“Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s” (Dt. 1:17) In an earlier post, on injustice and empathy, a point rose deep in the comments which needs to be bumped …
Benjamin and Jessica
We are gathered here for a wedding, and if we are thinking biblically, we know that we are gathering to do something that we will have a responsibility to remember. This is because weddings and marriages are all about love, which everyone knows, but the Scriptures teach us that love is all about remembering. In …
On Throwing Wet Sponges At My Head
Many years ago, shortly after I had begun making a nuisance of myself to the somnolent liberalism of our little town, my wife and I crossed a threshold in how we learned to deal with public criticism. I had begun writing a weekly column for our newspaper, and the column addressed various cultural and political …
That Comfy Little Covet-Cubby
A number of people in my generation are coming to an age when issues of inheritance are becoming more and more . . . relevant. Our parents are being gathered to their fathers, and we are left to sort out the stuff. The fact that we do not do well in this is not a …
Some Kind of Zen Presbyterianism . . .
I received a good question from a friend about yesterday’s post concerning Rachel Held Evans and communion, a question that had to do with how we fence the Table. In order to be able to get at the issues involved, let me remove it entirely from this dispute about RHE so we can grasp the …
If You Start Purple, Finish Purple
Today Rachel Held Evans tweeted that despite her disagreements with him, she would be happy to come to the Lord’s Table with John Piper any time. No matter what, he’s a brother. A brother who creates a big-time abusive environment for blaming the victim, but still a brother, right? Sorry, but it doesn’t work like …
Memorial Day and Radical Discipleship
Let’s begin by acknowledging that nominal allegiance to Jesus Christ is good for nothing, and that Christian In Name Only is no better than any other kind of -INO. The demands of Jesus Christ are total, and this means that radical discipleship is the only option open to those who want to walk in obedience. …
Scott and Kristen
If a marriage can be compared to a house, then a wedding can be compared to the front doorway of that same house. Because this is such a joyful time for all, it is not surprising that our custom is to have a good time decorating this doorway. Hence the ceremony, the bride’s dress, the …
Injustice and Empathy
Don Carson, Kevin DeYoung, and Justin Taylor have posted a very good statement about the Sovereign Grace lawsuit here. I appreciated it very much. The issue — among thoughtful Christians — should never be whether or not justice should be done. That should be a given. What should we seek out, but to do justly, …
Don’t Waste the Point
In the ruckus following Rachel Held Evan’s attack on various and sundry, at least three important things have been going on in the barrage of comments at various sites. The first has to do with the alleged abuse case at Sovereign Grace Ministries. That is a situation about which I know next to nothing, and …