Dr. Peterson and the Reporters
Peterson brings social science findings to bear on thorny matters of men and women.
What is one to say about a journalist who not only doesn’t bone up on the central subject of an interview, but also doesn’t realize that admitting this destroys his credibility? (Peterson has a rebuttal to the Vox interview here, where he points out the astonishing professional irresponsibility of the professor.) One ingredient in the astounding fame... Continue Reading
Two Hands, Two Souls, and the Glory of God Displayed
We were in disbelief as we considered what the Lord had done that day.
Deformity and handicaps are some of the hardest things in the world. They are a stumbling block for many, and perhaps an excuse for many people to keep themselves from forsaking their sin and coming to the Lord. Even for us believers, it is very easy to forget that God is Sovereign over these deformities... Continue Reading
The Anxiety of Idolatry
Our Lord concludes by insisting that what we treasure and set our sights on is actually what we truly love.
Here is the connection between idolatry and anxiety. Christ says “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.” The importance of this principle is highlighted by the fact that Jesus repeats it in vs 31 and 34, as well as by the fact that each time he teaches it he prefaces it with... Continue Reading
If You Can Give Up KJV English in the Bible, Why not the Confession of Faith?
People using the Standards as a benchmark for theological clarity don’t mind requiring users to suffer with the alien words and forms.
As part of the work of the Committee on Christian Education, on motion, the body approved this: “That the Eighty-fifth (2018) General Assembly notify the member churches of NAPARC and other appropriate church bodies with which we have fellowship that it has erected a special committee to propose linguistic updating of the doctrinal standards of... Continue Reading
When Failure Saves and Success Destroys
While success can be a tremendous blessing to ourselves and others, it can also be the stuff idolatry is made of.
It feels awful to fail to advance in our vocations, to miss our goals, to be surpassed by our friends, to miss out on making our mark. It feels soul-crushing to fail to receive the plaudits of the people we admire. And while this failure can be a tremendous sorrow to ourselves and others, it... Continue Reading
Afflictions As Sermons
Chastisements are like sermons that call us to repentance.
When all things go well, it is an easy thing for us to glory in regard to our faith; but in adversity, the grace or beauty of virtue becomes apparent. He that has not been tested by affliction, what knoweth he? “Experience works hope” (Rom. 5:4.). This morning I happend to run across Zacharias... Continue Reading
Q&A With Former Mars Hill Church Executive Pastor Sutton Turner
An interview with Sutton Turner, once one of the executive pastors of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. He presided over the growth and decline of the church that closed its doors in 2015.
Over the last 4 years, I have studied the culture from Mars Hill and talked extensively to people that were negatively affected by the culture and its leaders. I am building a set of material from this research to help other organizations which I have shared with several pastors and leaders. They have identified one... Continue Reading
The Truth Claims of Jesus and Jordan Peterson
Perhaps the deepest mystery Peterson seems destined to grapple with is how the Bible and Christianity apply across the board.
I suspect Jordan Peterson finds himself in a bit of a quandary today in matters of faith, religion and particularly Christianity. By his own admission, he feels boxed in when asked what he believes about God. It sounds like he is still up in the air and not yet ready to come down on one... Continue Reading
Evangelicalism and Tribalism
Evangelicalism is not growing in Europe. What is happening there and in the U.S. is a political phenomenon in which citizens are wanting to recover national identity and sovereignty
The liberal critics of Trumpian evangelicals don’t really want that. What they may think is that voting for Hillary was the Christian thing to do. The hitch there is that committing Christianity to any political party or candidate is to go back before liberal politics separated religion from government, when the king was head of... Continue Reading
Has the Time Come for a New Neo-Evangelicalism?
Evangelicalism is not limited to America and evangelicalism is not limited to any one political ideology.
Journalists listen! “Evangelical” is a spiritual-theological identity not tied to any nation-state or political party or ideology! It exists throughout the world and there are more evangelicals in Africa than in the U.S.! Please stop treating evangelicalism as if it were the Republican Party at prayer. It is not and cannot be that! A... Continue Reading