Planned Parenthood defends infanticide
Planned Parenthood’s official stance is if a child survives an abortion, the mother, her family and her doctor should decide whether to kill if for good.
Those who support the right of children to be born have long argued that if life is not from conception (or at the very, very least implantation) assignment of “living” is arbitrary. Planned Parenthood understands this and is merely being consistent in their view. If a child can be killed in the womb, there are... Continue Reading
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
The GOP, Evangelicals, and the Politics of Gay Marriage
But what about Evangelical Christians and this issue? It seems to me that there is a lot of soul-searching to be done. To be sure, at this point even a low-key statement of biblical morality comes across as narrow-minded and intolerant, and there is probably not much that can be done about that in the... Continue Reading
Christianity that cuts
If yours is a Christianity that has no sharp edges, no distinctive flavours, then it is not the true Christianity of the Bible.
If your gospel does not cause the hackles of the self-righteous to rise and the lips of the worldly-wise to curl in a sneer then it is not the gospel of God, and will not prove the power of God to salvation. If your gospel does not declare a freeness in God’s grace that makes... Continue Reading
The Histories of the American South: A Caution against Hegemonies
Some Concerns with Doug Wilson's book, Black and Tan, and its Approach to History
Wilson tells us from the start that “to grasp the central issues, it is necessary to be steeped in a particular intellectual tradition” (p. 5). He has “the Southern conservative intellectual tradition” in mind. He doesn’t tell us why we must be “steeped” in that tradition. Instead, Wilson notes a deep hostility among some critics... Continue Reading
A Message from L’Abri on the Passing of Edith Schaeffer
Dear Praying family of Rochester L’Abri, Our Heavenly Father has taken dear Edith Schaeffer to himself. She passed away quietly in her sleep last night in Gryon, Switzerland where she has been living with her family. We cannot express how deep is our gratitude for her life and we thank the Lord that she is... Continue Reading
Edith Schaeffer (1914 – 2013)
Wife of Francis Schaeffer, mother to the many who visited L'Abri
My parents were among the many young people who spent time at L’Abri. I will leave it to my mother to fill in the details: I think I have told you before of my first encounter with Edith Schaeffer, but I would like to do so again. It was the summer of 1972 and John... Continue Reading
The Most Important Message
Do you ever wonder what’s the most important thing for you to know or to tell others about Christianity, what is “of first importance”?
Well, we don’t need to speculate because Paul tells us right here in 1 Corinthians 15 what he shared with the Corinthians as being “of first importance”: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. Paul’s first... Continue Reading
To parents of small children: Let me be the one who says it out loud
You’re not a terrible parent.
We know it’s true that they grow up too fast. But feeling like I have to enjoy every moment doesn’t feel like a gift, it feels like one more thing that is impossible to do, and right now, that list is way too long. Not every moment is enjoyable as a parent; it wasn’t for... Continue Reading
What You Can’t Sing Without Penal Substitution
Without penal substitution there is no salvation. And there isn’t nearly as much to sing about.
The notion that Christ died as our sin-bearing substitute who bore the curse for our sakes is considered, by some, too primitive, too violent, and too narrow. Penal substitution is only a theory of the atonement, just one idea among many, maybe not even a good theory, at the very least not the best or... Continue Reading
The God-Centered Cross of Love Inexhaustible
A God-centered God created a God-centered cosmos that he saves by a God-centered cross.
Christian propitiation is not the works of sinful man to crudely appease an angry deity. That’s the pagan idea. Rather, Christian propitiation is the work of God to absorb his divine anger toward sinful man. The first is capricious and whimsical. The latter is the calculated selfless act of a loving God — indeed, of... Continue Reading