John Schneider continues his good work in chapter four, and reminds me of another book I am currently reading (and which I would recommend), which is Nancy Pearcey’s Total Truth. She says that when evangelicals begin their presentation of the gospel with the fact and reality of sin, they are presenting the gospel out of …
Desire Runs Deep
INTRODUCTION: One of our central duties—as Christians seeking to live obediently in this fallen world—is to learn the true nature of the temptations before us. The oldest trap in the world for us is to “objectify” sin in a simplistic way, placing certain items on a list of prohibitions, as though it would be so …
Anticipation as Wisdom
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 135 “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished” (Prov. 22:3). Short term thinkers and long term thinkers are as apparent in the world of business as anywhere else. “What is …
Holding Back the Word
Green Baggins has responded to my last comment, and has also finished his review of my book “Reformed” Is Not Enough. He invited me to have the last word on our paedocommunion exchange, which I will do just briefly. He then asked a few questions which I will try to answer. His question on paedocommunion …
Unprofitable Experiences
The New Testament describes sins of omission in different ways. One of them is found in Heb. 13:17, where the saints are told to avoid making their rulers’ assigned task a grief. They are to be the kind of parishioners that are a joy to serve, not a grief. When this is not done, the …
Articulate Snoring
“Our preaching must not be articulate snoring. There must be power, life, energy, vigour. We must throw our whole selves into it, and show that the zeal of God’s house has eaten us up” (Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, p. 226).
Why Humanism Can Cry Me a River
“Humanism thrives on sentimentality because few religions are more dishonest in their doctrinal expressions. Unable to withstand dispassionate analysis, which would reveal its lack of foundation, it stresses feeling rather than thought. That is what makes sentimentality so vicious. People can get good feelings from almost anything” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 46).
Is Food a Privilege?
Just a few more comments in response to Green Baggins’ latest. I think we have already covered the basic issues, but a few points really need to be emphasized. The first is that I agree that our inability to get the church in history to correspond name-for-name with the church in the eschaton is not …
Terriers of Orthodoxy
“If we really believe the truth, we shall be decided about it. Certainly we are not to show our decision by that obstinate, furious, wolfish bigotry which cuts off every other body from the chance and hope of salvation and the possibility of being regenerate or even decently honest if they happen to differ from …
They Like Core Values Instead
“Modern humanists are hostile to any notion of law that is external to the legislative organs under human control, and this means that morality cannot be predicated on universal codes” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 43).