It isn’t quite right to say that the Aramaic “abba” means “daddy.” In other words, to call the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob “daddy” at the outset of our prayers is a bit too casual and irreverent. Philip Ryken explains: To call God ‘Abba, Father’ is to speak to him with reverence as well... Continue Reading

I do not believe feminism is to blame for all women who find themselves single. Nor do I think that feminism alone accounts for all the moral pathologies on display in Wurtzel’s article. But I do believe that feminism has provided the social context for women to be congratulated by the culture for sad choices... Continue Reading

I wonder how many people long for the better world behind the barricade, but don’t know how to get there. Moved to tears by grace-on-display in the character of a man who lays down his life for others, they miss the connections between this literary classic and the greatest Story ever told.   Ever since... Continue Reading

“Marriage is, of its essence, a comprehensive union: a union of will (by consent) and body (by sexual union); inherently ordered to procreation and thus the broad sharing of family life; and calling for permanent and exclusive commitment, whatever the spouses’ preferences.” To summarize: Sex. Kids. Faithfulness.   What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A... Continue Reading

In a world without taboos the only taboo is God. A higher power reminds of limitations, authority, and that something greater than number one exists. The rock star imagines himself as a human deity, and his many worshippers treat him accordingly. God’s a real buzz kill in that anthropocentric universe.   Babel, Mumford & Sons’... Continue Reading

So if perchance U2 and One Direction do not unite and thus revolutionise your church life this year through ushering in the millennium, you may have to fall back on those hackneyed biblical staples, the ordinary means of grace. In that desperate situation, these are two books which you will find most helpful.   It... Continue Reading

We can no longer afford the conceit that our helpful and powerful technologies—for all their help and all their power—come without remarkable human costs. “But these days, our problems with the Net are becoming too distracting to ignore … The ties we form through the Internet are not, in the end, the ties that bind.... Continue Reading

It was a sneaky thing that Victor Hugo did, publishing this book 150 years ago. We can’t have Bibles in schools anymore, but still we have “Les Miserables,” which puts forth the essence of the Christian faith as well as John, Mark, Matthew, and Luke — and with a much better soundtrack, it must be... Continue Reading

Still, Shortt notes the causes of conflict often are more mundane, such as differences in lifestyle, or fears that hard-working, thrifty and self-disciplined Christians may have an edge over their neighbors in the daily competition for survival. “I reject the…fantasy that holds Islam to be uniquely violent,”   Book Review:  Christianophobia, Rupert Shortt, 298 pp.... Continue Reading

The Two Kingdoms doctrine asserts that God rules all human institutions and endeavors, but in two very distinct ways…God rules his church as Redeemer through Jesus Christ. Thus, the church is God’s “spiritual kingdom.” He also rules the state and all other social institutions outside the church. However, he rules this “civil kingdom” only as... Continue Reading