The blogging has been light because I have been in Minneapolis for the Desiring God conference, which has been wonderful. The other speakers were John Piper, Phil Ryken, Kevin Vanhoozer, and Randy Alcorn, all of them speaking on some aspect of C.S. Lewis’s contribution to our understanding of the faith. The talks have been superb. …
Washing the Devil’s Face
“When we are advocates in a bad cause, pleading for any impious, unjustifiable act; when we baptize sin with the name of religion, and with our oratory wash the devil’s face, this is to be servants of men” (Thomas Watson, as quoted in Hughes, Expository Preaching With Word Pictures, p. 213).
No Emotional Hostage Taking
In order for a minister’s family to fit with the qualifications that Paul addresses in Timothy and Titus, there has to be a large measure of intentionality in it. Such families do not happen in fits of absentmindedness. The minister and his wife are obviously where it starts, but as the kids get older they …
What Nature Teaches
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) The Basket Case Chronicles #130 “Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have …
Some Halloween History . . .
Halloween: Trick or Treat? from 10ofthose.com on Vimeo.
All Over the Map
One of the things that modern Reformed Christians have trouble doing is arguing and maintaining tight distinctives without breaking fellowship. This inability is projected back onto the period of the Reformation, on the assumption that from Poland to Wales all the Reformed marched under the five banners of the five solas, all five banners snapping …
A Field on Fire
Introduction God continues to unroll the consequences of David’s sin, while at the same time fulfilling His gracious promises to David. Solomon is not mentioned in this section, but he is clearly waiting in the wings. The Text: “Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom. And Joab sent …
Antiseptic Truth
The Word of God says that mercy and truth go together. Mercy and truth are what God uses to purge our iniquity (Prov. 16:6). There are many occasions when we miss an opportunity to have iniquity purged because we want to be flattered instead of forgiven. God comes to us, ready to forgive, with mercy …
Sweet Conviction
The Scriptures teach us that we must not automatically assume that affliction is the result of God’s chastisement for sin. The friends of Job made a serious mistake in this matter, and the disciples of the Lord, who wanted to know who had sinned—this man or his parents—such that he was born blind, made the …
Shoot Me Now
One objection to the exhortation to cultivate a “biblical” approach to music is that we don’t have musical notation from biblical times. We have the lyrics of the psalms, but not the music. Here, in brief, are my staccato responses. First, there is a good argument that we do have an idea of what the …