Of course, Christians don’t overlook Jesus generally.  He is central to about everything Christians think and do.  But, strangely, he is not often the ultimate court of appeal when they are deciding what to think about the Bible. But, just a few moments of reflection suggest he should be.   When deciding what to believe... Continue Reading

Capitalism supposes a world in which the greatest good extends to the greatest number of people through free exchanges between men and women who are otherwise in pursuit of their own self-interests. Smith famously wrote, “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but... Continue Reading

Over the centuries, many nonreligious theories have been proffered for the tenacious, massive, increasingly global influence of this wandering, first-century, Jewish rabbi with peasant roots and ordinary disciples. None do him justice. Political, institutional, economic, social, cultural, psychological explanations all prove reductionistic and overly simplistic. They don’t explain why people find Jesus so compelling.  ... Continue Reading

The cultural fascination with personality profiling is intriguing to me. To listen to people talk to one another about their Enneagram numbers is to listen to urbane, educated, and socially conscious people insist on being labeled. It’s not simply that the Enneagram is fun in the same way that all self-knowledge tools are fun. There... Continue Reading

“I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine curled slowly and gracefully up the side of the cup. It was interesting to think that the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the first food eaten there, were communion elements.”... Continue Reading

The major success of Duby’s work is his theological exegesis, which not only engages directly with Scripture but also pulls from a whole host of earlier Christian writers—whether Greek or Latin. This adds a sense of historical awareness and catholicity that commends the book.    Steven Duby has written a brilliant work that presents “a... Continue Reading

Just as we need to be taught what food is good for us (and what is not), so too we need to learn what prayer is and is not. Prayer is an essential element of our sanctification (the Spirit’s gradual, gracious work of conforming believers to the image of Christ). Just as we are learning daily... Continue Reading

Every day on the news we hear the same goat trick—the circumstances made him do it—if they had more jobs there would be peace and harmony in the community, if he had a different upbringing… etc. It is something that comes quite naturally to all of us, Adam did it way back in Eden. Yet... Continue Reading

The Lord will ask for an account from me, not just for my soul, nor how I led my family, but how I led my entire church. And it’s worse than that because it’s not just a generic account of my “leadership” but a very specific account for how I have cared for the souls... Continue Reading

Jesus has been led by God the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days (Matt 4:1–2). He voluntarily went hungry for these 40 days (Matt 4:2). Jesus knows he is the Son of God, because he just heard his father say these exact words (Matt 3:17).   The temptation of Jesus is a fascinating exchange.... Continue Reading