A great question, in response to yesterday’s post recommending Michael Gerson’s article: March 30th, 2012 at 8:33 am Michael, I have been wondering a lot lately on the Christian’s attitude towards politics while keeping things balanced with a Gospel centered approach to it all. How much involvement should a Christian have in political discussion and [...]
As secularists would have it, religious convictions should play no role in shaping the moral vision of voters and political leaders. Of course, this is itself a religious test. Violating at least implicitly the free exercise of religion, secularists assume that their own practically if not theoretically atheistic worldview should be the established religion. France [...]
This is a continuation of yesterday’s post on some of the concerns surrounding youth ministry as it is often practiced in Evangelicalism today. To read part one click here. Some Practical Suggestions for Ministering to Youth For those who may be weary of the extraordinary and want to invest more energy in rethinking how we [...]
From books like Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, we were led to believe that this generation born after 1982 was more altruistic and socially-minded than baby boomers and Gen X’ers. Not so, according to a new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education [...]
Chris Jager asked a good question in response to the first post in this series and I thought it was important enough to explore in more than a couple of lines. He asks: Also, is sanctification a work solely of the Holy Spirit, or both the Holy Spirit and the believer? Is the work attributed [...]
In the previous post I offered a very brief survey of some controversies, pointing out that while there have been some true-blue antinomians, the charge is often made by those tilting in a more neonomian direction against faithful, apostolic, evangelical preaching. For example, in spite of the fact that Lutheran and Reformed churches have gone [...]
This is part two of four in a short series on Antinomianism. Read part one “What Is Antinomianism?”. Like Moses (Dt 6:5; Lev 19:18), Jesus taught that the whole law was summarized by the command to love God and neighbor (Mat 22:37). He came not to abolish but to fulfill the law (Mat 5:17-20). Nevertheless, [...]
Writing at a time of intense controversy and division within Reformed ranks, the English Puritan Richard Sibbes wrote, “Factions breed factions.” We are called to the peace and purity of the church, but when is the concern for peace a crutch for compromise and when does our appeal to the church’s purity become a cloak [...]
Comedian Steve Bridges was found dead in his home in LA on March 3, after returning from a trip to Hong Kong. Many knew Steve as the impersonator of recent presidents, including Mr. Obama. In fact, he performed side-by-side with President George W. Bush at a White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Widely respected not only [...]
“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” It’s often used either as a whip or explained away (“Now, what Paul isn’t saying is…”). As usual, it’s crucial to examine the statement in the flow of Paul’s letter. Context, Context… First, the whole statement reads, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, [...]
