One of the larger pastoral problems in the church today is the trend to ever-increasing fruitiness, coupled with the cowardice of those who see what is happening, and yet say nothing. Whenever someone proposes any particular pursuit in a singularly fruity way — and I am speaking of weird diets, oils with superpowers, medicinal oddballery, …
Is Your God Scary?
No one should be surprised at the announcement that women are now going to be serving in combat roles in the U.S. military. This has been heading toward us for a long time, and the only thing surprising about it is that so many people are surprised. Now the only thing that stands between your …
On the Altar of Eight Thrusts
It is the fortieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade, plus a day, and it becomes necessary deconstruct this particular creepfest. For a generation we have been told that pro-aborts believed that this was an intense, personal decision, one made after much anguish and incessant prayer. We were told that no one took this decision lightly, …
With the Smell of Burnt Marshwiggle
A real reformer is not a member of a faction. Men have always tended to divide into opposing factions, whether it is Crips and Bloods or Guelphs and Ghibellines. But factional differences (while very real) don’t go down to the deep foundations. An ancient city is debating whether to defend the city with a powerful …
When We All Say Whooosh Together
I appreciate the discussion of natural law going on under the previous post. I’d like to respond to a few of the points made, and develop everything just a tad further. First, when I say the teaching of Scripture “trumps” natural law, I was doing nothing more than applying a standard rule of hermeneutics within …
Grace and Culture Building
INTRODUCTION:As a community of Christians we were all called and shaped by radical grace. One of the things that grace does (and which law cannot do) is build a culture with standards—which then presents a potent threat to grace. We are called to understand this dynamic because if we don’t, we will be continually frustrated. …
Going Splash in the Sea of Japan
One other point needs to be made about sexual egalitarianism, but let me, if I may, move it (somewhat) away from N.T. Wright’s support of women’s ordination. We need to address, in a more general way, the idea that milder feminism (in those manifestations which are for some reason palatable to evangelicals) is “not about …
The Trumpets of Smooth Jazz
In my recent interaction with Brad Littlejohn about N.T. Wright, a phrase taken from Matt Anderson was invoked, that phrase being intellectual empathy. His original post on it is here, and in the main I think what he was saying — when applied to what he was talking about — is just fine. But there …
Right This Very Minute
Allow me to take just a brief moment to respond to some of the arguments presented here by Brad Littlejohn, in response to my recent interactions with N.T. Wright on the question of women’s ordination. Brad has a three basic problems with my take on the N.T. Wright business with women bishops. First, he is …
Exegetical Confustication
Prodigal Thought chides me and a few other complementards for missing the main point of N.T. Wright’s piece on women’s ordination, which was the fact that the resurrection was absolutely transformative when it comes to issues like Jew/Gentile, slave/free, or male and female. The issues about Mary Magdalene, Junia, and Phoebe were side issues. What …