With the reading of books there is no end. But with the reading of great books there most certainly is an end... and sometimes it feels like I have long ago reached that end. Search as I might, digging here and there for the next literary treasure, I haven't found a gem in quite some [...]
Theological distinctives are those peculiar articles of doctrine that a particular denomination holds with great conviction but which everyone else can see is patently false. Sinless perfectionism. Exclusive Psalm singing without instruments. The papacy. Limited expiation. Second Blessing theology. And on it goes.
[The following is intended for a Life Group, which is to say that they are questions designed for a small group setting.] God's Sovereignty and Human Responsibility ~A Window into Deep Mystery~ 1) When you think of something like divine sovereignty, what comes to mind? How would you describe it? How pervasive is it? [...]
Hospitality is the fertile soil in which relationships grow. This is true for friendships both new and unexpected as well as old and established. Show me a gathering of believers where there is warmth and love expressed through hospitality, and I will point and say, “Look there! On that hill! Shining brightly, as if a [...]
[I have no idea who to credit this picture to. But I stumbled across it on the web]
[I wrote the following for my sons after my wife notified me afresh of a number of infractions they had committed in the area of cleanliness.] To my sons, As a parent of young men, one is often confronted with the unenviable task of maintaining order and cleanliness. These twin concepts are different but inseparable; [...]
In the Exodus account, a book brimming with God’s sovereignty- not least of which includes Paul’s citation of 9:16 in the ninth chapter of Romans- one is nevertheless confronted with a startlingly powerful affirmation of the viability of human volition. The curious passage reads thus: When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead [...]
D.A. Carson has written a timely article entitled “Generational Conflict in Ministry.” See if the first paragraph catches your attention: “About five years after the Berlin wall came down and the communist regimes of Central and Eastern Europe had mostly fallen or been transmuted into something rather different, I had the privilege of speaking at [...]
In a recent debate over the five points of Calvinism, Dr. Fernandez said the following: “Another problem for Calvinism: No one held the Calvinist view of predestination until Augustine. If the apostles taught Calvinism, then they apparently didn’t consider it important enough to convey this doctrine to their successors. Until Augustine embraced unconditional predestination in [...]
Instead of walking the mail this week, which affords me the pleasure of listening to many an MP3, I’ve been delivering the mail from the ease of a postal truck, which of course means that I haven’t been gorging my ears with podcasts (Postal policy doesn’t allow us to drive while talking on a cell [...]
Recent circumstances have reminded me again of the importance of the biblical warnings. Here I have in mind those passages of Scripture that warn saints that they must continue in the faith or else be damned. Colossians 1:21-23 is one such example. Typically, when these passages are considered, the tendency is to immediately jump on the [...]
Recently I was asked by Dave over at Armchair Theology if I would be willing to answer a few questions about my blog, interview style. I was like, “What the! Who me?” But after looking over my shoulder and finding no one standing there, I answered, “Well, sure, it would be my honor!” So if [...]
A good friend of mine recently called to ask me about a perplexing passage in Matthew. We discussed the issue at some length, and I gave what I thought was a fair interpretation. After some healthy give and take, he was like, “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” And that was it. But that wasn’t [...]
I have long wondered why atheists continue to brazenly demand a showing of God. If they knew what they were doing, or if they had slightest inkling of the utter audacity of it all, they would realize the sheer folly of the demand and immediately desist. But they do not. The demand to see God [...]
Let’s be honest, texts like 1 Timothy 2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9 pose a challenge to the doctrine of unconditional election. And Arminians love to remind Calvinists of this fact. Over the years, I’ve discussed theology with my fair share of free will theists. While exploring the doctrines of sovereign grace, it usually takes, oh, [...]
I’d like to draw your attention to a new, snazzy, Reformed, gentle, but not too gentle (like pansy gentle or girl pushup gentle) blog where yours truly is a fellow contributor. In a nutshell, we share our musings about theology, culture, history, books and pretty much anything and everything that strikes our fancy. Since Calvinists, [...]
So, yeah, we’re moving this weekend, and there’s some awful carpet in our new house that needs ripped out. Let’s just say that it doesn’t smell very good... I’m hoping that I don’t contract some kind of strange flesh eating disease in the process. My wife picked me up a handy-dandy, Home Depot face mask, [...]
My father-in-law pointed me to an article in Christianity Today entitled “Hipster Faith.” It is well written, timely, and perceptive, and I commend it to you. In the article, Mr. McCracken explores the phenomenon of evangelical relevance. Think cool. Think emergent. Think right music. Right lights. Think hip presentation of truth. And possibly most of [...]
Wine makes the heart glad, but talking about it makes Christians mad. Few subjects are more controversial in American Evangelicalism than the question of alcoholic consumption. Convictions run deep. Really deep. And in many ways it’s totally understandable. Far too many family trees have sap and strong liquor running through their branches. And the withering [...]
Click the stupid birdIt is a common retort among critics of Intelligent Design. They point to something in nature, some apparent defect or poorly engineered component- maybe a wing, maybe something in the eye, an opposable thumb- and declare, “Look! See! What a grand Creator this must be! He can’t even design a thumb very [...]
Criticism is certainly a touchy thing. The last thing I want to do is discourage or unfairly disparage some saint out there-- unless of course it’s Joel Osteen, which in that case am I really criticizing a saint? Like I said, criticism is touchy. But if I’m going to provide you with an honest appraisal [...]
Greetings and salutations! It's been quite a ride. Having never run a website before, I’ve felt more than a little lost (and like a total Noob) over the past couple of days. But here we are, bursting out of cyber-space, fresh website in hand, countless blank posts running off into the distance just waiting to [...]
The Sound of Doctrine 