This past week, I posted a book notice about Doug Coleman’s fine new book, A Theological Analysis of the Insider’s Movement.[1] Because the book notice prompted some vigorous discussion, I thought it might be helpful to post an excerpt from an essay I am writing on theological method. In the essay, I try to show... Continue Reading

Get out of debt if you think it wise and can. But don’t bring the debt-free gospel into the church. It distracts from and can dilute, if not replace, the true Gospel. Don’t try to improve Christianity by making it more practical. When economy turned downward, Dave Ramsey wanted to do something to counteract the... Continue Reading

According to the Mayan “long count” calendar, the final day on Earth is less than a year away, on Dec. 21, 2012. While we wait to see if that apocalypse occurs, a more reliable prediction includes an end of a different sort. The economic stimulus pipeline from Washington to the states is about to run... Continue Reading

You know who your real friends are when the bottom falls out and disaster visits your life. As the Bible teaches, mere “companions” provide no comfort net when “the going gets tough.” Friends, on the other hand, are there to walk with you through the storm. For several years now two friends and I convene... Continue Reading

We have spent billions trying to turn Afghanistan into something resembling a modern nation-state. While some of our efforts have been well-intentioned and laudable, the project as a whole is naïve in the extreme. Last year, an Afghan woman named Gulnaz was the victim of rape. In a case of what you might call “adding... Continue Reading

In its years of supremacy the Presbyterian Church of Scotland was never very keen on Christmas… Christmas was one of these Roman Catholic Feasts of the Church which the Calvinist Kirk viewed with deep suspicion and tried to suppress Publisher’s Note: Wikipedia describes the unique Scots celebration known as Hogmanay: Hogmanay (pronounced[ˌhɔɡməˈneː]) is the Scots... Continue Reading

And thus 2011 comes to an end, like every year before it. The year came with its own surprises and controversies, tragedies and headlines. And, with the closing of the year, we find the need to put the year into some kind of historical perspective. We are chronological creatures, and the span of year is... Continue Reading

Mercy does triumph over judgment, but not by simply setting it aside; rather, mercy triumphs over judgment because judgment is fully executed and justice finally satisfied at the cross. “Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD , and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and... Continue Reading

In 2011 The Aquila Report has posted over 2,500 stories. This week we will feature the top 50 of those stories, 10 per day the rest of the year. The top story had over 6,500 hits. We try to average 7 new stories each day, with a large variety of subjects – all of which,... Continue Reading

Many years ago, an evangelist by the name of Brownlow North wrote the following simple but helpful rule for Christians: “If you are in doubt as to a thing being right or wrong, go to your room and kneel down and ask God’s blessing on it. (Col. 3:17). If you cannot do this, it is... Continue Reading