Review: The Surprising Work of God: Harold John Ockenga, Billy Graham, and the Rebirth of Evangelicalism
The Surprising Work of God: Harold John Ockenga, Billy Graham, and the Rebirth of Evangelicalism by Garth M. Rosell My rating: 4 of 5 stars "Two friends, perhaps more than any others, were responsible for giving shape and direction to the kind of evangelicalism that took root in twentieth-century America and soon spread throughout the world. Despite their regional, cultural, and personal differences, Harold John Ockenga and Billy Graham's friendship and deep personal regard each had for...
Spotify: Not Sharpest Knife in Drawer, But Close
This review was supplied by little Mikey Wood, a ten-year-old technology reviewer I have hired to do kid-appropriate reviews of new tech. Mikey is a distant cousin of Rodney Trotter, of Reformation 21 fame. I like Spotify. It is good. It's kind of weird, though, because, like, it advertises rap music. And doesn't it sort of know by now that my musical tastes run the gamut from mainstream choral music to arcane choral music? And it stops my choral music. For RAP MUSIC ads! Crazy!!!!!! But it...
Genesis 15 and 17
Do Genesis 15 and 17 constitute two related but distinct Abrahamic covenants? Yes Paul R. Williamson, in his very helpful and thorough NSBT volume Sealed with an Oath argues that Genesis 15 and 17 constitute separate (though obviously related) covenants. Here are his reasons as best I can distill them: Gen 15 is unilateral; Gen 17 is bilateral ("be blameless, so that"). Gen 15 has no covenant sign; Gen 17 has circumcision. Gen 15 mentions no international dimensions or royal descendants; Gen...
Huffington Post on Bob Jones University
Very interesting. More generous and accurate than I have been led to expect over the years. Non-Christian people in the U.S. have a tough time understanding and accepting that conservative Christians, on the whole, don't look to politics for saviors as much as they do. At the same time, Dr. Gary Weier admits helpfully in this article that some evangelicals have become worldly in just that way: for them, politics is a do-or-die, vote for the Messiah or for Satan game.
The Pastor and His Technology
My friend Dr. Bob Gonzales is the Academic Dean at Reformed Baptist Seminary, whose upstate SC modules meet down the street from my neighborhood. He’s asked me to deliver two little lectures at their upcoming module, and they say “auditors are invited.” I think that means either of you is welcome to join us. Here’s the promo: Reformed Baptist Seminary is offering a theological module on "Pastoral Theology" on the week of January 23-27 in Taylors, South Carolina. We've invited Pastors...