How the Scandal of Preaching Will Reach Our Postmodern World
Preaching directly challenges the postmodern sentiment that all I need is me, my Bible, and Jesus.
So, how do we break into the lives of people who are immersed in this postmodern reality? How do we reach them for the gospel? Do we find ways to show them how the gospel is existentially satisfying? Do we offer therapeutic entertainment to draw them in? Nope. Instead, we do the unthinkable in our... Continue Reading
Science Supremacists
An aggressive scientism seeks to take charge of spheres well beyond science’s expertise
In a long, breathtaking paragraph, he asserts “We know” a number of facts we actually don’t know, but only assume if the God hypothesis has been proven false. Which it hasn’t. Theism and atheism are both assumptions that cannot be proved scientifically, because the necessary evidence lies outside science. No matter: To Pinker, empirical knowledge trumps all... Continue Reading
The Glorious Groan of the Gospel
The Christian response to evil and suffering
It is this “norm,” the norm of God’s character — a norm that cannot be ignored — that can help us understand something of the pervasive effects of evil. Here, then, is the first truth about evil and suffering. Evil and suffering are the consequences of a violation of God’s holy and righteous character. Many... Continue Reading
How to Be Better Bereans (3 of 3)
What is our ultimate authority?
All religion rests on authority. For that matter, every academic discipline and every sphere of human inquiry rests on authority. Whether we realize it or not, we all give someone or something the last word. You may give it to your parents or to your culture or to your community or to your feelings or... Continue Reading
The Gnostic Dualism Of The God Of Niceness
The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament
God did threaten judgment in the Old Covenant and so he has in the New Covenant: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31) because “our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29). This language comes right out of the Old Testament, because there are not two... Continue Reading
Be Sloooooooooooow To Anger
If the Lord is merciful and gracious to me, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love to me, should I not be merciful and gracious to others?
Scripture does NOT say we should never be angry. Nor does it say that all anger is wrong. God himself has righteous anger. There are times it is appropriate to be angry. If I saw a man beating a child it would be right for me to be angry at this wickedness and take action... Continue Reading
Gentle Shepherding
If God has given you a position of influence in a hurting person’s life, ask him to also give you the heart of a shepherd—a Christ-like shepherd
“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” When he finished reading, I asked him a hypothetical question: “If this young woman was reading through Isaiah today and came to this verse, would she pause and... Continue Reading
The Glorious Doctrine of Irresistible Grace
Those who proclaim the gospel preach in a graveyard.
Irresistible, or efficacious, grace is not a dry and dusty old doctrine that was invented by curmudgeonly Calvinists. It is, in fact, a glorious biblical doctrine, for without the efficacious work of the Holy Spirit, we would all be without hope in this world and the next. When we come to a full understanding of... Continue Reading
Recoveries, Crises, and Falls
Three books about evangelicals and intellectualism
Ginsberg does offer good information in his chapter on “The Realpolitik of Race and Gender,” showing how the “moral imperatives” of the professoriate give administrators the opportunity to grab hiring decisions from the faculty by forging “tactical alliances with representatives of minority groups.” But neither Worthen nor Ginsberg apparently grasps how corrupt academia has become.... Continue Reading
Homeless Mother Who Sent Six-Year-Old Son to Better School in the Wrong Town Jailed for Five Years
Police said McDowell stole $15,686 worth of 'free' educational services from Norwalk.
McDowell’s lawyer, Darnell Crosland, said she agreed to accept a plea bargain rather than continue fighting the charges even though she insists she is not guilty. Mr Crosland said: ‘You shouldn’t be arrested for stealing a free education. It’s just wrong.’ A mother who pleaded guilty to fraudulently enrolling her six-year-old son in the... Continue Reading