Any articles are within the pale of orthodoxy but do not necessarily represent a particular view of
Providence Presbyterian Church or the OPC)

Learning in a postmodern classroom (1001 ways to stay awake)
Shawn
    My experience with schooling is almost over: much math, science and engineering and several social studies (philosophy, anthropology and political science). All have one thing in common: a postmodern attitude. "What does this text mean to you?"  Or "There is no right or wrong answer."  These relativistic statements are the hallmark of the last fifteen years in modern education. At least before the postmodern movement was officially started (around 1970’s), there was some dogmatic truth even if it was humanistic; now, it is any professor with a hair-brain idea that defines truth. Yes, even the sciences are not without taint. Pagan ideas have consequences in the educational realm as much as in the religious realm proper.
    This attitude of "any view is valid" is frustrating to a Christian student such as myself. Of course, this view is even being propagated in the secondary schooling to such an extent that when any believer confronts a pagan in any situation (work, school, social) he is rebuffed with the reply: "Well, that’s good enough for you; everyone’s views are valid in our pluralistic society." This is enough to make me scream! Christ makes the unequivocal demand that He only is the way, truth and life. There is no other view that is true. It is truly us versus them ideologically.
    In my political science class my instructor explained to the class the beauty of political science: "One can voice any position as long as it is intelligible; that’s the great thing about this class: you can hold any view since nothing is ultimately true." The same was true in my other social science classes. Even my math class (Calculus) was not exempt.
    When there are no absolutes then there is no valid authority; accordingly, some teachers become spineless allowing the students dictate the course of the class to a large extent. My math teacher, after much complaining from the students, extended some story problems by a week—she even dropped a quiz grade! In English, my teacher does not even enforce deadlines feeling that "it stifles creativity; besides, I don’t want the traditional teacher-pupil relationship. I want us on the same level." I could go on.
    Ideas have consequences. Some believers do not see the need to keep the children out of public school not seeing how the very way a class is taught teaches morals. Some Christian students even agree with this postmodern attitude of believe-what- you-want-just-don't-tell-me-I'm-wrong. Christians need to know that even the way one is educated is influenced by ideas. If the professors of upper-level education think this way how much more the lower level where there are teachers who graduated from this garbage? This cancerous spread of postmodernism is not the end of the world; we as joint-heirs with Christ can persevere and triumph through knowledge and  truth of His Word.

Election in Perspective (Quotes)
Shawn
Chosen for Life: An Introductory Guide to the Doctrine of Divine Election.
C. Samuel Storms, Baker Books, 1987; 29,30:
 "It is when the basis or ground for God’s choice is discussed that the Arminian parts company from the Calvinist…Arminians insist that God elects men and women on the basis of what he, form eternity past, know that they, in present time, will do when confronted with the gospel. Thus the basis or ground for being chosen by God is one’s own freewill choice of God. God’s election of us is, in effect, no more than a divine echo of our election of him.
 The Calvinist, on the other hand, insist that election is not grounded or based upon any act of man, for good or ill. Election ‘does not depend on the hand who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy’ (Rom. 9:16). That God should set his electing love upon any individual is not in any way dependent upon that person’s will (Rom. 9:16), works (2 Tim. 1:9; Rom. 9:11), holiness (Eph. 1:4) or obedience (I Peter 1:1,2). Rather, election finds its sole and all-sufficient cause in the sovereign good pleasure and grace of God (Eph. 1:9; Rom. 9:11; 11:5; Matt. 11:25-26; 2 Tim. 1:9)…For what does God foresee in us, apart from his grace? He sees only corruption, ill will, and pervasive depravity of heart and soul that serves only to evoke his displeasure and wrath.
 What this means is that Calvinism is monergistic when it comes to the doctrine of salvation. This simply means that when a person is saved it is due wholly to the working of one source of power, God. Arminianism is by necessity synergistic, in that it conceives of salvation as the joint or mutual effort of both God and man."

The Sovereignty of God. A.W.Pink, Banner of Truth, 1988; 46, 47.
"But why do these other believe [and some do not]? What is it that caused them to put their trust in Christ? Is it because they are more intelligent than their fellows, and quicker to discern their need of salvation [or is it merely arbitrary—there is no reason why I believed]? Perish the thought, ‘Who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive?…’ (I Cor. 4:7). It is God Himself who makes the difference between the elect and the non-elect, for of His own it is written, ‘ And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true’ (I John 5:20).
  Faith is God’s gift, and ‘all men have not faith’ (2 Thess. 3:2); therefore, we see that God does not bestow this gift upon all…[He gives it to] ‘As many as were ordained to eternal life believed’ (Acts 13:48)…’Is it not lawful for Me to do what I will with Mine own?’ (Matt. 20:15)."

The Grace of God; The Bondage of the Will. Editors: Thomas R. Schreiner/Bruce A. Ware, Baker, 1995; 87:
"The sovereignty of God promises security to his people, even as the image of God imparts creative responsibility to each one. Election proves as pivotal to Paul’s theology as it was to his Israelite ancestors, for the God who announced to Moses, ‘I will be what I will be,’ still sets at the heart of the revelation of his just purpose to Paul the proclamation that ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy…so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.’"

