So, Theoden poses an interesting question to me – weigh in on the debate.  Now, I have done that many times in the past and you can do a search on Wright (at my site) and see that I have weighed-in before.

In a nutshell, I am closer to Wright than Piper – though I do not subscribe to everything that Wright teaches.  I think that Piper’s view is too limiting to the whole of the gospel message.  Like Wright, I see more in that message then just my personal justification.  As Tim Keller also says: (paraphrase) the gospel is God putting the world right, while it includes my personal justification, it is so much more.

I believe that Piper’s view is contained in Wright’s view (though the language may be different), see Michael Bird’s book on the “Saving Righteousness of Christ” in my books to read category.

CT Online published Trevin Wax’s article of the differing perspectives on Justification between N.T. Wright and John Piper.  I like both writers and believe that they make good points on this topic. The article covers:

1. The Problem
2. The Law
3. God’s Righteousness
4. First-Century Judaism
5. The Gospel
6. How This Happens
7. Future Justification

CT Online did a feature on good friends of ours – Vito and Monique Aiuto who produced a great album, “The Welcome Wagon”.  The subtitle to the article speaks volumes:

Inspired by community, biblical truth, and good music, a Brooklyn couple makes music in their living room—as The Welcome Wagon.

I have known Vito & Monique since 1996 and they are a very unique couple:

Despite their audience and appearance—Vito is in a tweed suit and brimmed knit cap, and Monique wears a demure pencil skirt and tights with her vintagesque vest—the Aiutos aren’t trying to be ironic or cool. They cheerily hand out a Polish poppy seed strudel from the stage as a “welcome wagon” gift. Their church,Resurrection Presbyterian (PCA), which Vito pastors, meets in Williamsburg, the epicenter of postmodern hipsterdom, and their congregation is top-heavy with zeitgeisty artists and musicians.

Vito preached many times at the Village Church and I never tired of hearing his messages that were thoroughly Biblical and Reformed.  Also, the album is truly wonderful and I encourage you to buy it.

The Aiutos recently released their first album, Welcome to the Welcome Wagon, on the Asthmatic Kitty label, with album art by Monique. Produced by their longtime friend and indie poster boy, Sufjan Stevens, the music has Stevens’ unmistakable fingerprints all over it—so much so that one might be tempted to assume that this is really his music, and that the Aiutos are an alter ego for the musician who has worked hard to distance himself from the Christian mainstream.

At times, I think that it is best to simply ignore Driscoll rather than giving him more air time.  Though, this is a very lively discussion over at iMonk.  In addition, here is another good post form the iMonk on Driscoll “Why Mark Driscoll Shouldn’t Bug Ya“

Internetmonk shares his thoughts on the recent SBC convention.  Some encouraging thoughts:

The younger leaders of the SBC are taking on power in a denomination that has been, for the most part, attempting to lock the doors and hope they would go away.  Well, they didn’t.

Changes in the SBC will happen quickly.  The younger generationSIMPLY ISN’T GOING TO BUY THE OLD SBC MYTHOLOGY.

The motions brought from the floor did reveal what an utter waste of time the culture war has been for Southern Baptists.

he patient teaching of the Gospel and church-centered theology by the Founders Ministries and 9Marks has paid off in more fruit than can be put in a basket.

The following video, produced by Katalyst in partnership with Kellogg and directed by Demi Moore, features user-generated content submitted by people moved to end hunger following requests that @aplusk (Ashton Kutcher) and @mrskutcher (Demi Moore) posted on their respective Twitter feeds and Facebook Pages. Kellogg is a proud supporter of Feeding America.

Please click on the yellow Kellogg logo above and help support this incredible cause by donating to Feeding America. Together, we can make a difference.

I submitted a series of videos, but was not chosen for the final version.  Still, the cause is worth the effort.

Now this is probably too close home in the way that many people think about church.

There is a good site to keep up with what is happening on the ground in Iran. Andrew Sullivan is posting Tweets from Iran.

Tim Keller and Ligon Duncan writeon the subject of Deaconnesses:

The Case for Commissioning (Not Ordaining) Deaconesses – Keller
The Case for Our Current Policy on Female Deacons – Duncan

Keller’s position is:

Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City has since its inception commissioned (but not ordained) deaconesses working alongside male deacons in diaconal work. Why do we do this?

Duncan’s position is:

The PCA is a solidly complementarian denomination. In its history and theology – both public and official – it is unambiguously committed to leadership in the church by godly, qualified male elders, and to the godly spiritual leadership of Christian husbands in the home.

Not hard to see where I would come out on this one.

Good article by Daniel Burke on Calvin at 500. These comments from young (age) christians is amazing:

Like most 24-year-old men, Stephen Jones is keenly interested in sin. But while many of his peers enjoy their youthful indiscretions, Jones takes a more, shall we say, Puritanical stand.

Last weekend (June 12-15), Jones and 4,000 other young Christians packed into a convention center in Palm Springs, Calif., to hear preachers tell them that they are totally depraved, incapable of doing the right thing without a mighty hand from God, and—most importantly—have absolutely no control over their eternal fate.

The mind behind that message is John Calvin, the 16th-century Reformer often better known for condemning sinners and heretics than for igniting evangelical zeal. But as Presbyterian and other Reformed churches prepare for the 500th birthday of their spiritual godfather on July 10, increasingly, it is young American evangelicals who are taking up his theological torch.

“His theology is the hottest, most explosive thing being discussed right now,” said Justin Taylor, 32, a self-described Calvinist, and an editorial director at Crossway, a Christian publisher in the evangelical heartland of Wheaton, Ill. “What he taught is extraordinarily influential right now.”