# Interview on Evangelism



## greenbaggins (Aug 4, 2009)

Moody Radio has done an interview with me on evangelism. You can listen to it here. I'm on at 4:08 PM today CST.


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## AThornquist (Aug 4, 2009)

Cool! I'll be listening  I can't wait for the PB shout-out. _Right?_


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## toddpedlar (Aug 4, 2009)

stupid plugin. Couldn't listen.


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## Berean (Aug 4, 2009)

Is it really 4:08 CST? Or CDT (as it is now). The Moody site says Standard time.


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## toddpedlar (Aug 4, 2009)

I think it must be... they're on first-hour topics, and Lane is featured in the 2nd hour - at least according to the schedule online.


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## AThornquist (Aug 4, 2009)

I am happy that they talked about Lecrae, Flame, Trip Lee, etc. Those men are being featured all over the place and for good reason.


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## AThornquist (Aug 4, 2009)

Pastor Keister's interview is next, by the way. Probably will be 2-7 minutes and then he's on.


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## KSon (Aug 4, 2009)

I am blessed to be getting a pretty good connection right now...


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## Scott1 (Aug 4, 2009)

I've missed the interview with Reverend Keister, apparently. Someone named "Martha Peace" is on.

Looks like this may be archived in 24 hours or so.

It's interesting- the brief sections I've listened to sound like "broad evangelicalism"- it's jumping out at me. Hopefully, that is because I've studied reformed theology and am viewing these things biblically.

One segment was on a campaign, "Invite someone to church day." Seems somewhat odd the way this is being discussed. Some stray voices saying "we" need to improve (unsaved?) people's view of "the church." Lots of fodder for discussion there- could be a thread on this.

Listening to the ads and promotions and the tenor of the speakers and personalities, really makes me glad I'm reformed, and not merely "broadly evangelical."


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## AThornquist (Aug 4, 2009)

Really Scott? Lane's interview just ended (for me) about 30 seconds ago. He was on after that campaign for "Back to Church" Sunday (  ) and the subsequent commercial break. By the way, good job, Lane.


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## Scott1 (Aug 4, 2009)

Not sure the order here, it does not seem to be following their home page. Now there is a woman giving some sort of (broadly evangelical) devotional.

Likely Reverend Kiester's interview section will be archived soon.


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## toddpedlar (Aug 4, 2009)

Scott1 said:


> Not sure the order here, it does not seem to be following their home page. Now there is a woman giving some sort of (broadly evangelical) devotional.
> 
> Likely Reverend Kiester's interview section will be archived soon.



Moody Bible Institute (connected with Moody Broadcasting) is VERY much broadly evangelical - the school is really Arminian so I'm actually quite pleased Lane got on... will be interesting to hear anything he might have heard back from them, or any off-air conversations he had.. nudge, nudge?


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## KSon (Aug 4, 2009)

toddpedlar said:


> Scott1 said:
> 
> 
> > Not sure the order here, it does not seem to be following their home page. Now there is a woman giving some sort of (broadly evangelical) devotional.
> ...


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## SolaScriptura (Aug 4, 2009)

toddpedlar said:


> Moody Bible Institute (connected with Moody Broadcasting) is VERY much broadly evangelical - the school is really Arminian so I'm actually quite pleased Lane got on... will be interesting to hear anything he might have heard back from them, or any off-air conversations he had.. nudge, nudge?



That's interesting. As a graduate of the place I can tell you that they - at least the folks in the Bible, Theology, and Pastoral Studies departments, think of themselves as being more Calvinist than Arminian. 



But I am curious, Lane... Why on earth did they want to interview you? I ask because you break the stereotype in every way of the kind of role model they put before me in 4 years of studies there.


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## greenbaggins (Aug 5, 2009)

There are more Reformed guys there than one might think, and the guys at the radio seem to be a bit more favorable to it. They give interviews pretty much to anyone who writes a feature article for Tabletalk, which is how he contacted me. Paul seems like a real steady Calvinist to me.


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## kalawine (Aug 5, 2009)

SolaScriptura said:


> toddpedlar said:
> 
> 
> > Moody Bible Institute (connected with Moody Broadcasting) is VERY much broadly evangelical - the school is really Arminian so I'm actually quite pleased Lane got on... will be interesting to hear anything he might have heard back from them, or any off-air conversations he had.. nudge, nudge?
> ...



