After a brief introduction and greetings, Paul raises the issue that is troubling him, and that is the fact that someone is troubling the Galatians. Not only this, but they are not being troubled on some secondary issue. The gospel itself is at stake. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that …
Federal Vision Earthquake
The next chapter in By Faith Alone is by T. David Gordon, and it too is a critique of N.T. Wright. The bulk of the chapter is just fine. Gordon, like Venema, is not hyperventilating over this, and he brings Wright’s approach to biblical theology under scrutiny, and does so in a moderate and fair …
Age Before Duty
“The single most important fact about the early twenty-first century is the rapid aging of almost every developed nation other than the United States: Canada, Europe, and Japan are getting old fast, older than any functioning society has ever been and fast than any has ever aged. A society ages when its birth rate falls …
Dull Dogs
“The idea is to treat all the pupils as though they were equally intelligent. The standard of achievement is set to fit the average, which is fair-to-middling low. The result is a mediocrity which frets and frustrates the more able while it flatters the incompetent. This mediocrity is making Americans increasingly a set of dull …
Maybe They Can’t See for the Same Reasons We Couldn’t
“The temptation associated with this is forgetting what it was like not to be able to see. Everything is now so clear to us that anyone who does not immediately assent to what we see in the Word seems either theologically perverse or a chucklehead . . . (2 Tim. 2:24-25). . . [But] to …
Manifold Blessings
Our Father and gracious God, You have given manifold blessings to us, and we in gladness return them all to You. Prepare us for worship in the morning, and equip us now for that great privilege. We ask that this time of Sabbath resting and feasting would teach and instruct us rightly about the graciousness …
Sexual Wisdom
Having wisdom is not the same thing as being clever or smart. When the Bible speaks of the folly of fools, the reference is not to those who struggle with the higher forms of calculus. In Scripture, folly is a moral issue, and many very intelligent people exhibit the problem. In short, knowledge is not …
Weapons, Women, Wealth
When we understand the nature of ministerial and delegated authority, and we understand how to submit to it, we have found the root of all civil liberty. Remember that this fifth commandment is the command with a promise. Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the Lord thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish . …
21 Questions for a Prospective Wife
Given the nature of the case, these are not necessarily questions that someone might ever get to ask. A young man is coming to a father because he knows his own intentions, and he is inviting questions. He should be surprised if the young lady’s father had no questions. He is asking to be asked; …
Write That Spot Down
Chapter one of By Faith Alone is a critique by Cornelis Venema of N.T. Wright’s views on justification. This chapter was very good, and was admirable on a number of levels. Readers of this blog know that I have learned a lot from Wright, and I appreciate much of what he has to offer. In …