No one comes to the political table as a blank slate. Everyone comes to the political table with a set of precommitments. This is what the Lutheran, then Catholic, minister, Richard John Neuhaus told us in 1984 in his book, The Naked Public Square. The central proposition of Neuhaus’ book, now close to 40 years old, was that the Founders of the United States, in drafting the First Amendment, were seeking to prevent the government …
Category: Theology and Culture
The Glittering Tinsel of Rationalism
…Hardly a century after the once glittering tinsel of rationalism, now that materialism is sounding its retreat in the ranks of science, a kind of hollow piety is again exercising its enticing charms and every day it is becoming more fashionable to take the plunge into the warm stream of mysticism.
Abraham Kuyper, Lectures on Calvinism (1898)
What is the Gospel?
What is the gospel? It’s such a simple question, but answering it correctly is essential to healthy church ministry. Simply put, the gospel is the news of what God has done to save sinners in the death burial and resurrection of Christ.
Tim Keller says, “All human problems are ultimately symptoms, and our separation from God is the cause.” (1)
So, let’s get this straight: racism, poverty, and homelessness are all symptomatic. None of them …
Book Thoughts: Christ and Culture Revisited- D.A. Carson
A new series for this blog in 2017 will be Book Thoughts. A while back a friend and I began sharing the best quotes and thoughts we had from our personal reading. The idea was to give one another greater access to books without having to read as many. If I read a book, my friend could benefit from reading the quotes I pulled out and any thoughts I shared. For 2017, when ever I …
Blog Link: Are Recent Restroom Laws the Same as Jim Crow Laws?
Andrew Walker raises both questions and brings clarity to what may be the hottest topic in American culture. In a post for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention entitled Are restroom laws that respect privacy the equivalent of Jim Crow laws? Walker writes the following:
…Jim Crow laws made arbitrary distinctions based on skin color. For example, the color of a person’s skin matters nothing to their hunger or ability
Christians and Politics
I hate, hate, hate commenting on politics.
But, as a pastor who gets asked a lot of questions about how our faith intersects with the political realm I do feel the need to share some thoughts. I won’t address any candidates here. My goal is the help you understand how I think about politics and in doing so, perhaps, help you think more deeply and critically as well.
Chances are you have Christian friends who …
Why Christians Can Enjoy Non “Christian” Music: Common Grace
I love following the ministry of Ray Ortlund. I listen to just about every sermon he preaches from his pulpit at Immanuel Nashville. He recently posted a few thoughts I’d love every church member to hear on God, music, and the gospel. Ray, like me, believes that God gifts all humans with abilities that we, as Christians, can glorify God for and enjoy. Here’s a sample of what he shares:
…“The glory and honor
What Do I Say When Someone Has Died?
This morning I responded to an email from a church member who is in a unique position to do gospel ministry. In our area this past month a young boy took his own life. Now people close to the situation are approaching this church member asking searching questions about life and death. She emailed me asking how she should respond. Below is a slightly altered version of my email response. It isn’t perfect. It isn’t …
Aquinas and Culture
NERD ALERT: As posts on this site go, this one is in the uber-nerd category. My apologies.
Earlier this week I had to answer the following question in a discussion board for school: Why does the church in NA often struggle with finding a good tension between being in the world but not of it? Other ways to state the question are, “What is the relationship between God and this world” or, “What is the …