“Real reformations burst wineskins, even the ones with the official Reformation® tags stitched onto them.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 595
Meme-NETTR Bête Noire, and the Far Superior NEOTR
Introduction: Starting a number of months ago, I started interacting with the idea that we should have "no enemies to the right" (NETTR). I did this in a few blog posts here and there, and I was responding ...
All Wolves, All the Time
“All polemics all the time would be a tiresome business, and not characteristic of a fruitful ministry, and not what Christ calls us to. As I have noted before, a shepherd who doesn’t know how to fight is a loveless shepherd. But a shepherd who does nothing but fight—all wolves, all the time—is probably making up wolves. And he is almost certainly not leading the flock to green pasture. So there is a time and a season for everything.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, pp. 591-592
Brace Yourself for Tuesday Letters
Letter to the Editor: There is a group claiming that Doug teaches that a minister/elder must be married. Can you clarify Doug's position on this? Thank you! Christopher ...
Gospel Ends Don’t Justify Carnal Means
“I wouldn’t do to John Robbins’s dog what some people are willing to do to advance the purity of the gospel.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 586
Ladling Contumely
“Any process that could conceivably result in Steve Wilkins being forced out of the PCA for ‘heterodox views,’ as this process certainly could, without Steve ever having a full, complete, open and honorable trial, with a presumption of innocence, is a process that deserves to have honest men everywhere ladle piping hot contumely over the top of its pointy little head. If this kind of vigorous response makes folks feel uncomfortable, then they should stop defending the indefensible. As one commenter on this blog put it, when sorting out a conflict among the kids, what do we think when one child says, ‘It all started when he hit me back’? Folks who want me to shut up about the PCA sure aren’t acting like they want me to shut up about the PCA” ().
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 580
You Might Get an Earful, in Fact
Okay, a Lot of Air Freshener Then
“Just as, in the South, you can say anything you want about anybody, just as long as you add the little exculpatory tag, ‘Bless his heart,’ (He’s a lying skunk, bless his heart), so in Christian circles, you can come sneeveling around with slanderous accusations circulated by anonymous and lying cowards, just as long as you say something suitably pious as an attachment to the slander. ‘I read on covenantsludge.com that Doug Wilson has coats made for his wife out of Dalmatian puppies, but we must always remember to pray for him even as we report this to the saints, with grief in our hearts, considering ourselves lest we also be tempted.’ A little like trying to fix the problem of the dead rat behind your fridge with a little air freshener.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 579
Grief and Grace
“The row at Antioch grieved the Spirit, and the hypocrisy of Peter and Barnabas grieved him as well. But the fact that Paul confronted the hypocrisy for what it was did not grieve the Spirit, even though it made Paul a participant in the disruption And someone like Paul could be grieved that it was necessary for him to do what he had to do, but not be at all grieved that he did it. It was a shame that it became necessary, but it was, at the end of the day, necessary.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 579
Building Platforms and Dopamine Politics
Introduction: One of the great privileges I have had in my life is that of teaching my children and grandchildren in many varied classroom settings. I bring this up now because I just had the ...