Introduce yourself!

[Jono Macfarlane]

Hi guys, looks like many of you know each other, but I think it would be most helpful if everyone could introduce themselves. Where you're from, what you do with your life, where you go to church and anything else interesting about yourself. Perhaps mentioning your fave books and sermons would be helpful as well.

[Samuel Garcia]

Well I'm a nerd. I love watching movies (mostly action, sci-fi, and comedy) and I just love to learn. I would be completely happy being a life-long student, honestly. I graduated in May from Biola University with a BA in Biblical and Theological Studies and am currently (slowly) working on an MA in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at Talbot School of Theology.

I'm a SoCal guy who can't live without the sun (the opposite of a vampire). I spend whatever time I can with my lovely fiance Kelsey, and we're planning on getting married May 1, '09. We go to Ambassador Church in Brea but we might be moving to Vineyard Anaheim pretty soon.

Hmmm what else? I also have been playing guitar for about 6 or 7 years and love my Taylor guitar "Iris." I love to ride my motorcycle (nicknamed "Thumper") but I'm gonna have to sell it soon :(. I have a great time hanging out with my dogs "Snoopy" and "Lucy".

As far as books go, there's too many favorites. Recent favorites are "Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview" by J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, "Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God" by Larry Osborne, "The Myth of a Christian Nation" by Gregory Boyd, and "Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament" by Christopher Wright. The Bible's alright...j/k.

Ultimately my career goal is to be a professor/scholar. I hope to advance the discussion in a couple areas, including inerrancy and the relationship between systematic theology and philosophical theology.

[Fusion!]

Thanks for starting the thread Jono. Well I'm Frank. I also go by Frankfusion and Fusion! on here and my blog at letmypeopleread.blogspot.com That actually was the forerunner to this page. I wanted a place to share my ideas on what it means to be young and reformed. Then I cam across a place to make a network and it hit me that I could create a network of young reformed people. My own journey starts in Los Angeles where I was born. I grew up in East LA, and went to same church that Sam (yeah the one who posted first) and Miguel (who is on here too) went to. It was a Hispanic Pentecostal church where people danced, spoke in tongues, and where we waited for the end of the world (so it seemed sometimes!). After a while, I began to ask the bigger questions of life and thought I could find them in New Age thinking. But God had other plans. In High School (senior year) God began to deal with me. In time I was throwing my New Age stuff out and I began to read Christian books (not all good). One day after coming back from a missions trip to South Africa I picked up a book called "Desiring God" and I haven't been the same since. It introduced me to Reformed Theology. I also was introduced to Dr. Bob Morey. A few of the people here go to his church. He was one of the first truly intelligent Christians I heard. His answers to people's questions on predestination and R.C. Sproul's series "Chosen by God" were what finally turned me towards Reformed Theology. What I find interesting is that many people have had the same experience. Either John Piper's book "Desiring God" or Sproul's writings have affected them to change lifelong theologies. I'm sure we might hear a lot of that on here. Well, that's a bit of my story. Who's next?

[Becky]

I'm from SoCali, and i currently reside in Westminster. Not the seminary ;), but the city home to Little Saigon. I am recently married to my best friend Nathaniel, who i am trying to persuade to sign up. He's not much into social networking sites, but this one is reformed! lol I work as a payroll manager in downtown Long Beach and i plan to continue there until i have children. I am a strong supporter of FOCA, homeschooling, and capitalism. My church is Faith Community Church in Orange, pastor Robert Morey.

I got saved sometime during reading Don't Waste Your Life, at which point i was going to Faith Defenders apologetics class, attending a lovely Reformed Baptist church in Riverside, and a nondenom Bible study in Redlands (i kept myself busy, i know!). I can't pin it down, but Piper's prose and passion definitely was a contributer, as was the bluntness of Morey, and just the questioning everything around me i had been doing for years, including the hedonism of my coworkers, who never seemed to be happy. Of course, it was really only due to the work of the Holy Spirit. Thus it stands that DWYL and Desiring God are some of my favorite books. Also Forrest Gump and the Harry Potter series.

