Category: Blog
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In memoriam: A.M. (Donald) Allchin
A.M. Allchin’s is one of those names that you run across all the time, in many different contexts, and you ask yourself: who is this man? As it turns out, Allchin was quite a man and he appears to have known most of the biggest names in Anglican, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox circles over…
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A Triune God We Own
Trinitarian Evangelicalism From Days of Old, entry #3,827 in an endless series: Joseph Irons (1785-1852) and his hymns: WE sing the FATHER’s love– We trust the SAVIOUR’s grace; The HOLY SPIRIT’s power we prove, Amidst the chosen race. We give the FATHER praise– We glorify the SON– We bless the SPIRIT for his grace, Which…
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How Big the Gospel Is
Look at the nifty quotes that are being passed around Twitter lately, from my book The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything: A set of statements from the bottom of page 106, which sound better to me when somebody else tweets them at me than they did when I wrote them: A…
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Spend a Year in the Bible
Justin Taylor recently made the post-to-end-all-posts about Bible reading plans; he has links there for just about every kind of approach you can imagine. Too many options? No. A vacuum cleaner salesman once told me that out of all the vacuums on the market, the best one is the one you will actually use on…
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Staying at Big Hotels: C.S. Lewis vs. The Great Books
Once upon a time, somebody asked C. S. Lewis to choose a list of the best books ever written, and he declined. He said he wasn’t qualified. He also said it was a bad idea to make a list of greatest books. And finally, he insisted that if you did make such a list, you…
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Remembering 2010
‘My theme is memory, that winged host that soared about me one grey morning of war-time. ‘These memories, which are my life – for we possess nothing certainly except the past – were always with me. Like the pigeons of St. Mark’s, they were everywhere, under my feet, singly, in pairs, in little honey-voiced congregations,…
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Striving Toward Being: Milosz Writes to Merton from Berkeley
In 1958, Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk, wrote a fan letter to Czeslaw Milosz, the Polish poet. Milosz knew some of Merton’s writings, and replied to the letter. The two struck up a correspondence that lasted for a decade, until Merton’s death in 1968. Those letters, fascinating for anyone who likes either or both of…
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Berkeley: Frowners and Scolders, Neurotic Geniuses and Rapt Madwomen
This week my family is visiting friends in Berkeley, California; returning to that strange little city where we lived for four years in the late 90’s and have visited with students every summer since. Berkeley’s easy to make fun of, but also easy to love. Everybody there cares passionately about what they care about, even…
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Let God Speak in Evangelism: A Lesson from Wesley and Torrey
There are many lines of connection between John Wesley (1703-1791) and R. A. Torrey (1856-1928), but when I was asked recently to speak to an evangelism class about lessons from these two great evangelists, I knew immediately what they had in common. They both understood that the most important thing an evangelist can do is…
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Most Helpful Books on Hebrews
Last semester I got to study and teach the book of Hebrews. As I clean off my desk in these days between semesters, I’m returning Hebrews commentaries to my shelves and to the library. I used and consulted about 30 books, but here are the six that proved themselves to be the most helpful week…
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"That Great Antecedent to Bethlehem"
Though it’s slightly unseasonal in the sense that we’re now two days after Christmas, this Christmas sermon by H.C.G. Moule is about the great thing that lies behind Christmas: the Son’s self-consecration to carry out the Father’s will for saving us. It is always the right time to ponder that. This sermon is from about…
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Happy Birthday, Charles Hodge
Today (December 27) is the birthday of Charles Hodge (1797-1878), who deserves a place on the short list of greatest American theologians. His reputation precedes him, making it hard to know what to write about him: Backbone of Princeton orthodoxy, pillar of Reformed theology, icon of Protestant principle, author of the influential 3-volume Systematic Theology,…