A Marxist Response to Evangelicalism
Is there such a thing as evangelicalism?
The assumption in this sentence is that there is such a thing as evangelicalism and that it is presently defined theologically. That seems to me to be a huge stretch. Given that evangelicals disagree on everything from God’s foreknowledge to the ordination of women, it is hard to use the word in the singular in... Continue Reading
Lessons from the Life of Eric Liddell: #2
Determination is Not Contrary to the Gospel of Grace
Let’s be honest, when we discover a Christian who exercises personal discipline (to read Scripture, or pray, or have a quiet time) we tend to be suspicious that we have a legalist on our hands. Maybe they don’t understand grace, we think. But Liddell did not make this mistake. He recognized that discipline and determination... Continue Reading
Thou Shall Have More Kids
In defense of bigger families and smaller budgets
Regardless if yours is a small family or a big one, we need to ask ourselves: Do we continue to allow culture to shape our vision of the good life? Does the state of our bank account take priority over all things? It’s not often that a company asks you to “go make babies,”... Continue Reading
A Woman and Her Bible
Bible, Spirit, Church, Individual
In the case of the Christian and the Bible, most Protestants now believe that we, our Bibles open before us and the Spirit operating within us, not the church, must decide. This is not what Luther and Calvin had in mind. As I have written before, what has happened is that we got rid of... Continue Reading
Why Johnny Cash Still Matters
The gospel, forgiveness, and Cash
It was through the quiet friendships of men such as Billy Graham that Cash found an alternative to the vanity of shifting celebrity. He found freedom from guilt and the authenticity of the truth in a crucified and resurrected Christ. And he immediately identified with another self-obsessed celebrity of another era: Saul of Tarsus. He... Continue Reading
Died: C. Everett Koop, Surgeon General Who Taught Evangelicals To Hate Abortion
Koop brought abortion into the social conscience of American evangelicals
“Operating on newborns with life-threatening birth defects, spending nights at the bedside of a sick or dying child, and consoling bereaved parents gained Koop acclaim as a pioneering surgeon and empathic healer, and led him to reexamine his Christian faith and the ethical implications of medical procedures, above all abortion and euthanasia,” his NIH biography... Continue Reading
Disagreeing with Owen Strachan: A Christian Woman Doesn’t have to be “Gentle and Quiet” in Society
Although wives are commanded to submit to their husbands (Eph. 5:22-24), and there is a distinct creation-order to the marriage relationship (Gen. 2:23-24; 1 Cor. 11:7-12), one must not blur the line between society and marriage. A woman is free to possess any vocation in society that a man can occupy so long as she... Continue Reading
Wisdom for Pastors: Being Regretful but Not Devastated
Isn't it wonderful that we can stare our deepest, darkest failures in the face and be unafraid?
Isn’t it comforting that we can honestly face our most regretful moments and not be devastated? Isn’t it amazing that we can confess that we really are sinners and be neither fearful nor depressed? We can do all of these things because, like David, we have learned that our hope in life is not in... Continue Reading
The Cost of Compromise
Compromised truth has no hope of rescuing the eternal souls of men and women
This is a battle we cannot wage effectively if we always try to come across to the world as merely nice, nonchalant, docile, agreeable, fun-loving people. We must not take our cues from others who are perfectly happy to compromise the truth whenever possible for “harmony’s” sake. Friendly dialog may sound affable and pleasant. But... Continue Reading
How Dutch legalizing of prostitution, drugs, and euthanasia is working out
It has been a social, legal and economic failure
Legalisation has not been emancipation. It has instead resulted in the appalling, inhuman, degrading treatment of women, because it declares the buying and selling of human flesh acceptable. And as the Dutch government reforms itself from pimp to protector, it will have time to reflect on the damage done to the women caught in this... Continue Reading