“It is true that Calvin was generally more irenic toward other Protestants than was Luther and he was critical of Luther’s rhetoric on the Supper (inter alia) but there is a problem with the way you relate Calvin to Luther.”   You can catch up with the flow of the discussion via Derek Rishmawy’s interesting... Continue Reading

Not surprisingly, the data show that this election is unusually divisive. The Barna Group noted that Evangelicals have overwhelmingly supported the Republican candidate in recent decades. While a majority of Evangelicals support Trump, their support for the Republican candidate has typically been at least 20 percentage points higher. This indicates that Evangelical backing for Trump... Continue Reading

Spurgeon possessed an attitude of stewardship, not ownership. Spurgeon believed the God who called him would equip him. His finances reflect an attitude of stewardship, not ownership. “Our confidence is that God will supply all our means, and he has always done so hitherto” (Lectures to My Students 1:vii).   Charles Spurgeon could have been one of... Continue Reading

Abortion is a horrific, deeply rooted moral problem. Terrorism and violence seem to claim more lives every day. But every two minutes in this country another woman – or a child – is sexually assaulted. These are our wives. These are our children. These are our neighbors. What else do we have to say? Who... Continue Reading

“For King, forgiveness has not come easy. Some parents have mourned the death of their daughters. Others have seen their daughters fully heal. His daughter survived, but he also lost her. Every day, he fights back his anger. Every day, he has to forgive again.”   A single word in black cursive font hangs above... Continue Reading

Marie Claire magazine recently published one of the saddest things I’ve ever read. It’s one of those pieces where all the names have been changed because nobody wants to admit to what they’ve just admitted: child-regret. Mothers, feeling doomed by motherhood and wishing they’d never had kids. The article opens with Laura’s story: “The regret... Continue Reading

For evangelicals the cross is at the centre of their faith. Bonhoeffer did not believe in substitutionary atonement – Christ suffering as a substitute for our sins, dying in our place to earn eternal life for us. The cross of Christ certainly is important to him, but in a very different way – it is... Continue Reading

Vosper said that the United Church has a tradition of “pushing the envelope” and pulling down barriers — in accepting the ordination of women, embracing the LGBT community and performing same-sex marriage. She said her views about religion have evolved. After initially rejecting the idea of a supernatural god and the idea of god as... Continue Reading

“Amy was different, though. Her faith was continually visible. She was never pushy or over the top, but she talked about Jesus a lot. Like, a whole lot. She always had a Bible or some book about the Bible within reach and would jump at the chance to tell you about what the Lord was... Continue Reading

And yet at this point, just when it is about to get interesting, Sheehan pulls up short. He tells students that when they critique Calvin’s ideas, they are “participating in the intellectual revolutions of the modern world.” This is a way of containing the challenge Calvin poses.   In “Teaching Calvin in California,” a recent... Continue Reading