In chapter three, John Piper continues to interact with N.T. Wright’s take on the law-court aspect of justification. At the center of the discussion is this now famous section from What Saint Paul Really Said, which needs to be quoted at length. “The result of all this should be obvious, but is enormously important for …
We can Easily Arrange for a Scene
Once there was a little girl who was always copying her older sister. Now this is what younger brothers and sisters ought to do—we all learn by imitation. This is how God made us. But God created us to learn by imitation in a spirit of admiration and gratitude, and not in a spirit of …
A New Human Race
INTRODUCTION: The birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem marks the Advent (arrival), not only of the long promised Messiah, but also the advent of a new humanity, established in the last Adam, the one St. Paul calls the man from heaven. We sometimes emphasize that Immanuel means “God with us,” and it does. But let …
Gripping the Sides of His Coracle
In the second chapter, John Piper starts to get down to brass tacks, and he begins with the definition of justification. N.T. Wright defines justification as God’s (legal and forensic) declaration that someone is already within the covenant family. Quoting Wright, Piper writes, “‘Justification’ in the first century was not about how someone might establish …
But All the Monkeys Are Out of the Cage
“What terrifies technocrats is not that the future will depart from a traditional ideal but that it will be unpredictable and beyond the control of professional wise men” (Virginia Postrel, The Future and Its Enemies, p. 8).
Entirely the Stuff of Legend
The Archbishop of Canterbury has informed us, just in time for Christmas, that the story of the three wise men was nothing more than a “legend.” HT: Frank Turk. Yes, I can see how the concept of “wise men” would seem to a churchman in Bishop Rowan’s environment to be entirely the stuff of legend. …
Stodgies and Planners
“Our new awareness of how dynamic the world really is has united two types of stasists who would have once been bitter enemies: reactionaries, whose central value is stability, and technocrats, who central value is control” (Virginia Postrel, The Future and Its Enemies, p. 7).
White Grass
I am not quite sure how many times I have read 100 Cupboards in its various incarnations. Originally the entire trilogy was one big monster manuscript, which Random House decided to break into three separate books. And as the editorial process has gone forward, I have been privileged to read the story in its various …
Stasis or Dynamism?
“How we feel about the evolving future tells us who we are as individuals and as a civilization: Do we search for stasis—a regulated, engineered world? Or do we embrace dynamism—a world of constant creation, discovery, and competition?” (Virginia Postrel, The Future and Its Enemies, p. xiv).
I Age Mine in the Basement, Like a Fine Wine
“It takes judgment to know when prejudice should be maintained and when abandoned. Prejudices are like friendships: they should be kept in good repair. Friends sometimes grow apart, and so sometimes should men from their prejudices; but friends often grows deeper with age and experience, and so should some prejudices. They are what give men …