The Caffeinated Christian

The news over the last few weeks has been disturbing to say the least.  An obviously deranged individual full of evil opens fire on innocent people in a movie theater.  His demeanor as he appears in court is sinister, leaving us all wondering how a human could become what this man has become?   Because of their cover up of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, the Penn State football program receives the “near death” penalty.  Any pundit who dares to insinuate that the penalty may have been too harsh or that the NCAA overstepped their bounds is reminded that the fate of Penn State pales in comparison to how Sandusky victimized those boys. Then there is the gays and Chick-Fil-A.  Somehow in an intensely heavy news week that features everything from mass killing, to collegiate scandal, to the Olympic Games, there is still time to cover what’s happening at a chicken joint.  Why?  Because Chick-Fil-A hates gays, or at least that’s how the story has been sold.  For weeks this campaign of rheto

Mens retreat ad 3 Jimmy and David from Brian Branam on Vimeo .

Below is an excerpt from an excellent article by Russell Moore at Moore to the Point : Satan isn’t a creator but a plagiarist. His power is parasitic, latching on to good impulses and directing them toward his own purpose. God intends a man to feel the wildness of sexuality in the self-giving union with his wife. And a man is meant to, when necessary, fight for his family, his people, for the weak and vulnerable who are being oppressed. The drive to the ecstasy of just love and to the valor of just war are gospel matters. The sexual union pictures the cosmic mystery of the union of Christ and his church. The call to fight is grounded in a God who protects his people, a Shepherd Christ who grabs his sheep from the jaws of the wolves. Read the Rest Here

Week 3 The Canon of Scripture: We said last week that it is not good enough, in the public square of ideas, to simply assert that the Bible is the authority for life as the Word of God because it says that it is.  So we have endeavored to answer three common charges against the Bible as a way of demonstrating evidence that the Bible is indeed a unique book. Claims that would question the Bible’s transmission (how it came from its original form to what it is today). Claims that would question the Bible’s canonicity (why the 66 Books as we have them were accepted and why others were rejected). Claims that point to the Bible’s difficulties (such as God as a moral monster, its historical and scientific issues, etc.) Tonight we will discuss questions concerning the Bible’s canonicity, why were the 66 books included in the Bible regarded as God’s Word while others were not.  Often the charge goes along the lines that there was a great conspiracy, usually told to be

Here are the talking points for this morning as we will look at John 15.  The gospel brings us into an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ.  This relationship carries with it the expectation that we will bear fruit and prove to be His disciples (v. 8).  We often speak of the closeness of Christ.  We forsake the term "religion" when describing the gospel and choose rather to use the term "relationship."  Yet, Christ is not here.  He is absent. John 15 is part of Jesus' farewell address as he prepares His followers for His departure.  He assures them that even though He is leaving, the relationship will continue.  They will stay connected (or abide in Him).  How do we stay connected (abide) with Christ in His absence? Through the cleansing Word. Through answered prayer. Through a loving church. I will also mention this article from USA Today entitled, " Young Adults Aren't Sticking With Church ."  People are leaving the church.  How

Things You Will NOT Hear at the Liberty Fall Men's Retreat (K.C. and Curtis) from Brian Branam on Vimeo . Things You Will NOT Hear at the Liberty Fall Men's Retreat - After you see these ads, you'll know why we need this!!! August 17-18 @ The Summit, Ft. Payne, AL $100 Sign Up This Sunday Liberty Baptist Church of Dalton, GA — with   Kendrick Willey   and   Curtis Carson   at Liberty Baptist Church of Dalton, GA.

Things You Will NOT Hear at the Liberty Men's Retreat (John D.) from Brian Branam on Vimeo .

In a post I shared in June entitled " Where I am on Where We are in the SBC " I cast my opinions and concerns about an upcoming curriculum from Lifeway called The Gospel Project .  I stated, "And even though they do not want The Project to be labeled as the Calvinist’s SS/Lifeway curriculum - I find all the writers/consultants/etc. to be nothing more than the 21, who I believe to be all godly and well meaning, but also blatantly Calvinistic.  If we are not to believe The Project is Calvinism in SS clothing, may I make a suggestion - how about asking someone to make a contribution to it who is not sold on all 5 points of Tulip.  You can’t just tell us its not Calvin’s SS quarterlies - you must also do something directional to prove it so.  How about a Rose?  How about a writer or consultant who is 3 point or 4 point something, but not all the way 5?  How about inviting Baptist #22 to contribute." This morning, Trevin Wax , the managing editor of The Gospel P

Week 2 How Do We Know the Bible is True? Transmission of the Text The Bible claims to be the Word of God.  Yet that statement in itself is not good enough.  In the Public Square of ideas, to simply assert the Bible’s own claim of inspiration is circular reasoning.  As an argument it does not hold weight.  If we do try to assert the Bible’s own claim of inspiration as evidence enough, we will probably be met with arguments such as: The Bible is not unique, other religious writings claim to come from God.  This would include the Quran and the Book of Mormon as examples. There were other books of the period that were not included in the Bible.  This suggests there must have been a conspiracy of truth, an agenda that the early Christians were trying to push; namely that Jesus was the Son of God.  See Tim Keller’s The Reason for God - p101 for a good portrayal of the argument We do not have the original manuscripts, so even if we were to concede the Bible as the Word of G

Here are the talking points for this morning from John 14.  As the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE Jesus answers three deep needs of the human soul: As the WAY, Jesus answers questions about where I will spend eternity . As the TRUTH, Jesus answers questions about what God is like . As the LIFE, Jesus answers questions about how to live the rest of my life .

The Resurrection and the Life from Brian Branam on Vimeo .

The Light from Brian Branam on Vimeo .

In my last post on teaching in the church I discussed building a bridge between the message of the Bible to its original readers and the message of the Bible for today.  The importance of this task is that it helps us teach what God has said, rather than using the Bible as a platform for a “What do you think?” session.  Sadly, most small group meetings in the local church have become little more than opinionated socials.  Building a hermeneutical bridge keeps this from happening.  Though the Bible is an old book written to a very different culture, the gap here may not be as wide as you may think.  Even still, it is not a simple task.  It takes time and hard work . Whether one is preparing to teach or engaged in personal study, the key to understanding the Bible is context.  Context is the surrounding material that influences meaning .  Statements taken out of context can be grossly misrepresented as the reader is suddenly given the freedom to provide his own context.  For exam