In response to my postings on propositions taken as simple statements of fact, one objection was raised that wondered who on earth would think that emergent leaders would challenge “statements”? Well, if we are talking about statements that are true, I do. They do, and their books are full of such questioning. Emergent writers are …
Wealth in the Day of Wrath
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 65 “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death” (Prov. 11:4). This is a scriptural commonplace, and one of the reasons that we are told this (over and over) is that worldliness calls to us …
Cherry Picking In the Orchards of Scripture
In the thread on insult and insulting, a question was raised that merits a response. Should we not spend our time and energy trying to obey the positive commands of Scripture (love your enemies, bless those who curse you, etc.) and not squander our resources on trying to figure out how to imitate the satiric …
As Logocentric As It Gets
I rise in praise of propositions, but not the propositions of bad philosophers who try to reify everything they touch. Rather, I praise the propositions of the competent and godly English teacher, and, although this is not the point of our current discussion, I also praise clauses, imperatives, nouns, verbs, alphabets, jots and tittles. A …
The Lord Jesus
We come now to the main point of all the stories we have been telling, that is to say, we have come to the story of the Lord Jesus. This is a very difficult story to tell, for at least two reasons. First, no storyteller or preacher is really sufficient for the task. The apostle …
Digory and the Postmodern Witch
When Digory refused to listen to the witch, it was because he had promised. He had learned certain things that little boys always ought to learn, and this includes little emergent boys. Not only had he learned that you should keep your promises, he had also learned not to steal, which had come in handy …
Ethical Dyslexia
“The apostle Paul says, ‘For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake’ (2 Cor. 4:5). In the biblical pattern, arrogance preaches self while humility preaches Christ. In the modern world, we see how the reality of our inescapable concept takes over. In order to revolt against …
Happy Are The People
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! O Lord our God, we bless the Lord, Our strength, and the one who teaches strength; You teach our hands for war, And our fingers for fighting. You are goodness itself, our goodness. You are our fortress, and high tower Our deliverer, …
Insult and Neutrality
When the question of “trading insults” comes up, one of the first things we should see is how the false assumption of neutrality has crept into our thinking. An insult is not simple invective, detached from questions of truth. When two football teams play, we require a level playing field, a penalty for one team …
What Standard?
By what standard? This is one of my favorite questions, and we should ask it more often than we do. This includes those times when the right course of action is disputed among Christians, or when we are honestly confused about what we ought to do. What standard are we using? On paper, the answer …