“Postmodernists are hostile to argumentation, so it is hard to argue with them. But as an intellectual mood, it can be dispelled. I suggest pepper spray” (Rules for Reformers, p. 203).
Mulled Cider, Mulled Thought
“Just as Christmas is a time of year when mulled cider is welcome, it is also a time when mulled thinking should happen as well. Thinking about Jesus, talking about Him, and reading about Him at the table throughout Advent, are good ways to fill your house with the right kind of smell” (God Rest …
Merchants as a Form of Grace
“This does not mean that we are to charge about aimlessly, buying and giving gifts willy-nilly. The grace of God is not stupid, so don’t give pointless gifts just to have done something. The grace of God was freely given, so don’t let a racket run by unscrupulous merchants extort money from you with that …
Not There
“Every gift given in the wrong spirit is just thrown into the bottomless pit, that ultimate rat hole” (God Rest Ye Merry, p. 104).
No Traps Inside
“In giving a gift, you are attached to it. In receiving a gift, the blessing that comes to the giver is your chief delight. And the you that is attached to the gift that is given is either a gift just like the physical gift, or it is a booby-trapped box full of hidden emotional …
Christmas Telos
“Pain concentrates the mind. Pain tethers you to this world, and the rope is a stout one. But at the same time, the grace of God enables you to look along the pain, to look down the entire length of the trial, and to see the purpose and point of it all” (God Rest Ye …
So That’s How It Happens . . .
“But Christmas is not a ‘trouble-free’ season. We want the scrooges and grinches in our lives to be transformed by gentle snowfall, silver bells, beautifully arranged evergreens, hot cider, and carols being sung in the middle distance. But what happens when you gather together with a bunch of other sinners, and all of them have …
Albeit a Very Stately Finger
“As I’ve mentioned, by the time of the Reformation the ship of the church was absolutely covered with barnacles — saints days, and whatnot. The Reformers scraped virtually all of them off, keeping only what they called the ‘five evangelical feast days’ — Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. All five are related to …
Imprinted on Fudge
“Celebrate the stuff. Use fudge and eggnog and wine and roast beef. Use presents and wrapping paper . . . You do not prepare for a real celebration of the Incarnation through thirty days of Advent Gnosticism. At the same time, remembering your Puritan fathers, you must hate the sin while loving the stuff. Sin …
More Than a Technically Correct Christmas
“I mean much more than that our words should be true and our behavior good. I mean that our words should sound like good news and our lives should smell like good news” (God Rest Ye Merry, p. 88).