“In other words, bureaucrats shuffle not papers, but people” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 205).
Shrink-Wrapped Reformation
“Whenever a great change is brought about by men of vision, who do not love the sounds of compromise, the fruits of that victory are commonly parceled out by men who come bustling up ten minutes after the battle (a battle they solemnly warned against), all eager now to share in the spoil. First thing …
Rome and Philippi
Yesterday’s Ascension Day sermon was called “Colonies of Heaven.”
The Bulldozers of God
This morning while preaching an Ascension sermon from Philippian 3:20-21, I went on a brief detour to speak about the various ways in which biblical writers relate to empire. This is relevant to us because the New Testament was given during the heyday of the Roman Empire, and we are seeking to live as Christians …
Odd Behavior
In just a few moments, we will come to the point in our service where we confess our sins. We do not do this because we think it should just be part of the drill—because we just want to acknowledge something theologically. Although this does make a theological statement, we are not preaching here; we …
A Visible Difference
Our standards also teach that one of the purposes of the sacraments is to “put a visible difference between those that belong to the Church and the rest of the world.” Being a Christian means that you have been washed in the waters of baptism and that you have free access to this Table. Those …
Secular Conservatives and Real Ones
I take it as a given that our standard right/left political dichotomy does not represent a Trinitarian approach to politics at all. I have argued this for quite a number of years now, with no appreciable sign that anything is getting through to anybody who is actually running the show. Nevertheless, let us keep on …
Is Green Baggins a Calvinist?
Lane thinks that our discussion of God’s covenant with mankind before the Fall has gotten interesting, and I agree. But it will take me a few installments to answer the various issues he raises here. The one I want to begin with is Lane’s (no doubt inadvertant) denial of Calvinism. I had said, “If Adam …
Getting Poetry Back to the People
Yesterday New St. Andrews had the great privilege of hosting Chris Wiman, editor of Poetry magazine, as he addressed us all at our weekly Disputatio. His talk and answers during the Q&A were really informative, and the reading he did of some of his poems was just fabulous. Our Aaron Rench has an interview with …
Robert P. Greedybuckets III
We have already established that wealth can be a blessing from God. But wealth is by no means the highest blessing which God can bestow. As you set your priorities for the vocation of money-management, a number of things should be in line ahead of profit. Before we get money right, we have to get …