“Besides, I have observed, that old men have blessed themselves with this mistake; namely, taking the decays of nature for a gracious conquest over corruptions, and so have been apt to beguile themselves” (John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress).
The Smell of Gasoline
We know that when she cast her eyes upon him, Joseph fled from Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39:12). We know also that Paul told Timothy to flee youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22). In a world crammed full of enticements to lust, adopting this basic strategy is something that a lot more men need to learn how …
Wee Timorous Beastie
Nietzsche was a master wordsmith, and so he effectively projected a bad boy image of himself up on our culture’s screen, an image calculated to make all his maiden Lutheran aunts shudder, and perhaps weep a little. But inside, that man was Burns’ mouse beneath the harrow — a wee timorous beastie. Now this is …
You Dogmatic Pig
See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die No, I have not gone all nerdy on you, and yes, I am about to analyze the argument presented in the above musical spoof of California’s Prop 8. Here is the argument presented by Prop 8: The Musical. Christians who profess to follow the Bible must, …
Arguing High Theology with the Hot Dog Vendor
One of the testing points of wisdom is the matter of identifying what the real issue is. In ancient rhetoric, this is what stasis theory was about — what is really at issue? What is the hinge upon which all turns? Luther complimented Erasmus at the conclusion of The Bondage of the Will because he …
Pomosexuality
INTRODUCTION: As we look around us, we see nations and cultures in disarray. There are so many things going wrong, that is would be quite easy to despair. Where to start? What battles should we fight, and what should we let alone? This is itself quite an important issue, as Martin Luther once wisely noted. …
Loudly Being Orthodox at All the Irrelevant Places
I have sometimes spoken with Christians who have said something like “we really ought to emphasize the love of God,” and we should not focus on the negative “by pointing out heresy.” All that is necessary is to declare the truth. Why engage with error? Why give it the time of day? The problem with …
Sexual Sin and Sexual Rebellion
I just finished a fantastic read by Peter Jones. Entitled The God of Sex, the subtitle explains his theme further — “How Spirituality Defines Your Sexuality.” Really good stuff and highly recommended. I believe that Canon Press will be offering it sometime soon. And this leads to some additional observations on this general subject. I …
X-Ray Glasses and Women’s Dresses
What the world of high theology needs, not to mention the world of high philosophy, and the closely related world of high jinks, is a horse doctor dose of pastoral cynicism. Let me illustrate. If you were to give x-ray spectacles to one thousand thirteen-year-old boys, we should assume that all of them would use …
Why Sexual Issues Are To Be Front and Center
Our culture’s wholesale abandonment of biblical ethics in matters of sexuality — what I have recently called pomosexuality — is the direct and immediate result of a failure of the Church to proclaim and live out life in Christ, life in the gospel, life in the triune God. So the way out of this impasse …