Come now certain pesky scientists who have shown that organic food isn’t any more nutritional than the kind that has had the bugs sprayed off (HT: Joe Rigney). But all is not lost. We can still feel superior, which is the thing we are fundamentally hungry for. Organic food production is much better on the …
Learning to Not Patronize Paul
Book 3/Chapter 21 The fathers on foreknowledge (section 8) 1. Which church fathers appealed to God’s foreknowledge of grace used well? 2. What is Calvin’s “the dog that did not bark” argument against this view? 3. What is the relationship between God’s grace and our fitness? Thomist subtlety (section 9) 1. What does Calvin do …
A Sinkhole of Father Hunger
Here is a little clip of Frank Schaeffer decoding secret messages that mainline Christian conservatives have been sending out to the fever swamps of the right. I am a little peeved, frankly, because I live in northern Idaho, for crying out loud. Why I am not getting these messages? Did I offend somebody? Oh, I …
Kyle and Elizabeth
In order to have a Christian home, the kind we just sang about, it is necessary to have Christians. In order to have a Christian marriage, there must be a Christian man and Christian woman. Going beyond this, in order to have a good Christian marriage, we must have a good man and good woman. …
Just a Mingle Mangle
We know what the Incarnation is—the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us. But what does it mean for us to be or become incarnational? What is it of ours that can take on flesh the way the Lord did, even if it is a dim imitation? There are two things to note at …
The Spirit Went Out of Her
The Queen of Sheba had heard about Solomon’s glory, and so she came to visit him in order to see if it was true. The fact that she came a great distance means that on one level, she certainly wanted the reports to be true. And yet she was resistant. It is very interesting to …
The Folly of Wandering
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, among the nations of men we acknowledge that not one …
On Getting Town Halled
As most of us know, politics is the art of pushing and shoving. And in recent weeks, Democrats were interrupted in the middle of their earnest exhortations to Sarah Palin (to stop her whining) because they needed to start whining about how pushing and shoving broke out in various congressional town hall meetings. This occurred …
No Idle Balcony
Book 3/Chapter 21 Jacob’s blessing (section 6) 1. Why was Jacob’s blessing not to be considered as merely to earthly prosperity? 2. What does it mean that God has mercy on whom He will have mercy? 3. From what vantage does God not watch the future? Christ’s testimony (section 7) 1. What is the beginning …
Amen and Amen
Amen is probably the most universally-used and universally-recognized word throughout the world. Each of us probably uses it daily, and perhaps we even understand it. But when we consider what it means, and consider how we usually say it, or respond to it, we may have to reevaluate. Jerome commented that in the early church, …