Hello everyone,

I've been reading the Puritan Board for quite a while now, and enjoying the discussions, but this is my first actual post. I suppose I should say a few words of introduction.

My wife and I live in Cambridgeshire, in England, and we're members of Soham Baptist Church. I work full time as a researcher and lecturer for a UK-based creationist organization called Biblical Creation Ministries, about which you can find out more by following the link in my signature.

My early years as a believer were spent in a charismatic fellowship (and I still have friends in that church), although I soon began to have doubts about the biblical basis of charismatic theology and practice. Various books were helpful to me at that time, including Victor Budgen's The Charismatics and the Word of God (Evangelical Press) and Neil Babcox's My Search for Charismatic Reality (Wakeman), the former from the biblical, theological and historical perspectives, and the latter as a sensitively written testimony of a former charismatic church leader.

The next significant step in my discovery of Reformed theology was reading Life by his Death, Grace Publication's abridgement of John Owen's classic The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. I remember devouring this little volume with astonishment one afternoon, with my Bible in my other hand, thinking, 'How did I miss this for all this time?'

Since then, I suppose I have become more and more distinctively Reformed as time has gone on, and I have sought to re-evaluate many areas of my thinking in accordance with the Scriptures. But that's probably enough for now, lest I bore you too much with all the details of my journey of faith!

I'm looking forward to being a part of the PB community and contributing on occasion as time allows.

Best wishes,

Paul

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Paul Garner
Member, Soham Baptist Church
Researcher and Lecturer, Biblical Creation Ministries
Author, The New Creationism (Evangelical Press, 2009)
Blogger, The New Creationism

Very glad to have you here.

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Rev. Adam King
Minister in the RPCNA
Pastor,Trinity Reformed Church
Wichita, KS

Greetings!

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Ivan R. Schoen, B.A., M.A., M.L.I.S.
Pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church (SBC)
Poplar Grove, IL, USA
http://maranatha-sbc.org

welcome

cheers

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Daniel
PCA
Memphis, TN

Wonderful testimony. Welcome.

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Curt Lovelace
Pastor, Covenant Baptist Church (CBA)
Acton, Maine
Director, Lifework Forum
Sermons at SermonAudio.com/CBCActon
Blogging at Coffee with Curt

Welcome to the PB family.

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Jim
1689 LBCF
Independent Bible Church
North Texas, USA

Hello, sir.

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Andrew DeShazo
Husband of Kathryn
Father of Phillip-Giles B. DeShazo
Deacon
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Memphis, TN
"From out of the depth of unbroken Infinfity arose the Question, "Who am I?" And to that Question there is the answer, "I am God!" -Meher Baba, died 1969.

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Christ, died 33 AD, ressurected three days later.

Welcome!

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Louis DiBiase
Louisville, KY

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Benjamin P. Glaser, M. Div, Licentiate, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
Member Fairmount ARP Church
Pittsburgh, PA

Deo Vindice

Welcome to the PB!

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Yvonne
Reformed Presbyterian
Currently seeking a Church

"A man's most glorious actions will at last be found to be but glorious sins, if he hath made himself, and not the glory of God, the end of those actions." -T. Brooks

Greetings!

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Anna
Wife of Tim/Marrow Man
Louisville, KY
Member of Midlane Park Presbyterian (Associate Reformed Presbyterian)

Welcome. My wife is from a couple of counties down from you in Berkshire.

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Keith
Pastoral Worker and MDiv Student, PCI
Ballymoney, Northern Ireland

Welcome to the board!

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Ray Nearhood
Layman
Rockdale Community Church (a Reformed Baptist Fellowship)
Conyers, GA
LBC 1689
Husband of Evelyn , Father of Oren and Elijah
"To suppose that whatever God requireth of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect." -

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Wayne Sparkman, Th.M.
Director, PCA Historical Center, St. Louis, MO
Blogs: The Continuing Story and PCA History Blog

Paul,

Welcome!

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Carl Gobelman
Long Grove Community Church (Evangelical)
Vernon Hills, IL
Blog: http://newcreationperson.wordpress.com

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Welcome Paul - good to have a fellow Englishman, and a Baptist to boot, on board! One word of advice, watch out for anyone who says 'rat brains'. They are not to be trusted.

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Jonathan Hunt

Elder holding forth the word of life at:
Cheltenham Evangelical Free Church (Confessionally Based)
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence.
-- Thomas Elsworth

Welcome to the PB, Paul!

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Norm
IA PCA

In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. Ephesians 1:4-5

Hello.

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David
PCA
Richardson, Texas

Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of God's grace.
--C.H. Spurgeon

Which now includes you sir.

Welcome. I have some books by the English creationist Malcolm Bowden, they are very good, and I am on his mailing list. I'll have to browse your site.

I spent my last year of Univ at St Andrews, summer in Dundee, honeymooned in Orkney a few year later. Saw York, London, Kew gardens...loved it over there.

I hope you'll read guys like Wayne Grudem and not entirely throw out 1 Cor 12& 14, even while you throw out 99% of charismania ( yeah, I used to be in it too), and new revelation. I love Iain Murray, and the way he keeps saying we need outpourings of the HS all our life.....you don't get it all when you get saved, and you don't get some second blessing and get it all. We never have it all, we need to pray for more of the HS work in our lives and churches as long as we live.

