Friday, July 22, 2005

Phil Johnson's Blog--PyroManiac

Like a seething volcano that occasionally erupts. That's a brief first impression of Phil Johnson's blog PyroManiac. Reading his stuff makes me think of William Tyndale--the same kind of wit and the same kind of passion for the truth.

Though I haven't met Phil, a friend told me a little about him (see the end of this post). I've been to the Spurgeon Archive, the Hall of Church History, and the World Famous Annotated Bookmarks. I've even heard him speak at the Shepherd's Conference, via the wonder of compact disc.

I still wasn't prepared for the blog. It's a combination of review & commentary, with sharp analysis and an ironic tone, which on occasion even perhaps slides into sarcastic. Highlights include: critique of the Emerging & Purpose-Driven Church movements; the state of evangelicalism today; and a discussion/critique of the "new breed" of Calvinists.

He's at his sharpest in his Blogspotting, where he commends some and takes others to task. For some, it clearly would have been better never to be noticed at all (I still wince for the Thinklings).

He's at his best (in every sense) in the post where he answers a question on the difficult doctrine of Calvinism. I appreciated his exegesis, as well as the graphic that shows the parallels between the John & 1 John passages.

All in all, there is much to recommend him as a regular read.

But mostly, I just wanted to tell Phil thanks for discovering the blog of my friend & former pastor Chris Pixley.

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