This Is My Father’s World
Written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock, an American Presbyterian minister, and published posthumously in 1901, “This is My Father’s World” packs a theological punch.
The church has a high calling to bear witness to the Father’s glory throughout the entire world, which ultimately belongs to him. “This Is My Father’s World” is no ordinary hymn; it’s a powerful reminder of God’s sovereignty and the goodness of his creation. Unlike many of the kitschy and theologically anemic songs of today, it... Continue Reading
God vs. Absurdity
Goodness is more fundamental to reality than badness. This all makes perfect sense, of course, to the theist, given that the nature of ultimate reality, or God, is pure goodness itself.
As Flynn explains, by “denying the principle that things really do, unexceptionally, have explanations, we throw ourselves into a catastrophic, self-defeating skepticism, where nothing can be counted as knowledge, or any belief rationally justified, including—and this is important—the belief that things lack explanation.” In short, brute facts end up being a universal acid that eats... Continue Reading
The Hope of the Gospel Is Someone, Not Something
Until that day Christ, our hope, remains hidden in heaven above. Yet his gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the world below.
The Father is indeed our source of peace (Col.1:2). And his work of reconciliation through the death of his Son is the foundation of our future and final hope. Thus the hope of the gospel is Christ. The Father has accomplished our redemption and reconciliation through his Son in order to present us blameless at... Continue Reading
What If a Criminal Justice System Isn’t Actually Just?
In Reforming Criminal Justice, Matthew Martens addresses a subject that concerns few of us but ought to concern all of us. He explains what the Bible says about criminal justice, calls us to analyze the systems our nations have, and encourages us to advocate for ones that are better, which is to say, ones that reflect God’s love and God’s justice.
An arrest, a jail sentence, or a death penalty are all acts of violence in which the system uses force against a person who has been made in the image of God. God permits this in order to maintain law and order in his world. However, it is critical that such violence be committed justly,... Continue Reading
Religion True or False?
The goal of true religion – unstained by culture around.
We live in a polluted, irreligious, narcissistic, culture ruled by the idolatry of self. God has little place. Others are only a means to exploit. The needy are bypassed and of small concern to us. The intensely practical nature of real godliness calls us to a cross, to death of sin and self, that the... Continue Reading
Being Constantly Online Has Changed Us More than We Think
The Bible identifies us as embodied creatures who need the real world that God has made—not simply the mental world of the internet.
We tend to think that everything should be immediately available because that’s how things are online. And so we kind of develop this impatience with regular life, which tends to be delayed and not as instantly gratifying as we might wish. We tend to view things through the lens of convenience and efficiency rather than... Continue Reading
What Is Distinct about the Theology of Colossians?
Confronting a False Teaching
We can be grateful that Paul was forced to counter this false teaching in Colossae, for it gave him an opportunity to clarify the preeminence of and sufficiency of the ascended Christ for the believer. This Christ dwells in us below, and we are hidden with him above. This should give the believer hope for... Continue Reading
Social Justice Anywhere Is a Threat to Justice Everywhere
If social justice proponents cared about the evidence, then they would welcome Social Justice Fallacies.
Sowell makes it clear that the state should reject the social justice vision and its agenda. The natural end point, he states, is “having government empower surrogate decision-makers to rescue victims of various forms of mistreatment by taking many decisions out of other people’s hands” (82). Our ever-growing administrative state is full of people convinced... Continue Reading
Confessionalism & Mission: Why the Church Needs a Confession for Pursuing Its Mission
Three aspects of the church’s "essential work" that call for creeds and confessions.
“The Standards continue to prove themselves wonderfully serviceable in defending the faith and exposing errors. But more than that, if the church is to reach the world, we must be able clearly and effectively to declare the mind of God revealed in His Word.” As part of the 2022 “Mission of the Church” Conference... Continue Reading
Is God Moody?
God is never out of control.
God’s actions are always perfectly proportionate to his character. God’s character never changes. When it looks like God has changed in the Bible, we should explore those passages for changes in the situation: people’s attitudes, behaviors, and decisions—not changes with God’s character or being. Have you ever seen someone so moved by emotion that... Continue Reading
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