A Review: The People of God: Empowering the Church to Make Disciples
To shape the community culture in a church, the focus needs to move away from programs to communal relationships that transforms life
The whole backbone to the “why” of small groups happens to be the Trinity and our being made in the image of the Trinity. The authors tease out how we are hard-wired for communal life, that God’s creative action intentionally made us social beings as seen in Genesis 1 and 2. As the Father, Son... Continue Reading
10 Characteristics Shared By Great Leaders
A Review of “View From the Top: An Insider Look at How People in Power See and Shape the World”
Leading others is significantly easier when followers enjoy being around the leader, and interpersonally gifted people are at a significant advantage in power… The higher the level of the job, the less important technical skills and cognitive abilities were and the more important competence in emotional intelligence became. I’ve just finished one of the... Continue Reading
Understanding the Prayer Book: Some Comments on Holy Communion in the Piety of the Reformed Church
A review of Hughes Oliphant Old’s Holy Communion in the Piety of the Reformed Church
Anglicanism in the sixteenth century was consciously not a via media between Rome and Geneva, but between Geneva and Wittenberg. As Alister McGrath has observed, ‘the “middle way” which resulted was neither Calvinist nor Lutheran- but it was certainly Protestant.’ While Calvinists were the dominant theological force throughout the century, they never succeeded in making the worship... Continue Reading
Sudden Impact
Films that deal fairly with Christians are getting a respectful audience at major film festivals
The Tribeca Film Festival, though only 12 years old, is growing into one of the major festivals along with Sundance, Toronto, and South By Southwest. The festival circuit has grown more and more influential as independent films draw wider audiences and more dollars. (WNS)–The credits rolled at a screening and an audience at a... Continue Reading
Read Or Get Out of the Ministry
“While I would not consider myself a “reading expert,” reading has been a significant part of my development for the last 20 years. I view reading as an opportunity to interact with great thinkers and leaders. I typically am working through multiple books at a time. Before kids entered our world, I averaged reading two... Continue Reading
Chaos Comedy
“Moms' Night” Out mines humor out of its message
What Moms’ Night Out proves, even more than October Baby, is that the Erwins are Christian filmmakers who can compete with mainstream Hollywood in turning out a polished, engaging film. Moms’ Night Out isn’t funny for a Christian movie, it’s just funny. (WNS)–No doubt, before Moms’ Night Out releases to theaters on Mother’s Day weekend, reviews in most mainstream outlets will... Continue Reading
Is There a Biblical Answer To Poverty?
The book shows that Christian conservative theory empowers and helps the poor in a way the welfare state does not, and that a conservative understanding of vocation is crucial to a right understanding of the free market
But “For the Least of These” makes it clear that we should stop talking about work as a stick, and instead view it as a carrot. We need to stop bashing people over the head if they’re not working their way to wealth; life is complicated and unfair, and many people worldwide lack the resources... Continue Reading
The Bestsellers: Blue Like Jazz
Blue Like Jazz was released at the dawn of what became known as the Emerging Church movement
Where Miller’s diagnosis was insightful, many conservative Christians criticized his book on a number of counts, and especially for its postmodern ethos which led to a lack of grounding in the authority of Scripture. Miller often eschews firm answers to matters of life and doctrine and this concerned those who hold up Scripture as a... Continue Reading
A Review: Leithart’s ‘The Baptized Body’
Leithart advocates for a radical root-and-branch reform of our baptismal theology
I would say that the most foundational error in the book is his rejection of the “dual aspects of the covenant,” a matter which I consider essential to good Reformed theology and well balanced Calvinism. Reformed theology at its best accepts all that Scripture teaches about both divine sovereignty and human responsibility, even though tying... Continue Reading
Did the Earliest Christians Think Jesus Was an Angel? A Response to Bart Ehrman (Part 2)
Ehrman argues that the earliest Christians did not understand divinity as something that was “all or nothing”–it could have gradations.
Ehrman’s core argument is that Jesus was a mere man who gradually, over time, came to be regarded as more and more divine, until he was ultimately (in the fourth century) regarded as the God of the universe. He states, “It will become clear in the following chapters that Jesus was not originally considered to... Continue Reading
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