To be sure, doubts make the Christian walk difficult, but they don’t mean the walk is not a Christian one.  Peter’s faith was mixed with doubt.  Many of the Psalms ask questions of God that reveal doubt and uncertainty.  Or consider the prayer that most of us know well: I do believe, help my unbelief... Continue Reading

Of course, evangelical satire isn’t entirely new. The venerable Wittenburg Door, for example, enjoyed a long run for several decades. Launched in 1969 as a four-page mimeograph for southern California youth workers, the first issue spelled “Wittenberg” incorrectly. The chagrined editors (Paul Sailhamer and Gary Wilburn, who were then followed by Bob Patterson, then Mike... Continue Reading

“We who have long been “insiders” can learn from brothers and sisters who’ve lived as cultural minorities for years. In Unashamed, Lecrae captivatingly tells his story. And in so doing, he provides helpful insight into the minority experience in America.”   As Western culture becomes increasingly post-Christian, many are struggling with the necessity of adapting to life as a cultural minority.... Continue Reading

Despite facing abject poverty, alcoholism, grief, domestic abuse and gun-wielding foes, Childress didn’t cave to culture pressers. He certainly didn’t soften his theology. But he did soften hearts and minds to Jesus. The challenges we face look different, but sin is ever-constant.    If you ever visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, then you’re sure to... Continue Reading

In sum, Ehrman has written another interesting, provocative, and, at times, even insightful book. But just like his prior books, he’s continually tripped up by a hyper-skeptical methodology that seems bent on poking holes in the authenticity of the Gospels. He takes possibilities and turns them into probabilities and eventually into established fact.    Bart Ehrman has (again)... Continue Reading

However, this also was a weakness of the book: the theme of treasuring Christ became the overarching lens to interpret these three topics in Scripture.  While on the one hand it is true we must treasure Christ above all; on the other hand there are many more dimensions in Scripture about these things.  Having a... Continue Reading

“Affirming” vs. “Non-Affirming” – Related to the above, I am persuaded that the labels “affirming” and “non-affirming” frame the issue in a way that is already biased against what the church has always believed about homosexuality. When the labels are applied to questions of human identity, they sound as if one group likes gay people... Continue Reading

“The answer, according to Enns, is that Christians (still) have a problem with certainty, despite the numerous treatments that have said as much. Specifically, he thinks we’ve identified our faith in God with our thoughts about God, and so have become preoccupied with correct thinking.”   “I’m not saying never doubt or question,” John Ames writes to his... Continue Reading

“The pastor need not be surprised if he finds troublers in his church. The discovery of such persons among the professed people of God sometimes shocks ministers, especially inexperienced ones, and discourages them, and sometimes leads them unwisely to give up their charges. But it should be understood as a lamentable fact that such persons... Continue Reading

This book is quite well done, carefully argued, and theologically perceptive. I thought, over the course of some 350 blog posts, and countless comments, that I had considered the FV from just about every possible angle. Dewey showed me wrong. He has many angles that I had not thought of before. If the peacefully slumbering... Continue Reading