Preaching is the means by which the objective written Word becomes, without changing its message one bit, the Word of God spoken to us. This means that the sermon is a “crisis moment” in which the listener hears and responds to God speaking to him. At the opening convocation of my seminary in 1969 Dr.... Continue Reading

About 1,700 years ago, Augustine of Hippo delved into his own mind and memory to write the world’s first psychological biography. Confessions charts a journey through several “true selves,” from the hedonist to the Manichean dualist to the dedicated seeker of truth who couldn’t live up to his own standards One of the more compelling... Continue Reading

Each U.S. presidential election cycle brings its own set of unexpected issues, and the 2012 race already offers one topic of controversy that truly sets it apart — a debate over forms of therapy that attempt to change an individual’s sexual orientation. Known as reparative therapy or sexual orientation conversion therapy, these approaches seek to... Continue Reading

The phrase “Christian fundamentalist” is all over the news. Anders Behring Breivik (the Norwegian mass murderer) appears to be one, according to many news sources, but particularly The Atlantic. Fair enough– he very well may identify himself that way, but I’d like to know why that term has now been so readily embraced. Before getting... Continue Reading

Is it any wonder that taxpayers are cynical and demoralized when politicians routinely break promises; the government’s own accounting watchdogs refuse to vouch for the accuracy of government’s official budget figures; rich people and businesses with expensive tax attorneys and accountants can legally avoid taxes; and well-funded, politically-connected special interests get billions in handouts and... Continue Reading

In his 1884 opus, Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, Karl Marx’s co-author Friedrich Engels argued for “free love” as a byproduct of the advance of communism… Who knew that a commie philosopher like Engels could probably make a living today as a Sex and the City scriptwriter? Over the past 90... Continue Reading

Should a 13-year-old be able to purchase a school-shooting simulator without parents’ knowledge or consent? The Supreme Court says that freedom of speech requires that 13-year-olds have that opportunity. In a 7-2 decision, the court struck down a California law barring the sale of graphically violent video games to people under 18. I have not... Continue Reading

It’s Sunday morning. You wake up, prepare a hot beverage, eat breakfast, and finish your morning routine. Now what? Go to church? Maybe, maybe not. Attending public worship services has become optional for a growing number of professing Christians, as has commitment to the visible, institutional church. It has been widely reported that a number... Continue Reading

For the past 13 centuries a mosque has occupied the temple’s former site. It is not a sign of God’s endorsement on Islam. Rather, it is an unwitting guardian of the new covenant reality. God wants the temple gone, not because Judaism is destroyed, but because in Jesus it is fulfilled. On the ancient temple... Continue Reading

Why is it that so many people who want so badly to get and stay married, end up crashing on the marital shoals? I’ve got one answer from an unlikely source. The experts have a lot of ideas about why marriages crumble. But one of my favorite answers comes from someone who gave literary marriage... Continue Reading