Brothers, We Are Not Professionals
A Review of John Piper's book
Most courageous new chapter: Brothers, be Bible-oriented – not Entertainment oriented preachers (13) Here Piper bravely takes on the flippant, funny, feel-good entertainment-type preaching that can be found in so many churches. He says the main problem with this “is that it is out of sync with the subject matter of the Bible, and diminishes... Continue Reading
“Lincoln:” My Complaints
My first complaint: Steven Spielberg has a tendency to confuse Abraham Lincoln with Jesus Christ.
While Spielberg’s Lincoln wrestles with the ethical dilemmas of dirty politics, he never seems to waver in his rock solid conviction that everything must take a back seat to ending slavery. And unlike most everyone around him, he doesn’t doubt that blacks deserve full legal, political and social equality. This Lincoln is inspiring. This Lincoln... Continue Reading
God Shows Up at Downton Abbey
He's no longer just haunting the place. Inside the spirituality of season 3
For the balance of the season, the brittle, petty, religious intolerances on display—especially from Lord Grantham, who finds the prospect of a Catholic granddaughter “flabbergasting”—serve to heighten the deep sense of loss in the house, upstairs and downstairs. They also set up two other major plot points, both of them rooted in the gospel. ... Continue Reading
Downton Abbey as a Jane Austen style Tragedy
Compared to Austen, Downton Abbey lacks a sense of moral seriousness
I have come to the conclusion that the best way to continue enjoying Downton is to re-read it as an Austenesque tragedy. In this approach, we can interpret Mary as a minor character from an Austen novel whose moral bearings are ever more skewed, to only social and spiritual consequences. After all, the social world... Continue Reading
Why I Don’t Watch Downton Abbey
It's not worth the spiritual cost of filtering out the junk for the aesthetic pleasure of watching it
Downton Abbey is full of overt and subtle sins without being offset by the gospel or godliness. Homosexuality, fornication, lying, adultery, murder, jealousy, greed, envy, strife – all are in the Bible. All are in Downton Abbey. But Scripture (and many classic works of literature and film) sets them beside purity, honesty, selflessness, generosity, and... Continue Reading
Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City
A Review of Pastor Tim Keller's book detailing his philosophy of ministry
My advice, essentially, is to rip out the introduction (the fruitfulness stuff) and maybe chapter 10 (the “A” to “B” stuff) which sets up chapters 1 to 30 as the key to successful ministry, and read chapters 1 to 30 because most of them are really, really good. I was recently on a conference... Continue Reading
New Album Release: Begone Unbelief
Lori Sealy has recently released her 13 song CD, “Begone Unbelief.”
Lori says of this album, “Lyrically, “Begone Unbelief” is a thoughtful project on wrestling and redemption. I strive to deal honestly with issues of Christian doubt and with the hope that can be found even in a miniscule mustard seed of faith in Christ Jesus.” Lori Sealy has recently released her 13 song CD,... Continue Reading
The Intolerance of Tolerance and A Queer Thing Happened to America
A review of two books on tolerance and homosexuality
What shocked me in both books were the examples, case after case, every one well-documented, wherein “tolerance” demands acceptance, and even promotion, of actual beliefs. Simply making allowance for people to hold those beliefs no longer qualifies as tolerance. Here my naiveté became apparent; I always thought “diversity” had to do with disabilities, different ethnicities,... Continue Reading
America’s Baby Bust
The nation's falling fertility rate is the root cause of many of our problems. And it's only getting worse.
The nation’s falling fertility rate underlies many of our most difficult problems. Once a country’s fertility rate falls consistently below replacement, its age profile begins to shift. You get more old people than young people. And eventually, as the bloated cohort of old people dies off, population begins to contract. This dual problem—a population that... Continue Reading
Finding the City on a Hill
Book challenges the common assumption of the phrase, “city on a hill,” frequently employed from Winthrop to Reagan, as false
Gamble’s book is a clarion call to reassess whether and how America is indeed exceptional. Does it have a special relationship to God and a divinely-appointed mission in the world? He faults Christians for both misapplying the city on a hill metaphor and failing to recognize America’s shortcomings and “lust for domination.” He correctly challenges... Continue Reading
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 244
- 245
- 246
- 247
- 248
- …
- 284
- Next Page »