A Christianity So ‘Cool’, It’s To Die For
To suggest, as the headline of the Vice.com article does, that Christianity must somehow be made palatable as to be acceptable (cool) to the masses, is to completely misunderstand Christianity.
To you who may consider yourselves among the generation of ‘woke’ young Christians who desire to make Christianity cool again, as if following Jesus were a fad that comes and goes as the culture shifts, I challenge you to look beyond the comfort zone of your peer group and remember that Christ did not die... Continue Reading
Victims and Victimizers and a Sin-Sick World
Life continues to give me opportunities to reflect on the abhorrent nature of sin
Sin begets sin and victimization begets victimization. I think back to the “creep” that Kohl saw in the woods, and can’t help but wonder whether he was a potential victimizer or a victim himself. Perhaps he was a pervert eager to act out. Perhaps he was a violent offender waiting for a victim. Aileen... Continue Reading
4 Reasons You Should Visit the Museum of the Bible
The Museum of a the Bible (MOTB) is a new 430,000-square-foot museum located near the National Mall
“Had the MOTB been nothing more than an exhibit hall for its nearly 4,000 Bible-related objects, it would have been enough to make it a world-class museum. But in its presentation of the world’s most important cultural artifact—the Bible—the MOTB is an amazing cultural artifact in its own right.” At the age of 10... Continue Reading
The Rift Between Exegesis and Systematic Theology
The gulf between academy and church is particularly huge and disturbing
“Even some exegetes who believe in Christ as Lord and Savior also posit a huge gulf between academy and church, thus refusing to love what Christ has loved. I do not understand how believing scholars can do their work for the academy and not for the church, unless they are motivated by the fear of... Continue Reading
Why Christians Should Not Get Angry with the Lost
When we grasp the extent of the human problem, we will exercise this ministry with compassion
“Blaring the horns of condemnation may give vent to Christian frustrations, but it does nothing to solve the human problem. People who are blind, bound, and dead need a Savior who is able to open their eyes to the truth, set them free from the powers that bind them, and raise them up in the... Continue Reading
The Necessity of Effectively Communicating to Children
It is vitally important to ask children what they have understood us to say.
As Christians, we are called to teach our children. But how often do we simply take for granted that they have comprehended the meaning of our words? And do we consider the damage that can be done if they misinterpret us without our realizing it? Like many, I have watched my fair share of... Continue Reading
John The Baptizer: “Produce Fruit Worthy Of Repentance”
"Men are commanded to repent, that they may receive the reconciliation which is offered to them."
Calvin rightly reminded us not to confuse the order of teaching (e.g., “repent and believe”) with the order of salvation (ordo salutis). Believers repent but our repentance is not the ground of our salvation. The whole gospel includes the proclamation of the good news of the unconditional forgiveness of sins and the call to repentance. Our repentance,... Continue Reading
Dear Christian, Don’t Be a Superstitious Saint
We can all lean toward spiritualizing objects, behaviors, and beliefs without a concern for the person and will of God.
I remember the talisman-like power I placed on the amount of time I spent reading the Scriptures in college. If I missed a morning session of Bible reading, I felt like anything bad that happened that day was caused by missing my ritual. I was less concerned with the sincerity and reverence of my behavior... Continue Reading
Did God’s Essence Become Incarnate?
One of the most difficult questions in Trinitarian theology is how the essence/person distinction relates to the Incarnation.
The other problem we will have to avoid is in saying that the essence of God underwent any change whatsoever in the Incarnation. Here the Chalcedonian formulations help us out. The two natures of Christ remain distinct, even though inseparable. Therefore, the divine nature of Christ did not change at all when the Son added... Continue Reading
If the Lord Marks Iniquity, Who Should Stand?
With the righteousness of Christ promised to us by faith, we have the hope of our salvation.
If God requires perfect righteousness and perfect holiness to survive His perfect judgment, then we are left with a serious problem. Either we rest our hope in our own righteousness, which is altogether inadequate, or we flee to another’s righteousness, an alien righteousness, a righteousness not our own inherently. The only place such perfect righteousness... Continue Reading