So Woody Allen, a good representative of much that is wrong with us, has said that he considers dictatorial powers for Obama to be a desideratum. Wouldn’t it be swell, he argued, if the president could just do all those swell things without incurring all this tacky opposition? But it is starting to look as …
The Greedy Gusses at OilCo
When dealing with large numbers, we shouldn’t want to assume that every math error is indicative of deep spiritual problems. That is a good way to escalate policy debates into fundamental religious conflicts. At the same time, when the same error is committed over and over again, when the mistake is pointed out by responsible …
Creation is Thick, I Tell You
Think of this another way. In the gnostic order of things, the material world is always convicted, damned. It is the problem. In the Christian world tugged on by gnosticism, the material world is not condemned — the orthodox faith forbids this because God made the world, and Jesus rose from the dead in it. …
This Mind in You
INTRODUCTION:Conservative Christians know and understand that we deserve to be brought low. We know the law of God, we know our own sinfulness, and we know that the holiness of God casts us down. This is all good, as far as it goes, but we need to follow God’s purposes all the way out. God …
Bread and Wine on Their Level
When we bring a baby home from the hospital, even though that baby doesn’t speak English, we begin speaking to the baby in English anyway. In fact, we speak English to the baby at the hospital. We do this, not because we are confused on the point, but rather because we understand that this is …
An Earthbound People
Our Father and God, You have established Your Church as a royal priesthood in this world, and so we intercede for the nations of men now, confessing on their behalf so that the grace of Your forgiveness will soon be extended to them all. Father, we confess that we have become an earthbound people, a …
Inescapable Politics
Jesus Christ has ascended to the right hand of God the Father. This does not mean that He is now on the other side of the universe. It actually means that His authority is suffused throughout the entire universe. And this is inescapably political. Jesus is a king. Not only is He a king, but …
Math Problems in a Dark Room
I appear to be scratching an itch with this short series, and so here is the same point from another angle. When I was in the submarine service, I recall one time when we were at battle stations during a drill. I was a quartermaster, in the navigation department, which put me in the control …
The Barkity Barkity Midnight Dog
In order to sort some important things out, we have to do some further work on the relationship of giver and gift. I propose to begin by discussing the relationship between created giver and created gift, and then moving up to the much more complicated relationship between the Uncreated Personal Giver and the created personal …
A Full Tank of Gas and Lots of Wyoming Ahead
A week or so ago, I wrote about Piperian Hedonism 3.0. Following that, a friend helpfully pointed me to Chapter 11 of John Piper’s book, When I Don’t Desire God. That chapter is entitled “How to Wield the World in the Fight for Joy.” And that chapter is filled, of course, with Piper’s usual exegetical …