Month: February 2007

There is one place in scripture where the sheer greatness of the gospel is most profusely described: the blessing with which Paul opens the epistle to the Ephesians. Paul begins by praising God for the gift of the gospel, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with…

I was reading a book once in which the author, having made a great theological point, went on to say “we would do well to note this and remember it.” Now this was a famously feisty Swiss author, given to using exclamation points and double dashes throughout his prose. So “note this and remember it”…

William Wilberforce (1759-1833) admits in his Practical View that his definition of religion runs pretty close to what most people would call a definition of fanaticism (or, in 18th-century terminology, enthusiasm). He calls religion the implantation of a vigorous and active principle; it is seated in the heart, where its authority is recognized as supreme,…

The William Wilberforce movie is coming out, and I hear it’s pretty good. Here’s hoping the movie is at least good enough to get William Wilberforce back in the public eye. Wilberforce is justly famous as a man of action, and his legislative victories in the cause of justice are the thing we should never…

This morning I stopped at Starbucks to get a cup of “survival juice.” I had a class to teach, and I need the pick-me-up. If you have ever purchased a cup of coffee at Starbucks you have noticed that for the last few years Starbucks has printed on the sides of their cups thoughts and…

John Teter’s 2003 book Get the Word Out: How God Shapes and Sends His Witnesses is a great little introduction to evangelism. Teter is obviously very (veryvery) passionate, but he writes with a disarming breeziness. He develops his ideas through stories and personal illustrations, so by the time you’re done with the book (an easy…

As Christians we often feel like God should take care of all of our immediate needs—immediately. I often find myself praying for a quick fix to my little problems. I easily find myself frustrated with the difficulties that are a part of living on this mortal plane. I have been reading the book of Job…

For Lent this year, I have decided to give up the liturgical calendar. It’s a big sacrifice, but I think I will learn a lot from this voluntary abstention. Could somebody please e-mail me when it’s time to start up again? That would be a big help.

CS Lewis believed in what is called the “correspondence theory of truth.” It is not clear that he would have called it that, but it was obvious from the way that he wrote and spoke that he believed in and was devoted to the truth. The correspondence theory of truth holds that truth is an…

Since at least the time of Nietzsche, a major objection to Christian faith has been that it is bad for the human spirit generally, and the imagination in particular. It produces people with tiny souls, content to monger prooftexts, take everything on authority, stay on the surface of life, and investigate nothing. Pat answers satisfy…