“They have no natural curiosity for the historical past and high art, and if no respected elder introduces them to Romanticism and the French Revolution, they’ll rarely find such things on their own. With the read-write-film-view-browse-message-buy-sell Web, adolescent users govern their own expose, and the didactic and artistic content of smarter sites flies by unseen... Continue Reading

In the context of taking up the issue of why the Jews had largely rejected the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, Paul the Apostle says that the righteousness based on faith is what saves (Rom. 10:5-8). From there Paul defines what he means by faith that saves (Rom. 10:9-10). He says saving... Continue Reading

It is improper English to say something is more better than something else. We’re not allowed to speak like that.. But the Greeks did not have a problem with that particular grammatical expression. In fact what is written in the text, Paul says, “For me to depart is much more better.” Not just better, not... Continue Reading

The story is simple: Saturday Night Live did a parody of Tim Tebow’s faith and his six-game winning streak by having Jesus actually show up and tell Tebow that He couldn’t keep helping the team win in the fourth quarter the way that He did for the last six games. You can see the video... Continue Reading

…just because we cannot and should not point fingers at each other regarding the problem of celebrity does not mean that we shouldn’t carefully consider the ramifications of pastoral influence being mediated through technology instead of the local church. There’s been a lot of talk in the blogosphere this year about the rise of “celebrity... Continue Reading

Before I met my wife, Becky, I talked to her on the phone for three weeks. Had I said to her, “I’m carrying around in my pocket a photograph of another woman, and every time I look at it, it reminds me of you,” she would not have been flattered (the word “nutcase” comes to... Continue Reading

The church of Jesus Christ has assembled on the first day of the week for over 2,000 years. Brothers and sisters in parts of the world meet secretly on the first day of the week and sometimes in threat of their lives while some — in some need to be edgy — jump on the... Continue Reading

If the worship of God is forbidden, the state may well turn its own dictator into a deity. This transforms the leader and the regime into objects of devotion and worship. The state is then beyond all rational critique and consideration. There are no atheists in dictatorships. The death of North Korea’s “Dear Leader” Kim... Continue Reading

(Patrick) Henry’s most famous speech, the “Liberty or Death” oration, came in 1775 as Virginia was considering whether to take up arms in light of the British threat against American liberty. The speech, delivered at Richmond’s St. John’s Church, was a politicized version of a revival sermon On November 1, amidst the political wrangling over... Continue Reading

The biggest threat to Christianity is not from unbelievers, but from professed believers who water down the Gospel, slowly and steadily devaluing the miraculous and divine, to the point that the Christian message is virtually indistinguishable from the society it would seek to save. Reflections on “Black Friday” – the annual post-Thanksgiving exercise in shopping... Continue Reading