Review: No Dissenting Views Allowed: The Giver and the Hero’s Journey
The Giver as a book is a parable of existentialism. Humanity is defined not by culture, rules, or religion, but by the raw passion of human emotion.
You have to track with me that hero’s journey (monomyth) movies perpetuate a certain philosophy, a certain religion, if you will. They are not existentialist—they are neo-Platonic or gnostic. There are similarities with existentialism—a distrust of reason, society, and rationality, to name a few. Existentialism stands firm, however, in the conviction that there is no... Continue Reading
Merit and Moses (Part 4)
Concluding assessments and comments on “Merit and Moses”
I’ve increasingly come into contact with people who are using the RP to argue against any place of the law in the Christian life. They hear RP teachers saying that Israel obeyed the law to merit the land, but the NT believer is no longer under that arrangement. Thus they conclude, we don’t need to... Continue Reading
Thoroughly Uncontroversial: Sinclair Ferguson on Christotelic Interpretation
Reflections on Sinclair Ferguson’s pamphlet, “Preaching Christ from the Old Testament”
“The Old Testament may be likened to a chamber richly furnished but dimly lighted; the introduction of light brings into it nothing which was not in it before; but it brings out into clearer view much of what is in it but was only dimly or even not at all perceived before.” – Warfield ... Continue Reading
Preach the Gospel to Yourself?
‘Preaching the Gospel to yourself’ is more than merely justification allowing us to continue in sinful practices because we’ve been justified; it also includes our sanctification
Because we feel the guilt and the remaining corruption of our sin on a daily basis, we need to be reminded that Christ has taken the guilt away in His substitutionary death and have broken the power of sin on the cross. Because we are united to Him, we need to be constantly reminded of... Continue Reading
Retirement: A New And Different Form Of Work
People fail to plan how to invest their hours and days once the structure of the work week is removed by retirement
The avenues in which we can demonstrate that we love our neighbor as ourselves are all around us. We can invest in our grandchildren, our neighbors, our churches, and myriads of needs around the world. We have earned our rest from punching the clock. We have earned our rest from reporting to our supervisor. We... Continue Reading
Old-Fashioned Jew Hatred Is Back
As the violence between Israel and Hamas escalates, anti-Semitism fills Internet boards and in some cases, it spills out on the streets
It is one thing to support a State for the Palestinian people. It is another to use vitriolic hate speech to delegitimize Israel and the Jews who live there. This hatred is clearly not directed solely towards Israel, as the angry attacks are indiscriminately perpetrated against world Jewry. In the information age, anti-Semitism is able... Continue Reading
“I’m Not Afraid To Die”
My dad isn’t afraid to die because he knows and trusts the Author of Life, God
“I didn’t want my brother to die and I don’t want my father to die either. But, I know that death is real and lays claim to each of us — whether we age-out of this life and into the next, or something intrudes to violate the natural order of things to take us earlier.... Continue Reading
Dear Traditional Worshipers
The worst thing that “contemporary worship” did was come on the scene, label itself as a viable choice, and then get away with labeling the liturgy as a choice, also
“It’s not enough to say “we like it.” That doesn’t matter. The worst thing that “contemporary worship” did was come on the scene, label itself as a viable choice, and then get away with labeling the liturgy as a choice, also. But we can learn from the brokenness. It’s not enough to say, “That was... Continue Reading
Portland Child Evangelism Fellowship Under Fire For Preaching About Sin
Angry residents say that CEF does not present “Jesus loves you” mainstream Christianity
“The Portland chapter of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) is facing resistance from some area residents as they conduct voluntary summer camps in the area and plan on hosting after-school Bible studies in local public schools. The problem? CEF teaches children that each person is a sinner in need of the Savior.” A chapter of... Continue Reading
Lois Lowry’s ‘The Giver’ Makes One Serious Summertime Movie
This is the accomplishment of “The Giver”: It ennobles our terrors
“The Giver” will provoke political commentary. Few movies make a stronger case for the value of diversity. No movie, in my memory, involves a more explicit depiction of infanticide, conducted at the Nurturing Center by Jonas’s father with a horrifying cheerfulness. “They hadn’t eliminated murder,” Jonas realizes, “they had brought it home. They had just... Continue Reading