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Lynnie

PCA

Central NJ

I appreciate everyone's warm greetings. Thank you.

Jonathan, your photo looks familiar. Were you at the Salisbury Conference last year?

Welcome aboard. Great to have some else from this side of the pond.

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Stuart
Elder, Lambeg Baptist, Northern Ireland, UK

In Him the fulness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form and in Him you are complete (Col 2.9-10)

The Christian is a person who makes it easy for others to believe in God. (RM M'Cheyne)

Hi Paul!

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Michael Turner
Christ Reformed Church | Independent [WCF]
Georgia

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sarah
WI
OPC
My Pastor's Sermons: Mark Jenkins...he's awesome!!!

Thanks, Lynnie. Our website is geared mainly to news about our organization's activities, rather than lots of creationist articles, but I hope you'll find it interesting. The News & Blog page will give you a feel for our whole approach -- focused on the positive and scholarly development of creationism from both scientific and theological perspectives.

Sounds great. The Orkneys is one place I've never been but would really like to visit. I'd love to see the Neolithic settlement at Skara Brae.

I'd regard myself these days as a cessationist, at least as far as the revelatory gifts are concerned, but absolutely agree that we need constantly to be infilled with the Spirit of God on a daily basis. Hmmm...how often do I explicitly pray that way?

Welcome. I trust you will feel at home here. Now then, are you willing to share your bangers and mash?

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Sandra, Lady of the Lake
CBA, Acton ME
http://www.viewsfromthedeck.blogspot.com

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Welcome, Paul.

I've come across your name before in BCS literature. You carry out a very necessary and important task for Christ's cause and Kingdom.

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Richard
communicant member, FCoS
Perth, Scotland UK

His Name forever shall endure;
last like the sun it shall:
Men shall be blessed in Him,
and blessed all nations shall Him call (Ps. 72:17)

Welcome!

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Seeking Godly Wisdom,

Melissa
Baptist>Seeking Reformed Church Home
Louisville, Ky

Welcome to the Puritanboard.

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Norseman Moderator

R. Martin Snyder
1689er
http://www.puritanboard.com/blogs/puritancovenanter/

"Our object should not be to have scripture on our side but to be on the side of scripture; and however dear any sentiment may have become by being long entertained, so soon as it is seen to be contrary to the Bible, we must be prepared to abandon it without hesitation."
William Symington

Click to get:Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

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Albert, The Republic of the Philippines
Pasig United Covenant Reformed Church (a Reformed church plant)
United Covenant Reformed Churches in the Philippines (UCRCP)
Three Forms of Unity and Westminster Confession of Faith

Psalm 27:1a (AV) The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
“Perseverance is the badge of true saints. The Christian life is not a beginning only in the ways of God, but also a continuance in the same as long as life lasts.” -

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Ewen
1689 LBCF
Assemblies of God Bible College
Singapore

That is exactly what I was going to say. It is great indeed to see fellow christians from these secular lands.

Welcome to the board, Paul!

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Andrea
Presbyterian, attending Baptist church
Perugia, Italy
Owner: federiformata.it

"Quos et vocavit nos non solum ex Iudæis sed etiam ex gentibus" (Rom. 9.24)

Welcome!

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"I was found by those who did not seek me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for me." Romans 10:20b

Angela Asano
Edwardsville, IL
Member, Center Grove Presbyterian Church - PCA

"History never repeats itself, but it rhymes." - Mark Twain

This is a good place to learn reformed theology and grow in grace toward one another.


It took some time for me to understand the main differences of the background you mention in your introduction:


Charismatic/pentecostal:

Arminian influenced + dispensational + no confession + "low" view of the church + "low" view of the sacraments

+ doctrine that ordinarily new revelation equal or above that of Scripture comes outside of Scripture through two or three spiritual gifts

Reformed theology:

Doctrines of grace ("five points") + covenant theology + confession + high view of church (e.g. church discipline, vows, accountability to confession) + spiritual view of sacraments

+ Scripture is the ordinary means through which revelation comes with the Holy Spirit "illuminating" our understanding as we study Scripture

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Scott
PCA
North Carolina


"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)"
Hebrews 10:23

to the PB

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Michael P Doyle
Waukesha WI
Member of http://www.cornerstone-pca.com/
Attending http://www.lampseminary.org/

Welcome to the board!

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soli Deo gloria!
~Nicholas~ Ordained Pastor
Member, Fulton PCA; GPTS Student
Christians are like snow covered dung; it is the purity of the covering which the Father sees. -Luther-
There is nothing more ugly than a Christian orthodoxy without understanding or without compassion.
-Francis Schaeffer-

Greetings! Welcome to the PB.

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James Helbert, Wytheville, VA
Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCUS
TheBibleAlone.com / The Edinburgh Inn
"Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” - Zechariah 3:2

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Greetings!

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Mike Myers
Teaching Elder
West Suffolk Baptist Church
Suffolk, Virginia

Many a plain, honest, unlearned disciple of Christ, by meditation, experience, prayers, and especially obedience, attains to a more clear, sound, and useful knowledge of the word of God, than some great scholars with all their wit and learning. Matthew Henry

It's Yorkshire pudding and good English tea that I think we should export to the States (although I seem to remember that the latter wasn't too well received in Boston in 1773).

On the other hand, the steaks are better on your side of the pond.