Author Archives: StriderMTB

Unknown's avatar

About StriderMTB

Hi, I'm Matt. "Strider" from Lord of the Rings is my favorite literary character of all time and for various reasons I write under the pseudonym "StriderMTB. As my blog suggests I seek to live out both the excitement and tension of a Christian walk with Christ in the 3rd world context of Asia. I started my blog as an unmarried man who was blessed to oversee an orphanage of amazing children in South-East Asia. As of 2022, I am a happily married man to an amazing missionary wife serving together on the mission field. I hate lima beans and love to pour milk over my ice-cream. I try to stay active in both reading and writing and this blog is a smattering of my many thoughts. I see the Kingdom of God as Jesus preached it and lived to be the only hope for a broken world and an apathetic church.

Debate on Calvinistic Compatibilism Part 3: Derek Responds

Matt, Thank you for your thoughtful reply. You may be aware that there are “middle knowledge” Calvinists who affirm something similar to Molinism but in a compatibilistic construct rather than as a solution to the problem of libertarian freedom in … Continue reading

Posted in Debating Calvinistic Compatibilism | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Debate on Calvinistic Compatibilism. Part 2 Matt Responds

Hi Derek, thanks for dropping by. You are right I won’t bother answering all your questions  I think I counted 19. As the quotes highlight and basic logic dictats Calvinistic ordination collapses into causal determinism. A molinist like William Lane Craig … Continue reading

Posted in Debating Calvinistic Compatibilism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Debate on Calvinistic Compatibilism Part 1: Derek’s Challenge

After posting up a number of quotes from mainstream Calvinists (which can be found HERE) I entered into a dialogue/debate with a fellow brother in the Lord named Derek. Derek is a Calvinist and interpretes God’s sovereignty and man’s free-will … Continue reading

Posted in Debating Calvinistic Compatibilism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Satan’s Strategy: Doubt What God Said. Doubt Your Identity.

Tonight I was listening to a short sermon online by Bill Johnson–whose profound insights I have come to appreciate more and more. He talked briefly about the nature of Satan’s lies and the root of his temptations. I immediately began … Continue reading

Posted in Church and Culture | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Does it Mean: “God Accepts Us the Way We are”?

Tonight I met a group of Christians in Thailand. We had a small time of fellowship and prayer. Within the group I noticed there was a lady-boy. For those not familiar with the term “lady-boy” it is the preferred term … Continue reading

Posted in Church and Culture | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Struggle in Loneliness Understood–part 2

In “A Struggle in Loneliness Understood (part 1)” I ended with the claim that only God can forever capture our sense of wonder and amazement. I want to pursue that line of thought in this present post. I remember years … Continue reading

Posted in Devotion Life | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Struggle in Loneliness Understood–part 1

I’ve been struggling with some loneliness lately–it is a battle I go through every so often as a single guy. I’ve also been struck with the nature of the human soul and its need of other humans souls. More specifically … Continue reading

Posted in Devotion Life | 1 Comment

Spiritualizing the Romanticized “Soul Mate” Myth

Click here to read an outstanding critique of how the church does great harm to young people in being complicit with a self-centered perspective of marriage by propagating and spiritualizing the “soul mates” myth as romanced in many a movie … Continue reading

Posted in Thought of the day | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Gay Marriage, Gay Contempt–both Desacralize the Sacred

In my last post I highlighted a quote by author and speaker Ravi Zacharias who was asked the following question, “Why do Christians see racism as wrong but don’t see opposing homosexuality as equally wrong?” In response Zacharias made the … Continue reading

Posted in Church and Culture | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Isn’t Opposing both Racism and Gay Marriage Inconsistent? No.

Given the nature of today’s debate surrounding gay marriage, it is quite common to hear the following question: “Why is it that Christians who oppose racism and bigotry in the church don’t see the hypocrisy in being equally opposed to … Continue reading

Posted in Church and Culture | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment