A Festivus for the Rest of Us
Frank Costanza created the December 23 observance called “Festivus” in the 1997 (Seinfeld) episode called “The Strike.”
Maybe Frank’s exasperation over the holiday season resonates with you, not because you’re a curmudgeon like he, but because you’re an earnest Christian who would rather celebrate the unparalleled significance of Jesus’s incarnation — God becoming man — without all the frills of endless sales and endless Santa. So what’s a Christian to do in... Continue Reading
A Postmodern Christmas
As we spread the gospel this Christmas, we may be discouraged by a lack of response.
The other day I was listening to talk radio when the hosts began the inevitable seasonal discussion about the meaning of Christmas. Callers quickly chimed in with their various perspectives and opinions, often intermingled with touching stories and well-intended exhortations toward charity and kindness. However, the friendly discussion quickly turned confrontational as various callers... Continue Reading
A Prayer about the Manger and Isaiah’s Tender Shoot
If I can make progress in only one thing this Advent season, Lord Jesus, may it be to have a much greater esteem for you
Who could have dreamt that the mighty arm of the Lord would be revealed most powerfully in the weakness of your birth? Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry... Continue Reading
Clarifying Words on Wife Abuse
An abusive husband is breaking God’s law…He is not to be indulged but disciplined by the church
For many women, the thought of a husband going to jail and losing his job and being publicly shamed is so undesirable that they often endure much sin before becoming desperate enough to turn to the authorities. What I want to stress is that long before they reach a point of desperation — or harm... Continue Reading
One Nation Under God?
Today’s spiritual independents are not unprecedented. What is new is their increasing visibility
“I like the fact that we’re getting more ‘nones’ because it helps Christians realize that they’re different,” Stanley Hauerwas, a Protestant theologian at Duke Divinity School, said when I asked for his thoughts on the Pew poll. “That’s a crucial development. America produces people that say, ‘I believe Jesus is Lord, but that’s just my... Continue Reading
Religion in the National Intelligence Council Report
Paying more attention to religion would not be a surrender to enthusiasm. It would be an acknowledgement of reality, and it would make for better statecraft.
The most glaring omissions have to do with Christianity. For example,Global Trends 2030 cites the growing economic and political power of Asia and the developing world. But the report ignores the fact, cited by many religion scholars, that Christianity is experiencing a boom in those places. One often hears that America’s foreign policy elites... Continue Reading
The Time of Giving and the Giving of Time
How do we teach our children the habit of giving?
Many years ago, my wife convinced me that we needed to find some personal way to give at Christmas…of getting our children personally involved, in the exercise of giving…we found Miss Edith…an elderly woman who has outlived her family. Her brothers are all deceased; her sisters are all deceased. She has no children. She has... Continue Reading
Why Johnny Can’t Evangelize
Could it be that we need to do a lot more in-reach before we are successful in out-reach?
The problem is Unchurched Joe isn’t looking for a 5-minute Christian infomercial. His need is not for information about Christianity; he needs a demonstration of it. He knows about the scandals surrounding evangelical celebrities… He hears that evangelicals get divorced at about the same rate as the general population. He may be aware that in... Continue Reading
A Christian Worldview and the Sandy Hook Horror
Christians need to play a key role in the public discourse on horrors like Sandy Hook
We know there is something wrong in our world that a man would murder children like he did. Our grief over the way things are points us to the reality of a perfect world that is yet to come. The consummation of all of Jesus’ work will be when he comes to restore the world... Continue Reading
Review: Kingdoms Apart: Engaging the Two Kingdoms Perspective
A debate on developing a biblical framework of for spiritual, political and cultural engagement
The Two Kingdoms doctrine asserts that God rules all human institutions and endeavors, but in two very distinct ways…God rules his church as Redeemer through Jesus Christ. Thus, the church is God’s “spiritual kingdom.” He also rules the state and all other social institutions outside the church. However, he rules this “civil kingdom” only as... Continue Reading