As I have been working through the Essays of C.S. Lewis, I have noticed how dedicated to the argument he was. He believed in the reality of fixed and objective truth, and believed it was necessary to assume such a fixed reality in order to get anywhere at all. We have to assume that reality …
Christmas Telos
“Pain concentrates the mind. Pain tethers you to this world, and the rope is a stout one. But at the same time, the grace of God enables you to look along the pain, to look down the entire length of the trial, and to see the purpose and point of it all” (God Rest Ye …
Above Us Only Sky
Suppose with me for a moment. Suppose that about fifteen nano-seconds after the Big Bang all the trillion-plex trillions of atoms all joined hands together, forming their molecules, and then they all ran pell mell down the corridors of the space/time continuum, making history as they went. Some scientists think they all yelled whee! but …
Masculinity as Cultural Gluten
As things continue to devolve, as things get ever more crazy, as our culture, to use that term loosely, continues to come unstuck, many believers have become discouraged, not knowing if there is anything they can do. Other believers have been eschatologically immobilized, thinking that these dire developments are just baked into their “last times” …
So That’s How It Happens . . .
“But Christmas is not a ‘trouble-free’ season. We want the scrooges and grinches in our lives to be transformed by gentle snowfall, silver bells, beautifully arranged evergreens, hot cider, and carols being sung in the middle distance. But what happens when you gather together with a bunch of other sinners, and all of them have …
The Names on the Cover
I am sorry for my delay in making a statement about the plagiarism issue that blew up on Thursday. Because of the nature of the case, there were various entities, boards and committees involved, and I did not want to make any statement that would then have to be further qualified or explained. In the …
A Crown in Mind
“Our faith is tried because God is a goldsmith. When the goldsmith plunges gold into the fire, it is not because he hates the gold, but because he loves the gold enough to want to purify it of its dross. When the goldsmith beats the gold, it is not because he has contempt for the …
In Fact, It Surfaced Several Times
Albeit a Very Stately Finger
“As I’ve mentioned, by the time of the Reformation the ship of the church was absolutely covered with barnacles — saints days, and whatnot. The Reformers scraped virtually all of them off, keeping only what they called the ‘five evangelical feast days’ — Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. All five are related to …
How Then Shall We Deport?
Donald Trump has now proposed drastic measures to deal with the threat of domestic terrorism, of the kind we recently saw in San Bernardino. His idea is to put a ban on all Muslims entering the country, period, until such time as we get all this “sorted out.” His idea is, of course, simplistic, unworkable, …