“There are two errors to avoid here. One is to assume that each individual as such is self-contained and is provided with a hard shell casing . . . The other error is to think that the self is nothing more than a ganglion of relationships, with no ‘hard atoms’ of individuals between whom such …
On Not Leaving Out the Whole Point
“A denial of the need for a foundational heart change is therefore messing with the narratival arc of the whole story” (Against the Church, p. 117).
A Father Transplant
“Regeneration means becoming the seed of another — ultimately, starting with one family tree and then acquiring a different one. My father used to be Adam and now he is the second Adam. My father used to be the devil and now he is Abraham . . . Rebirth entails having been in existence already, …
Crime in a World Without Crimes
“Thou shalt not follow the multitude to do evil” (Ex. 23:2). In an earlier post, I said that consistency was necessary in any worldview seeking to build a civilization. It is not necessary if the point is to tear a civilization down. If that is the goal, then radical swerves and changes help to achieve …
Bundle Up, Girls!
Last year, when I debated Andrew Sullivan over same sex mirage — he claiming to see it, and me claiming not to, for is it not a mirage? — one of the arguments that I advanced was this one: Given the premises and arguments of same sexery, we have absolutely no reason to limit marriage …
The Gaylag Archipelago
So a marginal football player got drafted into the NFL, kissed his boyfriend smack on the lips, and then another football player tweeted something that expressed the sentiment ick gross, and so the second player was hustled into sensitivity training. Got that? As the revolution is established, there will be no heckling. Kirsten Powers got …
Beyond Counting
“The majestic extent of definite atonement is seen when John turned and looked [Rev. 7:9]. What did he see? He saw a multitude that no man can number. How many will be saved? We can’t count that high. Look at the stars, Abraham. Use the Hubble telescope, Abraham. So shall your descendants be” (Against the …
The Blinkered Prophetess
Like many conservatives, I have been able to enjoy the writing of Marilynne Robinson, even though she appears to be quite at home in the liberal mainline tradition. Despite the differences I have had with her outlook on many issues, her novels have been written with depth, nuance, and sensitivity. This is apparently because she …
When the Tide of Battle Turned
“This whole world, since the sin of Adam, has been nothing but one vast, pole-to-pole boneyard. Whatever would Jesus do in a world like that? What could He possibly do that could transform a world like that? The gospel reply is that He could come back from the dead in it” (Against the Church, p. …
Doctrine With the Graveclothes
“Let us never preach the doctrine of total depravity without also declaring there has been a great earthquake, and that an angel of the Lord has rolled away the stone in front of that imposing doctrine” (Against the Church, p. 110).