“In other words, the real dilemma should confront those who would undertake a biblical defense of writing like the author of the Elsie Dinsmore stories. While there are things in the Bible that might even resemble Swift’s Modest Proposal, there is nothing that remotely resembles 19th century sentimentality. So why is it that those who …
Getting An Advance
“When Jesus is teaching against anxiety and worry, He uses the striking image of those who run out of worries for the day, and so they have to get an advance. I don’t have enough troubles — and so I have borrow some from next week. ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the …
Have a Witness
“Jesus even makes fun of how men pray. Jesus, the One in whose name we pray, during His incarnate ministry, leveled the guns of satire at those who sought to ‘have a witness’ by praying openly in restaurants so that people could see how holy they were. Jesus told us not to pray so that …
The Hinder Parts of a Bull
“But one edifying thought experiment (there are many such) consists of William Tyndale paying a tumultuous visit to Tyndale House, publishers of the inane Left Behind series. One pictures broken windows, crying secretaries, sirens, a major scene, an arrest, and a board meeting the next day with the suits and haircuts trying to decide if …
Why Prophets Die
“They had two basic problems here. First, they had no sense of proportion. They would pay Judas money to betray the Messiah, but then when Judas returned the money, they had profound scruples about which account they put it in! We just paid this guy to betray Israel’s hope and glory, and he brought the …
Speeding Up in the Wrong Direction
“And the next taunt (for that is what these are) goes right to the heart of modern evangelicalism, in which evangelistic zeal excuses just about anything. But, the Lord points out, you can only export what you are manufacturing. If you have a stupid religion, then evangelistic zeal just gets you more of it. If …
A Wet Spot on the Pavement
“In the old days, this trick had to be accomplished by means of respectful titles like the ‘Rev.’ But nowadays, in these egalitarian times, the attitude of spiritual conceit has had to be a little more creative, and a pastor shows his prowess in humility by asking people to call him Joe. Behind the scenes …
Right
“In other words, I always believe that I am right. This is not the same thing as believing that I am always right. I know that I have often been wrong. Nevertheless, I, along with everyone else in the world, always believe (at the time the view is maintained) that I am right. No one …
Audio Reading of Post
Ethical Dyslexia
“The apostle Paul says, ‘For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake’ (2 Cor. 4:5). In the biblical pattern, arrogance preaches self while humility preaches Christ. In the modern world, we see how the reality of our inescapable concept takes over. In order to revolt against …
What Standard?
By what standard? This is one of my favorite questions, and we should ask it more often than we do. This includes those times when the right course of action is disputed among Christians, or when we are honestly confused about what we ought to do. What standard are we using? On paper, the answer …