Category Archives: theology

I tend not to like bible software. I’ve been let down too many times in the past. However, a friend showed me e-sword. This isn’t the best software — especially if you prefer not to read scripture broken into verse — but it does have its uses. For me, the kicker was having the LXX, GNT, Vulgate, ESV, KJV (w/Apocrypha) etc bible translations, and a commentary section where I can read the Ante-Nicene fathers, Calvin, Westminster Confession, Three Forms of Unity, Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Josephus, Philo, et al.

Tonight, the tool came in handy. I was reading in Exodus (btw, it also has a customizable bible reading plan) and noticed that Exo 4:19 reminded me a lot of Matt 2:20. Well, I was able to check the GNT with the LXX and noticed that it was nearly identical. I suppose this is the theme of Jesus as the new Moses being developed in Matthew.

Anyhow, I was able to make a note in e-sword and can pay particular attention to this sort of thing when I read through Matthew.

When I was a freshman and sophmore in college, I was really into the puritans. Growing up in a home that was closer to Catholic than anything and being involved in a non-denominational, dispensational church in highschool, I was never really exposed to the puritans … to say the least.

In college, as I became more and more Calvinistic, I also started reading the puritans (or about the puritans). One of the websites I would often visit was A Puritan’s Mind. I remember reading about Matthew McMahon’s (the website creator) wrestling with infant baptism. One particular story he told was going to a reformed seminary and waiting patiently for the discussion on infant baptism (led by a presbyterian), and being disappointed at what he heard as the rational defense of infant baptism. Thus, he was stuck in his position as a Reformed Baptist.

Then, low and behold, Barb Harvey links to guy because some other guy is calling him so name for some reason (who can really follow all these things?), and I figured I would check it out again. Now, it appears, he’s become a paedobaptist, and has written a point-by-point refutation of his previous ideas (scroll down to Articles on Baptism).

It seems like an interesting road that many have taken. Being a Reformed Baptist, I’ve found, is a difficult and lonely position to be in (well, it was when I was going through it). A Baptist struggling with Calvinism (disgression: which is worse to a Catholic family?) or a Calvinist struggling with Baptism. It seems that it, for a lot of people, has worked out like this.

I’m rambling …