Are Young People Leaving the Church? Probably Not
Post One in the series “A Church for the Next Generation” The church, we are told, is graying rapidly. Churches in rural areas are shrinking as Americans migrate to the cities, while churches in urban areas are not the bastions of ethnic and religious solidarity they once were. One Philadelphia church, its congregation having dwindled […]
Build the Wall?
What should Christians think of building “The Wall”? Conservative think-tank PragerU has produced a video giving some very practical reasons for building a border wall between America and Mexico. But, as Christians, we should not be “conservative” or “libertarian,” unanchored to our Christian convictions. Our constant refrain should be, “What does the Bible say?” For […]
Religion Reassignment Surgery
The Church of England has been cowed. We’ve known this for years, but it is rapidly capitulating and scrambling to “origami” itself into something that will appease the sensibilities of the culture. Rev. Chris Newlands is proposing a motion to the General Synod next month to debate the issue of “rechristening” for transgender-benders. After he […]
Rob Bell’s “What is the Bible?” Part 3
In chapter one, “Moses and His Moisture,” Bell sets a precedent for how he argues in for the rest of the book. The two biggest problems he has are that, with a single exception in the whole book, he does not provide any citation for obscure cultural or linguistic facts he refers to, and he […]
Education as Worship: It’s Not Classical, It’s Christian
Classical education has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in both Christian and secular schools. The Association of Classical Christian Schools is just over 20 years old and has members around the world. Secular educators have noted the success of the classical method, and now classical charter schools are popping up all over the country. The […]
Rob Bell’s “What is the Bible?” Part 2
In the introduction to “What is the Bible?” Bell clearly indicates he is a fan of good exegesis and scholarship. “So I went to seminary, and I studied Greek and Hebrew (the two languages the Bible was originally written in), and I studied history and hermeneutics and exegesis and form and textual criticism— all so […]
You Got Pregnant. You’re Keeping Your Baby. Now, the Media is Exploiting You.
But this isn’t just about Maddi Runkles anymore. When a controversy between Christians makes The Washington Post and The New York Times, you know that a power play is going on. Secular media aren’t interested in the plights of pregnant girls who choose abortion–it’s not news. It’s news when a girl courageously and publicly chooses life. But the real reason we’re seeing this in the news? It’s meant to make you think the Pro-Life movement is inconsistent with the Christian belief in chastity, and that this invalidates both beliefs.
Rob Bell’s “What Is the Bible?”
Rob Bell’s new book “What is the Bible?” seems to be on a trajectory that will cause a stir in American evangelicalism. His book requires a response, but I think a few words need to be said first about why responding to him is necessary. Rob Bell is a controversial and influential figure and has […]
Is Our Galaxy Worth Guarding? (A Sort-Of-Not-Really Movie Review)
It is true that nobody makes a new earth without first making a new heaven. – G. K. Chesterton (Ffinch 1986, 278) I have recently been wondering, if I were to travel to Krypton, would the sun give me superpowers? Or would Krypton’s sun, being red and therefore older and cooler, deplete my powers? The way chunks of Krypton […]
Defense Spending: What’s another $54 billion between friends?
For a thought experiment, next time you are reading Psalm 20, when you read “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God,” do a little mental modernization and change the words to “Some trust in Strike Eagles and others trust in Warthogs.”
Does the Church Fail the Uneducated?
The church in America has in part given way to a social club that maintains the apparatus of Christianity while providing different social classes, from the lower middle class on up, respectability and community. This respectability and community sometimes comes at the cost of exclusion of the poor and less-educated.
When the People Cheer – Strip-Clubs and Black Thought’s Poetic Insight
On The Roots newest album ‘. . . and then you shoot your cousin,” one of the most powerful tracks is ‘When the People Cheer.’ Each stanza is written from a different perspective. The third stanza, Black Thought’s stanza, is written from the perspective of a sex addict that has reached both a financial and existential low because he is enslaved to sexual pleasures. He knows that what he is doing is wrong, but he can no longer resist the strip clubs. He turns in to an after-hours joint to blow his last dollar on a lap dance.
Does the OT Teach the Doctrine of Trinity?
The doctrine of the Trinity is summarized by seven basic propositions: 1. The Father is God. (Phil. 1:2, Eph. 4:6) 2. The Son is God. (Col. 2:9, Phil. 1:2) 3. The Holy Spirit is God. (2 Cor. 3:17, Acts 5:3-4) 4. The Father is not the Son. (John 10:30, Phil. 2:9) 5. The Son is […]
Why Trump’s Airstrike in Syria Was Unbiblical
CNN reported on April 7th, 2017, that “The United States launched a military strike Thursday on a Syrian government airbase in response to a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians earlier in the week. On President Donald Trump’s orders, US warships launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the airbase that was home to […]
Which Bible?
Recently, this video recirculated, and those posting it were chest thumping at the smackdown this clip gives to Bible believing Christians. I thought I would take this opportunity to point out an inescapable fact that sentiments like this try to dodge. The fictional President Bartlet, in this clip, dresses down an apparent Bible-believer for ascribing to, […]