“I pretty much agree with Mike Horton’s review though I thought he was too easy on the book. I’d like to add three thoughts to Mike’s review. I’m not going to do any summary, just critique. For summary read what Mike wrote.”   This week I read Wright’s new book on the crucifixion, The Day... Continue Reading

Given the rapid moral and cultural decline of our country, the idea that “America is a Christian nation” is designed to stem the tide.  It is a way of pushing back against the secularization all around us by reminding people that things were not always this way.  It reminds people that Christians were, at one... Continue Reading

Renewed emphasis on practical ministries. Many of our churches have gone through a period of theological recovery for which I am very grateful. Now the leaders want to know the “how” along with the “what.” They are looking for practical solutions built on biblical truths.   For those who read my blog regularly, you know... Continue Reading

“The earliest church was seen as too exclusive and a threat to the social order because it would not honor all deities; today Christians are again being seen exclusive and a threat to the social order because we will not honor all identities.”   Many say that Christians who maintain the historic, traditional doctrines are behind the... Continue Reading

“I and others have emphasized the contrast between Ben Franklin’s self-professed Deism and his longtime friendship with the Calvinist evangelist George Whitefield, but Lepore convinced me that his sister’s influence likely had an even stronger tethering effect connecting Ben to the faith of his childhood.”   In my Baylor graduate seminar on the American Revolution,... Continue Reading

“Before Langton (1150-1228), several people had tried to divide the longer books of the Bible into more manageable chunks. But his version was the one that stuck and is the basis of the chapters we use today.”   Anyone who knows about Magna Carta and King John has probably heard of Stephen Langton, the Archbishop... Continue Reading

“Peter is among the elect and we see acted out before us the manifestation of that fact in Jesus’ conversation with Peter. Peter was a sinner just like Judas. Judas was no better or worse than Peter. Yet Peter repented of his sin and was restored and he was given an unusual preview of that... Continue Reading

“Commit to reading the Bible more consistently in 2017. And not just reading it to check off boxes and say you read the whole Bible in a year. But read the Bible from the posture of an unfinished and broken down house that needs repairing and let the Bible do it’s demolition work as well... Continue Reading

“Pastors, elders, and deacons – we who have been called to leadership but have lost our consuming passion for Christ – what will we do today? We need not retire. Instead, we need to repent. Jesus waits with open arms, tear-filled eyes, and words of forgiveness, and words of encouragement for us to get up and continue... Continue Reading

“Most wives keep this burden a secret, assuming it’s only their husband who is struggling. No one else is in the same boat. Yet thoughts like these only compound the shame and the suffering. Sadly, the problem is extremely common.”   On a whim, I invited a new friend over for lunch. As we watched our toddlers run around... Continue Reading