But we must not be content with walking in this way; we must seek to "delight in it." Delight is the marrow of religion. "God loveth a cheerful giver," and accepts obedience only when it is given, not when it is forced. He loves the service of that man, who considers...
Mark Ward
Review: Death by Living: Life Is Meant to Be Spent
Death by Living: Life Is Meant to Be Spent by N.D. Wilson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Witty randomness submitted to an overarching point. That's N.D. Wilson, and I've read both of his books in the witty-but-submitted-randomness genre (the other being Notes from the...
Flock
I'm a Philistine. Not into poetry like a well-rounded liberal arts grad ought to be. I have nothing against poetry; I simply never got into it. But Billy Collins I like, and I've been reading a collection of his poems called Aimless Love. So much humor and insight....
Technology Help for Whetstone Conference Attendees
Minutes ago I finished presenting a brief session at my church's pastor's conference. In that session I focused on two very complicated pieces of Bible software: Logos and BibleWorks. I hit the highlights of their functionality, but I also tried to weave throughout...
Review: Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright My rating: 3 of 5 stars The main value of this book for me was probably the arresting one- to five-liners. Like these: It’s no part of Christian belief to say that the followers of Jesus have always got...
A John Frame Sighting!
Why do I think John Frame's triperspectivalism is so important? Because it provides what I take to be scriptural (or at least scripturally-consistent) lenses; and when I look through those lenses I see with greater clarity. It happens all the time. It just happened,...
BJU Expands Mission Statement
BJU has expanded its mission statement, and Dr. Stephen Jones has recorded a video describing the update. Here's the new mission statement, starting with the old: Within the cultural and academic soil of liberal arts higher education, Bob Jones University exists to...
The SBC on Calvinism and Arminianism
There are some advantages to a church joining a Christian denomination. You're likely to be part of some group or other, and if you make it official (by joining a denomination) you get the benefits of united action, pooled resources, and due process. There are some...
Everyone Knows Best and Everyone Knows All
These comments have come back to my mind many times since I read them. The author lays out an incredibly difficult vision to live up to. I honestly quail in the face of it. But love for my neighbor demands it, and I seek by God's grace to do it. I tried to shorten...
Usage Determines Meaning (Applause Please)
When my three-year-old son asks while we sit in a large crowd, "Why are the people clapping?" he's essentially asking, "What is the meaning of this applause?" My answer is going to be very situation-specific: are we in a concert hall at a concert—and is the clapping...