“I am afraid that when we discover that we in waters too deep or that we are out of our theological depth (we all experience this reality every once in a while) that our eyes begin to glaze over and our minds shut down. When this happens rather than admit what we are experiencing we... Continue Reading

A parent who majored in English remembers is that “no man is ever an island” is a quotation from John Donne, but can’t identify exactly where. Her husband is reminded of the contrary sentiment and the Simon and Garfunkel song, “I am a rock, I am an i-i-island!” while the women on their right wonders... Continue Reading

“As a skeptic, even without embracing the divine protection of the gospel accounts, I found that the circumstances surrounding their transmission and authorship was reasonable. Now, as a Christian, I realize that God protected this entire process and orchestrated the events in such a way as to allow us to have a reliable record of... Continue Reading

For the sake of Millennials (and anyone else who doesn’t want to witness the hipsterization of the Bible), and for all that is holy, stop trying to make Christianity and any other religion “cool.” This Millennial is begging you to stop. We are going to swipe left on the church if we keep seeing stunts... Continue Reading

What a weighty thing this natural state of ours is. We are “by nature children of wrath.” This does not mean that we are naturally angry with people, but it means that we were born under the wrath of Almighty God. When was the last time you, as those who trust in Jesus and who... Continue Reading

We don’t need to preach a perfect sermon for God to bless it. God is sometimes pleased to take our most pathetic sermons that we want to forget forever and to turn them into a means of salvation for some or for many. I’ve been stunned at how God has used sermons that died on... Continue Reading

It’s the favorite formula being used by Evangelical youth conference organizers: invite a bunch of speakers from the mostly progressive end of the theological spectrum and maybe a couple conservatives and let the students decide who they like best. No caveats, no clarifications, nor justifications. Only a few brief comments encouraging students to not allow... Continue Reading

Think of Peter. He denied Jesus 3 times. He could have struggled with regret and condemnation for the rest of his life. Then there’s Paul. He stood by and approved of Stephen’s murder and sanctioned other murders. He yanked Christians out of their homes and threw them in jail. Yet Paul said there’s no condemnation.   There... Continue Reading

Similarly, in Excerpt 2 the pastor contrasts God’s Word with quite dramatic examples of IPV, demonstrating that even the most devastating acts of violence cannot alter the requirement to obey commands (allegedly) ‘according to God’s Word’. The implication seems to be that God does not consider the suffering of victims of violence to be relevant... Continue Reading

Let us all reflect for a moment on the dramatic significance of Grudem’s claim about eternal generation.  What he is saying is that the church catholic has for over 1600 years been affirming theologically and liturgically, as the key ecumenical summary of its faith, a document – the Nicene Creed – which in one of... Continue Reading