“For example, the biblical pattern of evangelism was not at all like our modern method of picking off the devil’s stragglers, but rather a pattern of bringing the good news to household after household” (Mother Kirk, p. 236).
Conflict with Christians
The latest round of slander against us has come up with a new one, or at least an old one expressed in a new way. This slander is the argument for the necessity of anonymity, for if our local critics identified themselves, so the thinking goes, we would send some deacons around to bust their …
Questions for Louisiana
Just a couple of brief comments. The last week has been revelatory on the Louisiana Presbytery front, to put it mildly. Now I can ask for clarifications all I want, and am unlikely to get them from any official source. Why should I? I am not a player in this, but I am a commentator. …
Scandals are Interchangeable
One of Girard’s conversation partners (Jean-Michel Oughourlian) says that it “is obvious that bringing to light the founding murder completely rules out any compromise with the principle of sacrifice” (Reader, p. 179). Well, no. Our task here is to point to some of the reasons why Girard falls into this either/or trap. “That is indeed …
Sinning Against Thoughtfulness
We are living in a generation of great upheaval and change. One of the results of this is that many Christians have found themselves in a slippery place, not knowing quite how to behave. As the gospel works through a culture, that culture is transformed, and many external cultural aids to godliness are developed. This …
Renewing the Oath
This is a service of covenant renewal worship. This means that we believe we have assembled here to renew covenant with God. But it is important for us to understand the nature of this renewal. We are not renewing covenant because “if we don’t” it will somehow expire. We are not renewing covenant the way …
Can’t Cause No Trouble No More
When the movie Amazing Grace came out, for various reasons Nancy and I were unable to see it. But it has just recently been released to DVD, and we just now finished watching it. The movie tells the glorious story of William Wilberforce and his fight against the slave trade in the British Empire. For …
Impromptu Answers to Prayer
Some time during high school, I worked for a summer or two (I forget) up at Cedar Campus, a Christian retreat center in Michigan’s upper peninsula. I have a number of fond memories of that place. Actually one of my earliest memories is of that place as well — I think I was around five, …
Green Lament for Sale at Wal Mart
I recently heard the new Eagles album was pretty good, and so I went and looked on iTunes for it. Nothing. A day or so later, I popped into a small record store downtown to ask about it, and the gentleman from the sixties running that place said, yes, it was in fact out, but …
Rejected Pop Tart Flavors
And there’s more to be found here.