“It is quite possible to glean wisdom from a donkey (Num. 22:31), but this is very different from seeking wisdom among the donkeys.”
Concise and to the Point, p. 81
Sourcing the Golden Calf
“All truths are God’s truths, this is true. But it is also the case that an all lies are the devil’s lies. And all good lies claim to be true. All gold is God’s gold, and all fool’s gold is the devil’s gold. Speaking of plundering the Egyptians, all gold is God’s gold, and all the gold that Egyptians gave the Israelites was God’s gold, but some of it still wound up in the golden calf.”
Concise and to the Point, p. 81
Product Limitations
“An unbeliever can offer to sell me oil that will make my hands slippery. That is within his right and capacity, and we have no reason to object to his attempting to do so. But he has no right to sell me oil that will remove guilt and shame. That really is blasphemy. He has no authorization to sell me love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control—and it does not matter whether he makes such promises through the medium of oils, crystals, joy pills in a bottle, lying on his couch to relate my dreams, or drawing energy from my third chakra.”
Concise and to the Point, p. 80
Assigned Duties
“Pastors can fail at their assigned task, but it by no means follows from this that the task was somehow not assigned to them. You can only fail a class that you were enrolled in.”
Concise and to the Point, p. 79
The Cure of Souls and Counseling
“So when wise pastors help their people with challenges such as depression, anxiety, sexual trauma, eating disorders, obsessive behaviors, and so on, they are not doing so as hacks and amateurs. They are trained in the Scriptures, and the Scriptures are sufficient for reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.”
Concise and to the Point, p. 79
A Sabbath Variation
“It does seem awkward and asymmetrical to say that the timeless moral authority of the Decalogue arises out of nine and a half of the commands. Nobody likes seeing the Ten Commandments walk with a limp.”
Concise and to the Point, p. 62
As In, No Bueno
“One of my daughters described the youth ministries of many churches as ‘potato salad at room temperature.’ Sleepovers! Lock-ins! Back rubs! Jesus!”
Concise and to the Point, p. 58
A Basic Distinction
“To object to an ambulance chaser is not to display a calloused disregard for the pain of the people in the ambulances. To object to hypochondriacs is not the same thing as being insensitive to those who are really sick.”
Concise and to the Point, p. 57
Getting the Victim Right
“You are not ‘blaming the victim’ if you are honestly involved in finding out who the victim is. A young girl abused by her stepfather is the victim. A stepfather falsely accused by his stepdaughter is the victim. If you approach is ‘ready, fire, aim,’ it does not matter if you say that your intent was to side with the victim. That really must be your first priority, but getting the identity of the victim right is part of it.”
Concise and to the Point, p. 56
And Discretion is not an Absolute
“A minister should never promise not to tell. He can and should promise to be discreet with what he learns. He can promise not to put it on the prayer chain, but he should never commit himself not to tell others on his ministry team or, as necessary, someone in law enforcement.”
Concise and to the Point, p. 52