“Theocracy is not, however, to be confused with ‘theocracy’ or any other form of government contained within scare quotes, to which I am unalterably opposed” (Empires of Dirt, p. 4).
Taking or Giving
“Augustus insisted that taxes be paid to him. Christ came down to insist that the fundamental payment be made by Him” (God Rest Ye Merry, p. 149).
Still Necessary
“The window might be dirty because of sin, but we all still need to see through it” (Writers to Read, p. 143).
Each End of the Box
“We don’t know for certain that there were three wise men—that is simply an inference from the three types of gifts they brought (Mt. 2:11). There could have been six wise men, for all we know—one for each end of the box” (God Rest Ye Merry, p. 146).
Especially Creative Writer Types
“Even creative writer types need to have their metaphorical knuckles rapped by a schoolmarm using the yardstick of grammar” (Writers to Read, pp. 138-139).
Ruling From the Manger
“Christ was born in the city of David, but was born in an impoverished household. He was born there because of the decree of the richest man in the world, and so was already ruling from the manger” (God Rest Ye Merry, p. 140).
Just Like That
“It is like watching Fred Astaire joining in on a line dance” (Writers to Read, p. 133).
High to Low
“Consider the glory of it all. ‘Glory in the highest’ is sung to dirty and despised men in a field—glory in the highest comes down to the lowest” (God Rest Ye Merry, p. 129).
Didn’t Happen at All, In Fact
“If instead of the Mongol Invasion of Europe in the thirteenth century, we could simply have had free chocolate milk for everyone involved, that would have been much nicer. But it also wasn’t one of the options. It kind of didn’t happen” (Writers to Read, p. 128).
The Same Story
“We forget that Rachel weeping for her slaughtered children is very much a part of the Christmas story—as much a part of it as the shepherds, and the angels, and the star, and the wise men. This is a story of the infants who were butchered by a tyrannical king, and the one infant who …