The Importance of Theology
“Systematic theology” is a label with admittedly clinical connotations
“Systematic theology thus contemplates the body of biblical teaching as a living organism, offering loving attention to its various members and tracing their organic relations to each another. Ultimately, systematic theology helps us better understand God and all things in relation to God.” “Systematic theology” is a label with admittedly clinical connotations. It conjures... Continue Reading
Which Classic Reformed Works To Read In English?
Here are 36 recommended works in rough chronological order
“Doubtless there are other volumes to be added to this list. It is a much more complete list than was possible even 10 years ago and should keep one busy for a few years. The list is weighted a bit toward the late 16th and early 17th centuries but it gives you a reasonable representation... Continue Reading
Creation Calls For Wonder
Creation calls, first and foremost, for a posture of wonder, not war
And ponder, at some point today, God’s work of creation. Let the reality of that work fill you with wonder. Let it inform your understanding of the world in which you live. “Live your life filled with joy and wonder.” “The work of creation is, God’s making all things of nothing, by the word... Continue Reading
An Open Letter to My Liberal Friends
What could be more selfish than the rhetoric of the pro-choice movement?
“And so I spent yesterday scrolling through your photos, coming to the painful realization that nearly every woman I know is not only pro-choice—I’ve known that for years—but proudly pro-choice: so proud that you will happily parade your pro-choiceness all over the world and proclaim it on all of your social media pages, as if... Continue Reading
Greater Age Brings Greater Responsibility
Throughout the Bible, God associates aging with responsibility
“With aging comes the responsibility of maturity. No matter our age, it’s our responsibility to act that age. No matter how old we are or how long we have been Christians, we need to grow up and keep growing up.” Aging is a universal reality in this world, for as time progresses, we progress... Continue Reading
Did Old Testament Men Treat Their Wives Like Property?
The sense I am left with after reading the Bible as a whole is that men loved and appreciated their wives, just as they do today.
By law, a newly married man had to be free for a year in order to “give happiness to his wife.” It seems significant that the stated goal is to make the wife happy. For a year. By law. If women were considered property, I could imagine a law saying the husband should be free to enjoy his wife for a year, but not one saying he should be free to make her happy for a year. And the fact that this was a law means it was a society-wide value. The whole society would have to be behind this in order for it to work—in order for a man to stay at home for a year, bringing happiness to his wife.
When Bible Translations Disappoint
When a translation disappoints you, do not be surprised. It is a fallen world.
There are no perfect translations. What we ought to seek is a good, consistent execution of a sound philosophy of translation. There is debate, of course, among Bible translators as to what that is but the ESV was adopted by many Reformed and evangelical folk because it promised to follow an “essentially literal” translation. In the latest revisions, however, it does not seem to be following that philosophy consistently.
Someone Has to Pay
I am troubled by President Trump's executive order temporarily barring certain refugees.
I can't help but think of the Jews who fled Nazi Germany in 1939 on the MS. St. Louis only to be turned away by my country because they were deemed a security risk. A Nazi spy previously tried to enter the U.S. pretending to be a refugee. This led to fear and paranoid fueled by the media, and thus these Jewish refugees were denied sanctuary and forced to return to Europe. Out of the 900+ passengers on the St. Louis, 254 were killed during the Holocaust.
5 Facts About Human Trafficking
There are more slaves today than were seized from Africa in four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Most trafficking in teens is for sex slavery. The average age a teen enters the sex trade in the U.S. is 12 to 14-year-old. According to Shared Hope International, children exploited through prostitution report they typically are given a quota by their trafficker/pimp of 10 to 15 buyers per night, though some service providers report girls having been sold to as many as 45 buyers in a night at peak demand times, such as during a sports event or convention. Utilizing a conservative estimate, a domestic minor sex trafficking victim who is rented for sex acts with five different men per night, for five nights per week, for an average of five years, would be raped by 6,000 buyers during the course of her victimization through prostitution.
Helping Those Who Struggle with Anxiety
Those who suffer from anxiety need help, heart and hope.
Those who are anxious need gospel-centered hope. They need a godly counselor who can point them to truth. They need to be reminded that Jesus conquered their greatest fears at the cross—eternal separation from God—so he will also be with them in all their lesser fears. They need to be reminded that Jesus was the Man of Sorrows who knew sorrow, grief, fear and temptation. They have a Savior who gets it. While others may look at their anxiety and wonder why they don’t just let it go, Jesus understands.