“Practicing revenge is the way to continue divisions to the end of the world” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 270).
The Fox News Jesus or the CNN Jesus?
Okay, here’s a tangled one. Joseph Loconte, writing for The Weekly Standard, takes N.T. Wright to task for his attitude about al-Qa’ida, the war in Iraq, American empire, and all that stuff. What he writes can be found here (HT: Justin Taylor). Loconte does a very fine job in avoiding shrillness in his response — …
Final Assurance
John comes to the conclusion of his short letter in a resounding crescendo of assurance. He does this in the only possible context of biblical assurance, the context of the absolute difference between right and wrong. “This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. …
The Preacher As Steward
“The Christian preacher, therefore is not a prophet. No original revelation is given to him; his task is to expound the revelation which has been given once for all. And however truly he preaches in the power of the Holy Spirit, he is not ‘inspired’ by the Spirit in the sense in which the prophets …
A Real Clash Shaping Up
“Without question, Jesus and Muhammad are the two most influential persons who ever lived. Today we can see the influence in the two largest religions in the world: Christianity with more than two billion followers, and Islam with 1.3 billion” (Mark Gabriel, Jesus and Muhammad, p. vii).
The Wrong Units of Measurement
“It is only the sentimentalist who imagines that the profundity of a person’s response to tragedy is proportional to the length, volume, or shrillness of his lamentation” (Theodore Dalrymple, Our Culture, What’s Left of It, p. 20).
He Gives More Stones
“Who has given us all these pseudo-men, who caper so prettily on the stage for the televangelistic cameras? The Lord is clearly angry with us. Who was it that deceided that churches should start having Super Bowl parties instead of the Word and sacraments? This is nothing less than the hand of God upon us. …
Come, They Say, Let Us Link to Their Blogs
“Why do you seek to strengthen yourselves by stirring up vile men to join with you, such as heretofore your hearts were opposite to? How comes it to pass that you can close so lovingly now? You can smile one upon another and shake hands together. How comes it to pass that you bring joy …
Discipline in the Local Church
INTRODUCTION: Church discipline is not very common in the contemporary church, and, because it is rarely done, when it is done, it is rarely done well. As with everything, we have to turn to the Scriptures for guidance and protection. And in turning to the Scriptures, we are not just looking for procedures, but we …
An Intersection of Tests
We have been considering and distinguishing the various tests for genuine Christianity. We now come to the portion of the epistle of John where it becomes evident that while these things may be distinguished, they cannot be separated. We have come to the intersection of the tests. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love …