“Marsden examines the increasingly prickly issues of religious tolerance and diversity in America, and he argues that both the mainstream liberalism of the 1950s and the more recent Religious Right have gotten it wrong, with serious negative consequences for the nation. The focus here, however, is primarily on that earlier liberal consensus.”   Review of... Continue Reading

It is common now in Old Testament studies for scholars to think that they are studying the Old Testament when they are in fact studying Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) parallels. I was reading a book on an OT book this morning (which will remain anonymous) that had some really excellent essays on the theology of... Continue Reading

There is a difference between a gay lifestyle and same-sex attraction.  “Gay Christian” is probably not the best term to use.  For Allberry, it is an identity issue: he does not identify himself as a gay person; he identifies himself “in Christ;” he is a Christian who has to fight the sin of same-sex attraction... Continue Reading

Furman’s point is simple. Frazzled mothers don’t need more time, or better strategies, or even renewed resolve. They need more of the gospel—the good news that God sent his Son to die for sinners so that their sin might be forgiven, their guilt atoned for, and their souls reconciled to God.Treasuring Christ intentionally does not read... Continue Reading

In summary, this is a good book for the right audience: those who want a brief introduction to various worldviews and those who are open to thinking through the worldview issue(s).  It doesn’t go beyond the basics, so a person will have to do further reading on these areas if he or she wants more... Continue Reading

“The gospel guarantees that we will be brought home to glory. It is by grace that we are saved from the consequences of our sin; the same grace of God in the gospel brings us home. Better, Jesus brings us home. Our salvation is bound up not in something intangible and impersonal, but in a... Continue Reading

“I do want to learn from these experts, even if that learning forces me to see my own weaknesses (which are many) or my church’s own weaknesses (to which I am often blind). But must every pastor be a “visionary”? Must every local church transform itself into a “movement”? Is that even possible? Where does... Continue Reading

“I was shocked to discover that Ehrman does not engage with the scholarly (or popular) works of any experts in the field. One would have expected Ehrman to have read and shown awareness of the works of Eric Meyers, professor at Duke just down the road from where Ehrman teaches at the University of North... Continue Reading

“Studies reveal that of the minority who do still manage to drag out to a church service once a week in their twenties, a statistical majority of them shop for a church that emphasizes youth relevance rather than a biblical Christ-centered approach to preaching and ministry. The studies conclude that 55% who do go to... Continue Reading

“What principles were to guide this restoration of balance? None, as it turns out. Schlesinger and others thought America had entered a new phase of politics and culture. In the past men fought over religious convictions and moral principles. Traditional public life was riven by a politics of conviction that, in twentieth century, took rigid... Continue Reading