Vaclav Havel and the Semiotics of Public Masking
When, in his speech to the US Congress 31 years ago, Vaclav Havel said that “consciousness precedes being, and not the other way around,” he spoke not only as a politician, but as a man of culture.
Havel, the great scholar of theater and social semiology, would have no problem correctly identifying our current mask theater as the destructive and repressive farce that it is, and those that refuse to play along as the bearers of light, and the custodians of the creative energies we will need to reconstruct and sustain freedom... Continue Reading
Jordan Peterson: The Last Professor
Quite simply, Peterson refused to use these pronouns—“ze,” “zhe,” “zir,” and so forth.
Jordan Peterson is a professor, a pretty decent professor. He may not be the greatest thinker currently alive in western civilization, but he doesn’t need to be. No professor does. He does what a professor should do: he interrogates assumptions, presents his ideas in a clear and cogent manner, and is a respectful and courteous... Continue Reading
Helpful Things You Can Say to Grieving Parents
It can be awkward to reach out to those who are deep in grief. Here are some helpful phrases.
I recently consulted with a few other parents who have experienced the loss of a child and want to offer a few things you can say to grieving parents that may prove an encouragement to them—a flicker of light in their time of deep darkness. These phrases may be helpful to people experiencing other forms... Continue Reading
With Much Advantage” Deacons’ Conference (Southeast Alabama Presbytery)
Reports on a recent conference for PCA deacons.
Keep in mind that by this time the Jerusalem church probably numbered between fourteen and eighteen thousand. As the church grew, new men were needed to continue doing what the elders had been handling, that is, if the elders were to continue to focus on the Word and prayer. The deacons took up three duties... Continue Reading
Leaders Need To Love
The two directives of love for God and love for our neighbor set the foundation for every aspect of the believer’s life.
Building a healthy and productive environment within an organization absolutely requires the influence and impact of a strong leader, i.e., someone who puts the needs of their team members before their own. When a leader serves in an altruistic, loving way, the leader has the opportunity to build stronger relationships with their team members. It’s... Continue Reading
Have You Cried Before God Lately?
Crying before God in humility and thanksgiving for his many mercies in your life.
I have found crying before God–—whether in confession or simply out of joy and thanksgiving because of his graciousness and mercies over a long period of time–—is salutary. It ends with a sense of genuine peace with God. God deserves our sincere humility before him. A thought came to me that perhaps the Holy Spirit... Continue Reading
Presidents and Thanksgiving
Responding to a request from Congress, President George Washington issued our nation’s first Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789.
Finally, presidents have exhorted Americans to individually and collectively give thanks to God. Wilson counseled citizens “to render thanks to God” in their homes and places of worship on Thanksgiving Day. George W. Bush encouraged “Americans to gather in their homes, places of worship, and community centers” to pray and “reinforce ties of family and... Continue Reading
Reckoning with Tech
As communication technologies continue to shape and reshape the world, McLuhan’s words are worth revisiting.
McLuhan’s darker pessimistic side gave him reservations about where our great global hookup was taking us. In his mind there were two possible destinations: Christ, or chaos. Toward the end of his life he contemplated how the Apocalypse might reckon with our new lightspeed visual technologies where new tribal chieftains would replace democratic-oriented politicians. ... Continue Reading
Behari Lal Singh and His Vision for Missionary Training
Singh humbly submitted his suggestion that they should give more room and better training to Indian converts, allowing them to evangelize their own country.
Singh believed that people in different environments had different questions, most of which had not been addressed in the Western church. In fact, his voice as a native of India added weight to Duff’s efforts to present missions as an integral part of the church and to raise consciousness about their concerns. For a long... Continue Reading
Four Words That Changed the World
Masterful in his gift of human languages, Tyndale used his uparalleled translation abilities to contribute his part to the Protestant Reformation. David Daniell’s extraordinary book, William Tyndale, documents it in detail.
Tyndale had cracked the foundation. Common people began reading the New Testament, for the first time, in their own language . . . and they acted with righteous indignation. They realized they had been kept in darkness, for centuries, from the light of Holy Scripture. A movement swept through England which already was sweeping through... Continue Reading
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