I'm a huge HP fan. I enjoy fantasy and sci-fi (any medium), cartoons and anime, whipped cream on pizza and coffee. I love much music, including sugarhappycolor MIKA and beautifuldarkness Evanescence. Favorite sermons? A Burning Witness to the Light series by John Piper.

[Becky]

Err...major typo. I'm a strong OPPOSER of FOCA.

Becky said:

I am a strong supporter of FOCA,

::sheepish grin::
I'll wake up later tonight after i get my free drink from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf...maybe.

[Samuel Garcia]

Yeah, I was wondering about that...

Becky said:

Err...major typo. I'm a strong OPPOSER of FOCA.

[Jonathan Chan]

I'm Jonathan, as my name probably indicates.

I like to describe myself as a theological slut. I tend to take things from different traditions, if you will.

I'm currently a student at Life Pacific College (Foursquare).

I'm the lead church planter for a church plant in Ontario (Vineyard)

I work with several NPO's that care for local homeless (Catholic and Calvary Chapel)

I'm essentially reformed.

I'm missional in methodology.

I'm me.

I guess I'm a big techno geek that likes to twitter (or tweet) and blog. I think part of me is so egotistical that I think people care what I'm doing and what I think. That is all .

[Jonathan Chan]

Whoa? Vineyard? I got to a Vineyard Church. Haha you're going to Vineyard cuz of Moreland, arencha? Well it's good to know that there's another vineyard-ite in this group. We'll talk more.



Samuel Garcia said:

Well I'm a nerd. I love watching movies (mostly action, sci-fi, and comedy) and I just love to learn. I would be completely happy being a life-long student, honestly. I graduated in May from Biola University with a BA in Biblical and Theological Studies and am currently (slowly) working on an MA in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at Talbot School of Theology.

I'm a SoCal guy who can't live without the sun (the opposite of a vampire). I spend whatever time I can with my lovely fiance Kelsey, and we're planning on getting married May 1, '09. We go to Ambassador Church in Brea but we might be moving to Vineyard Anaheim pretty soon.

Hmmm what else? I also have been playing guitar for about 6 or 7 years and love my Taylor guitar "Iris." I love to ride my motorcycle (nicknamed "Thumper") but I'm gonna have to sell it soon :(. I have a great time hanging out with my dogs "Snoopy" and "Lucy".

As far as books go, there's too many favorites. Recent favorites are "Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview" by J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, "Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God" by Larry Osborne, "The Myth of a Christian Nation" by Gregory Boyd, and "Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament" by Christopher Wright. The Bible's alright...j/k.

Ultimately my career goal is to be a professor/scholar. I hope to advance the discussion in a couple areas, including inerrancy and the relationship between systematic theology and philosophical theology.

[TheoScholar]

Well, I finally joined this network here after overcoming my laziness. My name is Isai. My bro is Sam (yup, the guy that posted above). I've also known Mig (Miguel above), and Fusion since about the age of 2. I am fully reformed in the soteriological sense, and also like their Biblical Theology as developed by Geerhardus Vos, and Willem VanGemeren.

I graduated from Biola University with a B. A. in Biblical and Theological Studies. I see myself carving a niche in Old Testament Studies, 2nd Temple Judaism studies and Biblical Theology (with an eye on historical backgrounds). Needless to say I wish to be a scholar that does not bring more shame to God and Christianity but is able to speak to fellow Christians from all denominations, as well speak to non-Christians where they are without instantly bashing them with the Bible. I am currently reading "Interpreting the Prophetic Word" by Willem VanGemeren, as well as articles off the "The Face of Old/New Testament Studies" series. I too have a blog, but I just can't seem to get motivated to write anything on it...

I am musically inclined as well. I have been playing the drum set for about 6 yrs now. I also listen to all kinds of musical genres (I think I get a little too carried away with my labels). First, I am a metalhead so I like a little Opeth, Dream Theater, Metallica, Testament, Orphaned Land, Kamelot and the like in my musical selection. However, I do listen to classical stuff as well (Mozart, Beethoven, Bach). Recently I've been getting into Praise and Worship, but I like hymns better...

