In The Age Of Anxiety
One way to characterize the post-9/11 world is as “The Age of Anxiety.”
We are right to be anxious because our gods are dissolving right before our eyes. We are anxious in the same way Pharaoh was anxious after the third plague. We want to bargain with the mediators of this strange religion but we cannot. They are totalitarian. They will not bargain. They will not go along... Continue Reading
Theological Objections
Not everyone is a professional theologian, but we are all ordinary theologians.
When people say theology isn’t practical, perhaps they are not seeing the practical implications immediately. Sometimes, when we confront a theological principle, it takes time to see its practical implications. Think about these theological concepts: the goodness of God, the reality of future judgment, God’s sovereign control over the world. Aren’t those concepts practical? Is... Continue Reading
Is the Bible Foundational to Christianity? Engaging with Andy Stanley
What is the cure that Stanley has offered? In brief, Christians need to stop basing their faith on the Bible.
The sermon itself was deeply confusing and left many questions unanswered about the proper role of God’s Word in our lives. Unfortunately, much of the confusion in the sermon was driven by Stanley’s commitment to a particular methodology about how to reach non-Christians. For whatever set of reasons, Stanley has become convinced that the Bible... Continue Reading
Four Questions for Obeying the First Commandment
In the Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin insists that obedience to the first commandment means we owe God four things
That’s a helpful checklist, not only for obeying the first commandment, but for a number of expressions of devotion to God. What should we do in prayer? Try adoration, trust, invocation, and thanksgiving. What should we find in our corporate worship services? Plan for adoration, trust, invocation, and thanksgiving. What can we talk about with... Continue Reading
Don’t Waste Your Suffering #5: A Promise to Cling to
When you’re in the thick of it sometimes all you can do is cling to a single verse or a phrase.
In the middle of suffering, we need to fight to see life through the lens of scripture, and not allow our suffering to distort our view of scripture and God. In other words, we need to have the attitude that says, “Whatever else is happening to me for whatever unknown reasons, this I do know…”.... Continue Reading
Whom Will You Serve?
How often do we forget that God alone is the fountain of all good
When the devil and his children give this promise, “I will give you what you want if you will only serve me,” remember where it comes from. That which comes from God is pure and peaceable, brings joy and reconciliation, and gladdens the heart. the promise of the devil brings shame and guilt and bondage.... Continue Reading
Six Reasons Why Adultery Is Very Serious
Christopher Ash provides six reasons in his book Married for God
Adultery does no favors to the adulterer. To the contrary, it undermines and erodes character and integrity. “Like all secret sin, it eats away like some noxious chemical at the integrity of the one who commits it. The moment any of us drive a wedge between what we say we are publicly and what we... Continue Reading
The Goodness of God
What type of person is able to say that God is working in all things for my good?
“If God is good,” he began, “I may be able to retire early, and live not far from here.” Unfortunately, he had to hurry away. All I had time to say to him as he left was, “Do remember that Romans 8:28 will always be true.” Many years ago, my wife and I were... Continue Reading
Surprised by Orthodoxy
Responding to the Eternal Subordination of the Son using Pro-Nicene Fathers
Being surprised by Wayne Grudem’s “surprise” that Carl Truman and Liam Goligher would publically accuse his work of not being consistent with Nicene Orthodoxy (see “Whose Position on the Trinity is Really New”), I thought it potentially fruitful, for the interested student, to compile in one place a hearty helping of Pro‐Nicene sentiment. As my... Continue Reading
Natural Complementarians or Natural Contrarians?
Women do have moral suasion over men. But it can go either way.
So I do agree that marriage, with both a wife and a husband, is beneficial to society. This benefits singles as well, as they too come from a family. And we see this in the cultural mandate. But it isn’t just because of a woman’s influence or virtue, as these statistics show. We need men... Continue Reading