November 2015

In a few short months, and a couple of long ones, there's going to be a gathering of old friends at Clearnote Church, Bloomington called the Homecoming. You might think you know everything about Clearnote, but don't be too sure. Take some time to watch the following video and ask us your obvious questions. You can send them here. Jon and Nathan are committed to getting you the not-so-obvious answers to your obvious questions. And, who knows, we may all learn something along the way.

On this Thanksgiving Day, let all who love Jesus Christ give thanks to the God above all gods, the Only true God, God Almighty Who is the Lord of Hosts.

[Thanksgiving for the lovingkindness of God
to all creation, but particularly to His People
who have placed their faith in His Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ, and who live to please Him.]

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good...

Desiring God just posted an article about Holly Holm. She is the woman who beat up Ronda Rousey on Saturday night during an Ultimate Fighting Championship match and sent Rousey to the hospital. One might think that, given what the Scriptures teach and Desiring God's commitment to the Biblical view of women, that this article would be decrying the fact that Americans get their jollies by two women beating each other into a bloody pulp in the ring. But no. Instead this article praises Holly Holm for her humility and selflessness. 

The article cites Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." Ronda Rousey was the arrogant, loud-mouthed, braggart, while Holm is the humble woman who overcame all odds. The author ends his article by comparing Holm to Jesus...

...why should we offer poison instead of life-giving food to our tender children?

                                             - John Calvin condemning infant communion

Under another post, a commenter entered into the comment field three paragraphs of text written by the Rev. Dr. Rob Rayburn promoting infant communion (commonly referred to as “paedocommunion”). Dr. Rayburn’s promotion of this practice—condemned by Protestants and Roman Catholics alike at the time of the Reformation—is a good example of fashion replacing Biblical doctrine and theological precision. Men who have climbed on the “paedocommunion” bandwagon have believed Dr. Rayburn’s assurance that “none of our authorities favored the practice or, in most cases, ever discussed it.” 

Rayburn's point in saying this is not to warn readers that our Reformed fathers condemned paedocommunion, but rather to dismiss their condemnation under the reasoning that they had not given the practice proper consideration. After all, “in most cases” they had not “ever discussed it."

What Dr. Rayburn writes is not true. John Calvin discussed infant communion in his commentaries and Institutes, considering many arguments in favor of the practice while consistently condemning it.

So then, here are the first two sentences of the three paragraphs by Dr. Rayburn in defense of paedocommunion...

The miniature book is titled Life's Lil Pleasures v. 2, and here are three of them...