“We are not to teach what the Bible says in bits and pieces, but rather are to gather it all up in a systematic whole.”
Let the Stones Cry Out, p. 107
Novemberesque Letters
Letter to the Editor: Have you read Paul Bloom’s book “Against Empathy”? Amidst all the pushback to your conversation with Joe Rigney, Bloom wrote the book in 2016 and is an ...
(L)et’s (G)o (B)randon—(t)o (Q)Anon +
Introduction: If our generation got any fruitier, it would have to be acknowledged from every quarter that somebody had put way too many mangoes in the fruit salad. This judgment of judicial ...
A Blessing for All of It
“We do not give ten percent so that God will leave us alone with our ninety percent. That would just be an ecclesiastical extortion racket. Rather, we give ten percent as tribute, a ten percent that says in a very tangible way that one hundred percent belongs to God. And it does not really matter how much of it there is. What matters is what percentage of it is blessed.”
Let the Stones Cry Out, p. 106
A Lot of People Feel That Way
The Preconditions of Cheerful Giving
“The Bible does tell us that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7), but it does no good to harangue everybody with this glorious truth if the leadership of the church insists on doubling down on all the things that make cheerful giving impossible.”
Let the Stones Cry Out, p. 101
Love and the Invoice
“You cannot love God whom you have not seen, if you do not love your brother, whom you have not paid.”
Let the Stones Cry Out, p. 103
Behind the Scenes, Fires of November, a Few Squibs, and More Pictures Than Usual
Behind the Scenes: Some of the forces of diversity, as per their usual routine, spitting on the doors of our church office . . . Consider this as something of an inaugural round-up of sorts. So this last October, we here in Moscow had a little bit more excitement in the build up to November, …
Gushing No Good
“A poet who has mastered (by imitation) all the classic forms of poetry might be in a good position to develop a new and challenging form. But if he passes by all that, and sits down to write poetry that just expresses himself, then he is likely only to achieve a form of free verse that was invented by junior high girls who had just finished sobbing.”
Ploductivity, p. 82
Seedy Company
“Loose living can take many forms—raunchy movies, corrupt friends, ungodly parties, envious snark and complaining, and all the rest of that unsightly crew.”
Let the Stones Cry Out, p. 100