The word athemitos occurs twice in the New Testament. The first time, in Acts 10:28, it is rendered as “unlawful thing.” 1 Peter 4:3 contains the word also, where it is translated as abominable. In the former instance, Peter uses the word to describe how it had been “unlawful” for Jews to keep close company …
The Reformers and Typology
“As everyone knows, the rallying cry of the Reformation was ‘the one sense of Scripture,’ the sole authority of the literal meaning . . . this precept by no means led to prosaic literalism. As we shall see in more detail later, the tirades against medieval allegorizing leveled by Luther, Tyndal, Calvin, Perkins, and many …
Spiritualize It
“Within limit, my brethren, do not be afraid to spiritualize, or to take singular texts. Continue to look out passages of Scripture, and not only give their plain meaning, as you are bound to do, but also draw from them meanings which may not lie upon their surface. Take the advice for what it is …
Rescuing Art from the Artists
“Aesthetics has become too important to be left to the aesthetes. To succeed, hard-nosed engineers, real estate developers, and MBAs must take aesthetic communication, and aesthetic pleasure, seriously” (Virginia Postrel, The Substance of Style, pp. 4-5).
Stay Tuned for the Logrolling
So, then, Romney won in Michigan. All we need now is for Thompson to win in South Carolina on Saturday, and we will have ourselves an interesting race. If Ron Paul keeps coming in with his significant percentages, and as the other candidates approach the convention, nobody will be in a position to blow the …
Charles Darwin, Call Your Office
I am delighted to be able to report that my reply to Sam Harris is going like gangbusters, and is now out in paperback. This means that you can get a copy now for the low, low price of nine clams. Take a look at it here. While we are talking about atheism on the …
Credenda Conference in the UK
In early February, Nancy and I will be headed over to the UK to visit the Merkles, and while we are there, Credenda will be sponsoring a short mini-conference. The notice for that conference is below. We would like to cordially invite any of our friends in the UK who would like to join us …
Calvinism Under Jove
Reformation Calvinism was born under Jove. It flourishes under Jove, and is spiritually healthy there. But for the last several centuries (at least) it has come under the baneful influence of Saturn. For those who dismiss my “pagan tomfoolery” — planetary influences and theology indeed — with a sneer and say that they want a …
300 Cloth Napkins
Nancy and I had a wonderful week. We are currently ensconced in the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport, on our way back to the snow. The first part of the week we were at the pastors’ conference in Monroe, Louisiana, which was the usual good and edifying time. The topic was “Liturgy and Life,” and I commend …
The Complete Life Lived, Graven Images and All
Okay then. I have finished Piper’s book, and I still like it. It is well worth reading, and should be taken seriously. He emphasizes a number of things that I believe that Wright should incorporate into his broader insights, without giving up those broader insights. There are any number of places where the sweep of …