On:
In: Bible, Imago Dei, Reviews, Theology

In Chapter 5 of John Stott’s classic Basic Christianity, he moves from the person of Christ to the person of…well, me, and you, and all other “mere” humans. I say “mere” because, unlike Jesus who is “fully” human, we are “merely” human with an additional impediment called the “sin nature.”Read More

On:
In: Bible, Church, Culture, Divorce, Reviews

In Part 1 we noted that, contrary to some traditional teaching, there are biblical grounds for divorce and for re-marriage. This final post compares the teachings of Paul with that of Jesus, summarizes our findings, and offers some possible implications. Is Paul’s Teaching Consistent with Jesus’ Teaching? Comparing Mt. 5:31-32Read More

On:
In: Bible, Church, Culture, Divorce, Reviews

This is the first of two posts on the subject of divorce and re-marriage. More than ever these two issues are relevant given the reductionist view of marriage in our culture and the divorce rate in our country. Part 2 will compare Paul’s understanding with that of Jesus’, summarize theRead More

On:
In: N. T. Wright, Reviews, Theology

I have two observations from reading N. T. Wright’s response to John Piper in his latest book entitled, Justification: God’s Plan & Paul’s Vision: First, Piper views justification narrowly, as looking into a room through a key-hole. Wright swings the door wide open to view the entire room including allRead More

On:
In: Apologetics, Culture, Philosophy, Reviews

My good friend Louis McBride of Baker Book House offers a brief review of the upcoming Buddhism: A Christian Exploration and Appraisal authored by two towering Christian intellects, Keith Yandell (University of Wisconsin, Madison) and Harold Netland (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School). Although I’ve not yet read it, I’m confident itRead More

On:
In: Bible, Forgiveness, Reviews, Theology

A courageously corrective, biblically responsible, pastorally sensitive, and immensely practical gift has been given to the Church. Unpacking Forgiveness offers a long overdue look at forgiveness and Chris Brauns has provided a solid framework in which to understand this central doctrine of our Christian faith. Though not a full-blown theologyRead More

On:
In: Reviews, Theology

I confess. I’ve never seen one episode of Seinfeld or Desperate Housewives, nor have I watched a horror movie for almost 30 years. Moreover, I hardly read novels. For better or worse, I decided long ago that getting inside another’s imaginary world is, quite frankly, a waste of time when reality offers plenty of intrigue. My reading has been so academic for so long that I find it almost impossible to appreciate the world of fiction. (This is not to my credit, I have to admit.) Nevertheless, Young’s novel The Shack got my attention, as it has countless others, and I would like to say a few things about it.Read More