In his engaging and admirable book, Bad Religion, Ross Douthat mentions me in an aside,[1] and in that particular citation, he touches on a few things that need to be addressed at the very outset of any argument for a “mere Christendom.” They can be grouped under the heading of proposals that no one should …
Which Way Does the Line Go?
A very thorough treatment of the R2K approach can be found here and here. Think of it this way: when you draw the line separating the two-kingdoms, do you draw it from top to bottom, or from left to right?
The Cassandra Effect
Cassandra was that unfortunate woman who was cursed with an ability to foretell the future accurately, while at the same time never having her predictions believed. There is a sense in which that particular curse is a type for our times. Of course, it would not apply to simple predictions about the Kentucky Derby or …
Getting the Warm Tar
We all believe things on the basis of authority, and it is impossible to function otherwise. I believe there is such a place as Nepal, and I do so without ever having been there myself. But there is a distinction to be made between settled authority, and what I would like to call hard sell …
Silver on Top, and Black on the Bottom
It is bad when a blogger gets in over his head, or when a theologian does, or when a pamphlateer does, or when a connector-of-the-dots does. But, with all necessary qualifications made, it not bad when a preacher does. It is a preacher’s calling to get in over his head (2 Cor. 2:16). But he …
The Smell of Boiling Water
My friend Toby Sumpter has been doing some good work on the issues related to the divisions between Protestants and our separated brothers outside Protestantism, and then another friend Peter Leithart added significantly to the discussion here, here, and here. I am very comfortable with what they are saying, and would only tweak a few …
Privacy or Anonymity?
There is a vast difference between a Christian desire for privacy and the unbelieving desire for anonymity. But this requires some teasing out, which I can only just begin here. First, let me make a few observations that would indicate that we don’t really know what privacy should mean. Vast regiments of people post things …
True Center
“All cultures have a cultus at the center. The center of every culture is its worship. There is no such thing as a religion-less culture, and the same is true of all sub-cultures” (A Primer on Worship and Reformation, p. 12).
Invaluable Presence
“The apostle Paul was convinced that preaching had a unique ability to accomplish spiritually what no other form of communication could do. That is why he wrote to the church of Rome, ‘I am eager to preach the good news to you also who are in Rome.’ Don’t miss the obvious here. Paul wrote this …
Into the Deep Fog Actually
“Modern evangelicals have a ravenous hunger to be hipper than thou. They have a deep and covetous hunger to be cool — and so we have bestselling authors, Grammy award winners, trademark lawyers, Designer Bibles with Study Notes for just about everybody, rock bands with guys filled with middle class white guy angst, earrings, and …