In the resurrection of Christ from the dead, we see the banishment of the old pagan idea of tragedy. The history of the world, in the light of the resurrection, is actually a divine comedy. And Christ rose from the dead in the middle of human history so that we might know the end of …
Routine
We celebrate the Lord’s Supper every week, considering it the culmination of our service of covenant renewal. But to many of our fellow believers, this fact by itself smacks of ritualism or superstition. “Why do this so often? Do you keep forgetting?” Well, on one level, yes, we keep forgetting. We believe that we are …
Style Over Substance
The story is told of the preacher who had prepared a manuscript of his sermon, and in the margin of one section he had scribbled a note to himself. “Argument weak. Shout here.” The phenomenon can be seen in many settings. Lousy rock bands often invest significantly in dry ice and laser light shows. All …
Joy Set Before You
In our day, biblical marriage is mocked in two ways. The first is by those who pretend to be friends of the institution, but who live in a manner that overthrows the pretence entirely for anyone who knows them. The second way is usually more honest, and mocks the name of biblical marriage while rejecting …
Murder and Folly in Atlanta
The courtroom shooting in Atlanta has served to illustrate, as though we needed another illustration of it, the mind-numbing stubbornness of the current PC codes. The murders of the judge and two others occurred, along with an apparent fourth victim later, because a large, muscular defendant was escorted to court, guarded by a female sherriff’s …
When Satire Hits the Glass Ceiling
Sometimes the life of a satirist is a lonely calling. You do your best to call your fellow man back to the permanent things, and away from the follies of the hour. You use hyperbole, trying to accentuate the worst features of contemporary errors so that people will see those errors in stark relief, realize …
Liberty and Law
“But liberty always implies a standard, and this standard always brings with it an antithesis. This means that he who says ‘free from’ must also assert a specified ‘free to.’ A man cannot turn away from something without simultaneously turning to something. Liberty always assumes an appeal to law” (Future Men, p.76).
Marriage As Manifest Glory XV
Introduction: Forgiveness makes it possible to “start over.” The power of forgiveness is enormous—the reason it is so infrequently employed is because it transforms everything, and not because it is “a dud.” Last week we addressed what forgiveness is (a transaction), and how to understand it when the other party is being difficult. We now …
Sabbath After Sabbath
Father in heaven, we glorify Your name and we lift up our hearts to You. Thank You for all the kindness You bestow, day after day, week after week, Sabbath after Sabbath, year after year, and generation after generation. We know that we are utterly dependent upon You and we ask You to show Your …
Generalizations
Dear visionaries, The best thing about progressive tolerance is that great popping sound it makes when you stick a pin in it. Robert says that “to condemn an entire race based solely on the actions of a small percentage of that race” is inhuman. He goes on to make other observations. Condemn an entire race? …