Going Against the Tribe, or How Not to Be Popular at Dinner Parties
My Classical Greek prof in college said you would not want to invite Socrates over for pizza
In the current political climate, I am grateful for liberals who have the temerity to question their own movement. I may disagree with them greatly on political matters, but it is refreshing to have some thinkers who do not march lock step with their own tribe
Does It Matter that Evangelicals Became Prolife Recently?
One pundit says it proves our biblical views are driven by politics. Not quite.
All interpretations of the Bible are products of their time. All ethical reasoning is a product of its time. This is such a truism as to be hardly worth stating. All ethical standards arise out of a particular time and place, and cannot be fully understood without understanding those circumstances
Four More Years of Decline
Government seems to be replacing God as the only acceptable "deity."
In 2012, nothing appears to embarrass us. Snooki. Honey Boo Boo. Reality TV wives. Look at what is paraded before us as normal. Oppose the new normal and it's you who are the anomaly.
When Biography Shapes Theology
Our collective evangelical love for testimonies is both a blessing and a curse
So how can we prevent our theological convictions from turning into some sort of Sartrean "bad faith" in the face of tragedy, suffering, and existential despair? Although a great many responses come to mind, this one is perhaps the most apt: Learn from those who have suffered greatly and kept the faith.
What Does Your Church Bulletin Tell You About Your Priorities?
Insights from Genesis 28:13-22
What do you measure as ministry/discipleship success? Look in your weekly church bulletin or brochure. It reports what the leaders regularly measure. What does you bulletin report? What is featured most prominently?
Aquinas: A Shaky Foundation
The ground upon which the Thomistic structure was built was shaky
The challenge is this: from a Protestant and Reformed perspective, whatever one seeks to adopt and adapt from Thomas and medieval philosophical theology, those tenets and notions must be thoroughly cleansed of their sandy foundation if they are to be placed on theological solid ground. There must be a clear and acute awareness of the... Continue Reading
The Om School Movement
Our once “Christian” West is now deeply infiltrated by the Trojan Horse of Eastern spirituality
Is this the religion of “The Coming Pagan Utopia”? How vigilant the Church must be, in order to avoid complicity in this infiltration! We must “MindUP” with the mind of Christ, as revealed in his Word, in order to speak the Gospel with absolute clarity—for the glory of Jesus and for the saving of souls... Continue Reading
Finding Our Rest in Christ’s Redemptive Work
Rest, Intermission, Bewildered, Wilderness, Disoriented, Belong
We also need mental/spiritual rest. God is the primary source of that rest. The author of our Christmas song, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, knew this. This anonymous author does not use the comma after “Ye” but after “Merry.” “Merry” is not an adjective for “Gentlemen” but the result of what God “resting” us. In... Continue Reading
A New and Uncertain Day: What Can Christians Learn from Election 2012?
One obvious lesson of this election has to do with the increasing diversity of the American electorate
We have now reached a point in American history in which a slim but decisive majority of Americans has opted for the material safety net and progressive social engineering of big government rather than the real but uncertain opportunities of economic and religious freedom. The pressing question for us now is what sort of Christianity... Continue Reading
The People Have Spoken – What Should Christians Do Now?
The election is over so it is appropriate to ask the question, "What now?"
For those of us who believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nothing has changed. The Gospel is still real, and we still serve a God who has declared victory over sin and death. Anything that we do through political means is not to hold back the darkness lest it will overtake us. Rather, the charge... Continue Reading