“The intermediary of the pulpit, then, is due to sin, and is a part of the machinery of redemption. And this redemptive connotation of preaching is the index of the institution to such an extent, that preaching, as it is, fits in the picture only of a world in which sin and grace are the …
So Why Does Ashtown Start in Wisconsin?
Nate was interviewed this morning in Seattle, and there are some fun details to be found here.
Reading Our Cues
In our circles we talk a lot about narrative, and as I have been preaching through 1 Samuel (an extended narrative), I have been thinking about this subject a goodish bit. Throw in the postmodern talent for getting such things muddled, and you have a subject where care is required. The glory of Hamlet is …
Logic Without Color or Weight
“Once you grant that the world works this way, anyone who comes bustling up to you with stories about men who came back from the dead is a prima facie nutjob. Simple. But you need to look at your closed-system-universe again and look more closely at the price tag this time. Not only is this …
Logic Without Color or Weight
“Once you grant that the world workds this way, anyone who comes bustling up to you with stories about men who came back from the dead is a prima facie nutjob. Simple. But you need to look at your closed-system-universe again and look more closely at the price tag this time. Not only is this …
And Sometimes It Is a Carcase, Not a Body
“We preachers are in danger of being so occupied with the body and form of preaching that the soul or essence of preaching escapes us. A course in homiletics is likely to go no further than the body of preaching” (Volbeda, The Pastoral Genius of Preaching, pp. 21-22).
The Book of Ibid
“Matthew is referring to both, quotes one, and gives the credit, according to their custom, to the major prophet [cf. Matt. 27:9-10; Zech. 11:12-13; Jer. 32:9]. Your objection here actually amounts to saying that Matthew should have followed the Chicago Manual of Style. But it would be just as valid for Matthew to claim that …
Working at Crosspurposes
“Woe to him who seeks to pour oil upon the waters when God has brewed them into a gale” (Father Mapple of Moby Dick, quoted by Stott, Between Two Worlds, p. 307).
The Importance of Child Dedication
I grant that “train” may not be the best translation for the crucial verb in Prov. 22:6. May I suggest (dynamic equivalence) “baptize”? The verb is hanak. It is the verb from which we get the derivative Hanukkah, which means dedication or consecration. It refers to inauguration or dedication, usually in a cultic setting. The …
Outruning Your Own Headlights
As it happens, Justin Taylor just posted on a similar topic. You can read his careful treatment here. Yesterday, I compared the promises of God concerning our children to His promises to answer our prayers. I did not want to say that they are exactly parallel in every respect, but simply to illustrate how we …