Perhaps the ONLY Calvinist pastor that I could get on radio in my area when I first became a Calvinist was Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, Pastor of The Moody Church. Believe it or not he was featured on our local Calvary Chapel radio station. 

I don't mean to be a conspiracy theorist but I did notice that soon after I heard that Papa Chuck (Smith) had gone on a watch-dog hunt to rid CC of the "evil Calvinists" I never heard Lutzer on that radio station again. I may be adding 2 and 2 to get five (I never heard anything official about this) but I don't believe I ever heard Lutzer again.


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## greenbaggins (Aug 5, 2009)

toddpedlar said:


> Scott1 said:
> 
> 
> > Not sure the order here, it does not seem to be following their home page. Now there is a woman giving some sort of (broadly evangelical) devotional.
> ...



I can't remember too many details of the phone conversation. However, the upshot of it was that Paul seemed pretty solidly Reformed to me. I know from my wife (graduated '97) that there is a lot more Reformed presence at Moody than there used to be (although I'm not sure what it's done since '97. It was a very nice conversation, and encouraged me greatly about the direction of the radio program, and possibly the direction of the school as well.


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## john_Mark (Aug 5, 2009)

Scott1 said:


> I've missed the interview with Reverend Keister, apparently. Someone named "Martha Peace" is on.



FYI, Martha Peace is from just south of Atlanta. She is a Calvinist and her church is a member of FIRE. I got to talk with her a bit at a conference at her church a couple years ago. During lunch, she went home and got a disk for me. It was of her critiquing Beth Moore.


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## toddpedlar (Aug 5, 2009)

greenbaggins said:


> toddpedlar said:
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> > Scott1 said:
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Maybe they have... it seemed to me from listening to the radio in the early 90's that they were VERY Arminian (but one should take that with a grain of salt, since at that time I was quite cage-stage Calvinist).


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## KSon (Aug 5, 2009)

toddpedlar said:


> greenbaggins said:
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> > toddpedlar said:
> ...



My agreement with Todd earlier stemmed from the fact that a great number of "Bible churches" in our area are led by MBI grads and those churches, for the most part, tend to be very Arminian in their soteriology. If indeed the tide is turning, or has turned, praise the Lord. 

I am just thankful that listeners to Moody Radio had the opportunity to hear Lane present evangelism according to the Bible. I praise Him for that as well.


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## Scott1 (Aug 5, 2009)

Some of this is encouraging to hear.

It is somewhat "cool" to be "reformed" in some circles right now.

But let's not water down reformed theology to something it is not. At a minimum, it is:

Doctrines of grace "five points" + covenant theology + confession 

There are some "Calvinist leaning" people out there on soteriology, but it goes on a long way from that.

The idea of one of the preceding speakers was how the world (unsaved) could have a better view of us "Christians," gives me something of a funny feeling knowing what I know now about reformed theology and a God-centered approach to theology.

Maybe I've grown too much, but what a waste of time... and how annoying to spend the hours listening to the man-centered nonsense so common out there right now.

I'd like to engage that speaker and tell him no one is seeking God in their fallen state, it is totally dependent on God, it is "normal" for the unregenerate to hate the things of God and God's people, even if they don't realize it or we do not realize it.

One of this "experts" tips was having your greeters look for new people. From a presbyterian and reformed perspective, hospitality is every Christian's business, a charge to officers, and particularly a charge to the office of Deacon.

It is so Arminian to have speakers, tapes and seminars how we "the church" can be good enough so the world will love us and then... they will all accept Christ.

The generic church, everybody else would only be perceived this way by nonbelievers generally.

There's a lot of nonsense in that man-centered reasoning, and I suppose it is the stuff of many books, tapes and seminars in the "broadly evangelical world" right now. 99% baloney.

While God certainly can use our life witness, He is not dependent on it, nor on the non church-officer "experts" who were given promo spots before Lane.


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## greenbaggins (Aug 6, 2009)

*Now archived*

For those who might have missed it, it is now archived on Paul Butler's blog.


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## Scott1 (Aug 6, 2009)

Great interview.

The implication was clear that God prepares the soil (of the heart). The Gospel's receptivity is not based on "getting the presentation right." It's not on getting the unsaved to generally "like" Christians better. (Though God may use both of these means toward His end).

Also, glad the interviewer made clear your church was in "rural" North Dakota (so it wouldn't be confused with "urban" North Dakota).

Also, kind of "cool" you spoke from your office "by Skype." (Now we know your preferred long distance carrier as well).


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