In the recent edition of Table Talk, Scott Sauls wrote an article on the seventh commandment that contained many true and valuable observations, and which at the same time revealed the profound faint-heartness of contemporary Reformed evangelicalism. Here’s a sample. “As once taboo expressions of sexuality become mainstream, and as colleagues, friends, and even family …
Tired of Paradise
“Adam did not rebel against God because he was tired of living in a slum. No, his children live in slums because he grew tired of living in Paradise . . . The cause of the evil is our revolt against the good, which we routinely justify by pointing at the evil” (Rules, p. 135).
Not the Story They Wanted
“Apart from Christ, all sorts of people in black robes and white lab coats, want to be the final word. They want to act like they are pacing back and forth on the widow’s walk of humanity’s great house, gazing heroically out to sea, under the azure sky, when they are actually down in the …
Review: Missionaries of Republicanism: A Religious History of the Mexican-American War
Missionaries of Republicanism: A Religious History of the Mexican-American War by John C. Pinheiro My rating: 4 of 5 stars A good read, and very informative. Pinheiro shows the important role that religion (Protestant/Catholic) played in the Mexican-American War. A lot of careful detail here recording how Americans of all political stripes thought religiously in …
And All God’s People Said, “Wut?”
So I ordered John Walton’s book The Lost World of Adam and Eve because I saw that it contained an excursus on Paul’s use of Adam by N.T. Wright. I received the book yesterday, read Wright’s contribution, was suitably appalled, and have come here to tell you about it. The first thing to note is …
Evolution as Power Move
“This is why the theory of evolution is such a big issue — the theory of evolution is a jurisdictional claim that the devil is making. If we were not created in the image of God, then this means that we have no jurisdictional appeal beyond Caesar. If there is no God above Caesar, then …
Coin from God’s Mint
“The answer is that we are coin from God’s mint. We are created in the image of God, and are therefore forbidden to render ourselves to Caesar. We give one thing to Caesar and another to God. We may not render it all to Caesar. It is prohibited. And they marveled at him” (Rules, p. …
So, About That Blasphemy . . .
In the aftermath of the Islamic attack on the free speech/draw a cartoon of Mohammad contest, I think it is time for us to review what we think about blasphemy laws. I want to argue that events like the cartoon contest should be protected speech, but I also want to argue that life is not …
More Limits Than That
“We tend to assume that if the existing authorities tell us to do anything short of swearing an oath to worship Satan, then we have to do it. This does not exhibit a mature theology of resistance” (Rules, p. 129).
Blindness Is As Blindness Goes
“When someone is spiraling toward the darkness, the light doesn’t get any better as he goes. This is happening to them because they can’t see” (Rules, p. 126).