Over the past couple of years, I’ve been surprised at how many times “control” issues have emerged as a major issue in counseling Christians with anxiety and/or depression. (It’s been a major factor in marital counseling too.) As I couldn’t find any Christian books which dealt specifically with this subject, I bought Too Perfect: When Being... Continue Reading

“Truly, nothing else in the Quran appears to indicate that Allah wants a relationship with humans.  This is especially true of a father-child relationship, as the Quran specifically denies that Allah is a father (112.3), and in 5.28 it rebukes the idea of God’s spiritual fatherhood: ‘The Jews and Christians say, “We are the children... Continue Reading

This book is well-organized, well-researched, and comprehensive in scope. Forty-four recognized scholars in various fields of Luther research contributed to its chapters. The reader is led in seven sections through Luther’s life, the Medieval backgrounds of his thought, his hermeneutical principles, the traditional loci of theology, Christian living, the genres of his theological expression, and... Continue Reading

“It is not complimentary to the masses that they are so easily led, but we are not interested in praising or blaming; we are concerned for truth, and the truth is that for better or for worse religious people follow leaders. A good man may change the moral complexion of a whole nation; or a... Continue Reading

If you think it sounds outlandish that pedophilia might be normalized in this way, you wouldn’t be alone. Most people feel moral revulsion at the prospect of such a thing. But this book appears to be questioning the “ick factor” associated with pedophilia. Is the “ick factor” just an aesthetic preference or an intuition about... Continue Reading

“As the society’s moral compass turns further away from God, we must realize that informed consciences will be more rare, and tactics of guilt and shame will become increasingly less effective. Rather, we should be wise to discuss the issues the culture cares about—and that God cares about too.”   How would you define “pornography?” Why do people choose to... Continue Reading

With the Japanese invasion of China, Liddell and others were confined to concentration camps like Weihsien, where he worked hard and cared for fellow prisoners under difficult conditions. In his letters to Florence, Eric portrayed things more positively than they actually were in the camp. His health declined, and he was diagnosed as having had... Continue Reading

In the case of sin, Christ paid the penalty that we could not. In the case of shame, Christ lived the perfect life on our behalf thus securing our standing before a holy God. We are now loved and accepted for Christ’s sake and united to Him no matter what others may think of us... Continue Reading

“Do not be altogether dismayed at the sight of failings.  A godly person observed that Christians are usually to blame for three things: 1) they seek in themselves what they can only find in Christ; 2) they seek in the law what will only be found in the gospel; and 3) they seek on earth... Continue Reading

Even when life is at its hardest, gospel joy is still there. It is always present, like an anchor in the storms of life. It’s what trickles through the cracks of our messy and sin-stained lives. Like a river’s current, it carries us through the challenges and pains of life in this fallen world. This... Continue Reading