Very dangerous is the temptation, when it is suggested to us, that God is not to be obeyed except so far as the reason of his command is apparent. —John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis
Piety
Thomas Manton on the Spiritual Life
Man, this guy can write. I was blown away by the eloquence. Here's just a little taste of Thomas Manton on Psalm 119:113: There are in men two great influencing affections, love and hatred; one serves for choice and pursuit, the other for flight and aversation. The...
A Little Wisdom for Helping Those in Need
In my ministry I receive regular—though I wouldn't say frequent—requests for money from needy non-Christians. The few times I have given out money I have tended to regret it, largely because it made the recipient feel awkward in the future, like he or she owed me...
Hypocrisy: Word and Concept
These are helpful clarifications on the concept of hypocrisy. Here's the meat, from Peter Kreeft: The common, modern misunderstanding of hypocrisy [is] not practicing what you preach. . . . Actually, we have misdefined “hypocrisy.” Hypocrisy is not the failure to...
Review: United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity
United: Captured by God's Vision for Diversity by Trillia J. Newbell My rating: 4 of 5 stars I watched Trillia speaking to Thabiti Anyabwile in an author interview and decided I wanted to buy this book. Ms. Newbell impressed me with her bright Christian countenance...
Profound Insight on Power from Andy Crouch
God made His image-bearers kings and queens over creation (Gen. 1:26–28). But we know what Lord Acton said: that kind of absolute power corrupts. And it surely has done so, in places all over the world. People do things to this planet, and to their fellow...
Hole In Our Holiness 99¢ Today and Tomorrow
I enjoyed real personal, spiritual and theological profit from this book. Today and tomorrow it's just 99¢ on Kindle. Here's my review.
A Kind Invitation to Egalitarians
The evangelical left loves to critique complementarianism. And more power to them. Marshal your best exegetical arguments, egalitarians, and put pressure on us to be biblically faithful. Don't let us remain complacent, assuming that our gender-role traditions are...
The Literal Meaning of Literal
In the American South, it can still feel natural to have religious discussions with strangers. My last was with a friendly and professional C-Dry Basement services salesman. Standing in my mildly leaky, retirement-age home (b. 1948), he told me confidently, "You can't...
Joshua 24:19
In 1809, when he was thirty-seven, the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge paused to recall a youthful dream, a plan he had hatched fifteen years earlier to immigrate to America and start there a new society governed by his own homemade intellectual system, which he called...
Two Stories I Think About Sometimes
Story 1 Many years ago I remarked to a group of grad school friends, “One of the goals I have for my seminary education is to get myself to the place where I could write a good commentary.” One girl in the group wrinkled up her nose and said, “I can’t think of...
Is Spotifree Ethical?
If you read my blog, you're probably a Christian. You probably try to think more deeply about your biblical faith and its implications than the average pew-sitter, or you'd be watching TV right now. So here's one for you, and I really want to see some careful,...