 A Brief and Untechnical Statement of the Reformed Faith
                          By B. B. Warfield

             I believe that my one aim in life and death should be to glorify God and enjoy him forever; and that God teaches me how to glorify and enjoy him in his holy Word, that is, the Bible, which he has given by the infallible inspiration of his Holy Spirit in order that I may certainly know what I am to believe concerning him and what duty he requires of me.

              I believe that God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and incomparable in all that he is; one God but three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, my Creator, my Redeemer, and my Sanctifier; in whose power and wisdom, righteousness, goodness and truth I may safely put my trust.

                          I believe that the heavens and the earth, and all that in them is, are the work of God's hands; and that all he has made he directs and governs in all their actions; so that they fulfill the end for which they were created, and I who trust in him shall not be put to shame but may rest securely in the protection of his almighty love.

                          I believe that God created man after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness and holiness, and entered into a covenant of life with him upon the sole condition of the obedience that was his due; so that it was by willfully sinning against God that man fell into the sin and misery in which I have been born.

                          I believe, that, being fallen in Adam, my first father, I am by nature a child of wrath, under the condemnation of God and corrupted in body and soul, prone to evil and liable to eternal death; from which dreadful state I cannot be delivered save through the unmerited grace of God my Savior.

                          I believe that God has not left the world to perish in its sin, but out of the great love wherewith he has loved it, has from all eternity graciously chosen unto himself a multitude which no man can number, to deliver them out of their sin and misery, and of them to build up again in the world his kingdom of righteousness; in which kingdom I may be assured I have my part, if I hold fast to Christ the Lord.

                          I believe that God has redeemed his people unto himself through Jesus Christ our Lord; who, though he was and ever continues to be the eternal Son of God, yet was born of a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem them that are under the law; I believe that he bore the penalty due to my sins in his own body on the tree, and fulfilled in his own person the obedience I owe to the righteousness of God, and now presents me to his Father as his purchased possession, to the praise of the glory of his grace forever; wherefore renouncing all merit of my own, I put all my trust only in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ my redeemer.

                          I believe that Jesus Christ my redeemer, who died for my offenses was raised again for my justification, and ascended into the heavens, where he sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty, continually making intercession for his people, and governing the whole world as head over all things for his Church; so that I need fear no evil and may surely know that nothing can snatch me out of his hands and nothing can separate me from his love.

                          I believe that the redemption wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ is effectually applied to all his people by the Holy Spirit, who works faith in me and thereby unites me to Christ, renews me in the whole man after the image of God, and enables me more and more to die unto sin and to live unto righteousness; until, this gracious work having been completed in me, I shall be received into glory; in which great hope abiding, I must ever strive to perfect holiness in the fear of God.

                          I believe that God requires of me, under the gospel, first of all, that, out of a true sense of my sin and misery and apprehension of his mercy in Christ, I should turn with grief and hatred away from sin and receive and rest upon Jesus Christ alone for salvation; that, so being united to him, I may receive pardon for my sins and be accepted as righteous in God's sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to me and received by faith alone; and thus and thus only do I believe I may be received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.

                          I believe that, having been pardoned and accepted for Christ's sake, it is further required of me that I walk in the Spirit whom he has purchased for me, and by whom love is shed abroad in my heart; fulfilling the obedience I owe to Christ my King; faithfully performing all the duties laid upon me by the holy law of God my heavenly Father; and ever reflecting in my life and conduct, the perfect example that has been set for me by Christ Jesus my Leader, who has died for me and granted to me his Holy Spirit just that I may do the good works which God has afore prepared that I should walk in them.

                          I believe that God has established his Church in the world and endowed it with the ministry of the Word and the holy ordinances of Baptism, the Lord's Supper and Prayer; in order that through these as means, the riches of his grace in the gospel may be made known to the world, and, by the blessing of Christ and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them, the benefits of redemption may be communicated to his people; wherefore also it is required of me that I attend on these means of grace with diligence, preparation, and prayer, so that through them I may be instructed and strengthened in faith, in holiness of life, and in love; and that I use my best endeavors to carry this gospel and convey these means of grace to the whole world.

                          I believe that as Jesus Christ has once come in grace, so also is he to come a second time in glory, to judge the world in righteousness and assign to each his eternal award; and I believe that if I die in Christ, my soul shall be at death made perfect in holiness and go home to the Lord; and when he shall return to his majesty I shall be raised in glory and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity; encouraged by which blessed hope it is required of me willingly to take my part in suffering hardship here as a good soldier of Christ Jesus, being assured that if I die with him I shall also live with him, if I endure, I shall also reign with him.

                                                   And to him, my Redeemer,
                                               with the Father, and the Holy Spirit,
                                                   Three Persons, one God,
                                               be glory forever, world without end,
                                                      Amen and Amen.