What We Lose When We Manipulate Jesus
It's very popular - always has been - for people to pick and choose the aspects of Jesus they like and invent other aspects out of thin air.
The idea that Jesus was a “community organizing” “revolutionary” in some Marxist sense is anachronistic (an out-of-time reference). It’s not helpful or accurate. He did not organize protests, sit-ins, revolts, etc. In fact, quite the opposite, He said things like “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” and “My kingdom is not of this world.” (Luke 20:25 and... Continue Reading
Are New Year’s Resolutions Sinful?
While they are not sinful, one must be careful in how to carry them out
On the other hand, one must be careful in how to carry them out. This is because a resolution is defined as a promise to oneself do or not to do something. James, the earthly brother of our Lord, commanded us to “let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no, so that you may not fall... Continue Reading
Learning to be a Grateful Critic
People tend to either uncritically defend or hyper-critically condemn well-known pastors/theologians
The Scriptures teach us to work through proper channels of criticism and to speak when necessary. This is not always easy to navigate. On the one hand, the Bible tells us to go privately to a brother if he has sinned against us personally (Matt. 18:15) and not to bring an accusation against an elder except... Continue Reading
Why We Don’t Pray to Mary or Any Other Saint in Heaven
When you look at the Biblical evidence for praying to the saints, you cannot find any whatsoever
To exalt Mary to such a status as mediator is truly misguided and we should shun any arguments to the contrary. Was she special? Absolutely. But she was still just a servant of God in need of a Savior just as much as we are in need of a Savior. We are not to look... Continue Reading
How the Church Makes the Trial of Infertility Better (or Worse)
Infertile People Need the Church's Love and Accountability
Infertility is a terrible plague, a legacy of the fall we’re forced to confront all too often in the church. But if God has put infertile people in the pews next to you—and he almost certainly has—he’s given you a tremendous opportunity to sympathize with them, to love them by being a friend, and to... Continue Reading
Duck Dynasty and Natural Law
Natural law is the truths communicated through the design of nature; they are self-evident by design
Gary Brown raises the natural law question. Is homosexuality so much a reversal of the natural order—including the way that God made men and women—that it cannot stand? Did Phil Robertson upset GLAAD so much because he stated in his blunt way some physical truths that the gay lobby cannot gainsay? We’re getting lots... Continue Reading
Another Dark Christmas for Iraq’s Christians
At least 34 people died in bomb attacks in Christian areas, some by a car bomb near a church after a Christmas service
Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a Shi’ite party that has sometimes allied with and sometimes opposed Maliki, rose after the sermon and spoke of tolerance, forgiveness and peace, saying Jesus Christ was an example. Then he turned to al Qaeda. “They target you like they target us. There are people in... Continue Reading
Dude, Where’s Your Gravitas?
Culture wants men to be featherweights, God wants men of gravitas
A man of gravitas fears God more than he fears man. So he is free to declare, “Thus says the Lord,” in direct opposition to the popular opinion of the unbelieving masses. His grounded confidence in God—in God’s word, God’s protection, and God’s promises—informs a courageous demeanor in the midst of a fallen world. ... Continue Reading
The 5 Points of Mattie Ross
The novel ‘True Grit’ is set in my lifelong home of Fort Smith and Mattie Ross was an ardent Southern Presbyterian.
The 5 Points of Mattie Ross … Good theology, a good read, or both? You decide. For me, I would have ridden into Indian Territory with her for the engaging conversation and theology lessons alone. Or, in the words of Mattie Ross, “There you have it. It was good for Paul and Silas and it... Continue Reading
Is the Bible infallible? The Southern Baptist Theologian Who Said No, and Why: William Hull
William E. Hull was a gifted teacher, administrator, and preacher; not many pull off all three of these
For years, Hull also tried to bridge differences between conservatives and moderates in the Southern Baptist Convention. “He was one of the most consequential Baptist leaders of the last 100 years,” said Beeson Divinity School Dean Timothy George. “He was filled with hope. It was a hope grounded in God’s loving purpose for all creation.”... Continue Reading