The prophet Zechariah predicted that when the shepherd was struck, the sheep would be scattered (Zech. 13:7). And the gospel writers record that this was in fact fulfilled when Jesus was arrested, tried, and killed. His disciples scattered (Matt. 26:31; Mark 14: 27). But there was more to it. When the shepherd was struck, in …
Unbelief and Pumpkin Pie
So we have come to Thanksgiving 2017, year of our Lord. On the one hand, we have an enormous amount to be grateful for. Things are still relatively stable. We were able to buy the turkey at CostCo with little difficulty. On the way home, the traffic lights were all still working. The roads were …
On Bear-Hugging Our Troubles
Job tells us that man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward (Job 5:7). But there are different kinds of trouble, different kinds of adversity, different kinds of affliction. First there is the kind that we pull down onto our own heads. “For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: And …
But Worship Is First
Worship and praise are not the same thing. Worship is actually the foundation of praise. “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.” (Deut. 6:13). “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him …
The Circumcision of Timothy
A common question concerns why Paul allowed the circumcision of Timothy. Not only did he allow it, he is the one who oversaw it. He is the one who did it. “Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for …
Why C.S. Lewis Would Not Have Liked Me Very Much
Those who have been around here for a while know that I am a C.S. Lewis junkie. I have read and reread him, and have been edified by him in ways beyond reckoning. If I were to calculate the impact that various writers have had on me—and there have been many who have—he would always …
Sneaky Little Busters
I recently saw a snippet of an interaction between Joel McDurmon and Mark Jones that made me think of something. And why not?, say I. It’s still kind of a free country. Why can’t I think of oblique stuff? So I offer this, not as my own engagement with their debate, but rather as a …
But Sometimes Your Inner Pietist is Right
You can take a drop from a bottle of vinegar, put it on the tip of your tongue, and tell what is in the rest of the bottle. You don’t need to drink the whole thing to make sure. And this relates to a basic question in pastoral counseling. “What’s your mouth like?” And Jesus …
Apostolic Dumpster Scrapings
Introduction: Some time ago, at our weekly Sabbath dinner, my father said something like, “No sense dying with a good reputation.” I forget what brought that on, but my daughter Rachel asked, “So you have a good reputation?” And he said, “Better than it ought to be.” Two Cautions: In emphasizing what I am about …
Promoting the June Bugs
To be a Christian acid-washed by the bleach and pumice of modernity is to be a Christian conscripted by the regimented cool, and to be issued a washed-out denim uniform—one which might be considered appropriate camo-gear for that upscale coffee shop, the better to allow a demythologized and deracinated faith to blend right in—and so …