One of the questions that has arisen here is, basically, how could this happen? How could so much of Real Marriage be so good in so many ways, and yet whiff on something like this? In polemical discourse there is something called swallowing the reductio. Your opponent slyly suggests to you that he who says …
Sexual Dirt and a Gospel Backhoe
Having set the stage with my preliminaries, let me now engage with Mark and Grace Driscoll’s book, Real Marriage. Let me begin by saying that it is a very fine book over all. Before getting to the sections that call out for more discussion and some yeahbuts, let me mention first why this book is …
So Cold, So Sweet, So Sweet, So Fair
If I believe, as I do, that the chief threat to American security is our own government’s wastrel ways, its out-of-control spending, in distinction from Islamic fundamentalism, then why wouldn’t I just full-tilt endorse Ron Paul? I am unwilling to do that, despite appreciating many of the things he says, and liking many of the …
Chasing Suitors With Snow Shovels
Given how accessible porn is nowadays, it has inevitably caused certain dislocations in contemporary courtships. I do urge fathers to bring the subject up when prospective suitors first seek their permission to court their daughter. A father may feel it is an awkward subject for him to bring up, but it is certainly not going …
Courtship and the Single Mom
A friend asked me to comment on how biblical courtship applies to women who have been widowed or divorced. My understanding is that a woman who has been married, and then widowed or divorced, may (under certain circumstances) return to her father’s house. Whether she does or not is up to her, and of course …
Cultural Engagement in the CREC
It is commonly known that people who worship together over an extended period of time tend to view the outside world in similar ways, and this is also true of CREC churches. Given the important role that political and cultural issues have in our era, it may be helpful to make a few comments. Cultural …
Cardinal Sexuality
I wanted to riff off of something that the Bayly brothers noted here. When we say that something is of cardinal importance, we are leaning on the older Latin meaning of the source word, cardo, which meant door hinge. Human sexuality is of cardinal importance. It is a hinge upon which all turns. It is …
Brian and Christie
Weddings are at the heart of the creation mandate, and weddings are a glorious exhibition of the new creation mandate as well. They form a parallelism—divine goodness for the earth, as well as a divine proclamation of heavenly realities. When God first created the world, everything was good. When our rebellion against Him plunged us …
Mercy Stands Taller
INTRODUCTION: David seeks to get away from Saul, but he cannot get away from his anointing. He can evade Saul, but he cannot evade the fact that a new Israel is going to start to form around him. David goes into the wilderness and finds a throne. Saul goes to his throne and finds a …
Joe and Rachel
Weddings are glorious, and they both remind us and teach us. We are reminded of our own vows, and basic things we have known for a long time, but which need to brought back to us in a fresh way. At the same time, we also learn that marriage is a subject that startles and …