation of Romans chapters 9 through 11. The contention: These passages speak only of the corporate election of Israel, not of individual election, nor of any "spiritual Israel" for that matter.The underlying presupposition that brings about this interpretation is that Jesus and Paul understood and spoke in terms of

Welcome!

2005-06-17T02:11:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Welcome to The Renewal Bible Study blog. :-) My name is Victor and you will be reading my posts, as well as posts from other members of the Renewal Bible Study team. Our goal is simple: Inform and challenge Christians in their thinking.We invite everyone to participate and provide commentary, but we also request that everyone be on their best behavior. :-) It's easy to take things