I was puzzled to see that you were a "SUPPORTER" of FOCA Becky, had to read that sentence twice. Good to see you have amended your ways ;)

[James Cohen]

Hey Jono, I really like your name.

Umm...I'd like to be a screenwriter. Preferably for features (movies), not television, but I'd probably have to take what I can get.

I was a Philosophy major at University of California, Irvine for a year and am currently on a leave of absence. Thing is, I thought screenwriting would just be my hobby on the side 'cause the odds are quite stacked against making a living of it. So I went with Philosophy for the sake of the subcategory of Logic. But then I started thinking that Philosophy isn't the best "safe major" as I'd really only use it as pre-law anyway. So, long story semi-short, I'm going for my unlikely but much preferred major instead. I'm comfortable going to law school if I can't make it, as long as I gave my dream a shot.

My favorite movie, and the one that inspired me to such a lofty goal is Sunset Boulevard which is ironic if you've seen the film...

I'm a presuppositionalist, but more in the Clarkian sense than Van Tillian. Clark's my favorite theology and philosophy author; I think he's extremely clear, precise and logical. Not to say I completely agree with him, but how often does that happen anyway? Mad props to him.

I enjoy epistemology as I think it's the great leveler of worldviews. I think it's entirely worth having general knowledge about antichristian philosophies but I don't like spending time on the finer details of Descartes, for example. How useful is knowing the beast-machine doctrine to evangelism and apologetics, after all? Anything can be, God willing, but I'd rather focus on other stuffs. I think Hume and Plato would be my favorite nonchristian philosophers. Wicked heathens, of course, but I think they were, again, clear, concise and logical. And Hume's role in the formulation of the problem of induction is actually quite helpful to us. Plato's Euthyphro is, as well. If you only read one Socratic dialogue, make it Euthyphro.

Before I was a Christian I was a nihilist. I wasn't into the philosophical study of it, but I reasoned my way to the central tenets.

Oh, I took a year of Classical Greek at UCI and I don't really keep up with it now. So if you happen to have any exercise for me in that area, hit me up. Or if you want to help me practice Japanese.

[Douglas K. Adu-Boahen]

Well, I'm Douglas (also known as Kofi or T-Scribble). I'm 17 years old and I live in London, England. I am currently in my second year of A-Levels and I'm looking forward to going to university in September. I'm a songwriter, bassist, blogger and aspiring journalist. I'm a member of the Metropolitan Tabernacle Baptist Church (yes, Spurgeon's church). Some of my favourite preachers include folks like John Piper, CJ Mahaney, John MacArthur and Alistair Begg. My reading choices tend to be anything theological or devotional.

[Glenn Hendrickson]

Hi I'm glenn. I blog so you can learn a lot about me here. I am Reformed, Southern Baptist, ex-FCC, single, white, 26, a member of ETS, a Biola graduate, and a student at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. I love the Bible, theology, apologetics, debates, reading, science fiction, music, and many other things...

People who I listen to on at least a semi-regular basis include: James White, Gene Cook Jr., Matt Slick, William Lane Craig, Ian Paisley, and John Frame.

Reformed individuals who I have a lot of respect for include the above (minus WLC as he is not reformed) as well as Louis Berkhof, John Owen, Wayne Grudem, E.J. Young, and many of the Puritan writers.

A person who I do not respect in the least is Robert Morey. I say this here because it is part of my life's story and members here who are not from SoCal deserve to hear the truth about this guy. Yes, he is reformed theologically, but his life is a mismatch of pastoral abuse and financial shadiness. A year ago I would have probably had his name at the top of my "people who I respect list" but this year he has shown his true colors to me and I am recovering from it.

As far as which church I go to, I am proud to say that I am no longer a member of FCC (Morey's church)! I have been looking at a number of different churches in Orange County and have been attending Green Hills Baptist in La Habra for a few weeks now.

I love to get emails and comments so don't be shy... if you have questions about me or my life just give me a holler and I'm there!

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[Fusion!]

Admins note, Glenn does not speak for all of us, including those here who are current FCC members in good standing.