July 15, 2011
Beholding beauty releases us to share wealth. We saw this concept in Isaiah 60 on Sunday in the end-times vision of the nations seeing God’s glory reflected in his people and bringing their wealth to beautify God’s dwelling place. Of course, that day is still to come, but the principle holds true now. And since [...]
July 9, 2011
Isaiah 59, which we covered on Sunday morning, reveals a dynamic crucial for us to understand if we are to address issues of injustice biblically. Though it could have many names, we have called this dynamic “humble expectancy,” and see it expressed in four steps in Isaiah 59 regarding injustice. First, there is a confrontation [...]
May 6, 2011
The reactions to Osama bin Laden’s death have been mixed, whether the media was mainstream or social, the responders Christian or non-Christian, or the political affiliation Bush or Obama. The nature of the ambivalence is the question of how we should respond to his death. Are partying in the streets and beach balls and loud [...]
April 24, 2011
The crucifixion of Jesus that we commemorate today confronts us with powerful paradox. The Apostle Paul captured this in 1 Corinthians 1 by contrasting the foolishness and wisdom, the weakness and power that were simultaneously on display at the cross. We could add to that list that Jesus was both passive and proactive in his [...]
April 23, 2011
The crucifixion of Jesus that we commemorate today confronts us with powerful paradox. The Apostle Paul captured this in 1 Corinthians 1 by contrasting the foolishness and wisdom, the weakness and power that were simultaneously on display at the cross. We could add to that list that Jesus was both passive and proactive in his [...]
April 17, 2011
This “Palm” Sunday begins Holy Week, in which we commemorate the events that form the bedrock of our faith: the suffering, death, and resurrection of the God-man Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul emphasized the utter indispensability of these events when he wrote, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are [...]
April 10, 2011
The commercialization of Christmas is a double-edged sword. Negatively, the season seems helplessly mired in consumerism and materialism, having little to do with Christ. Yet there is a certain good cheer about each December that is hard to miss, and we can co-opt this sentiment and focus it on our joy over the Savior’s birth. [...]
April 4, 2011
“It’s only paranoia if they aren’t out to get you.” As a parent I feel something close to paranoia because of an even worse prospect: “It’s only paranoia if they aren’t out to get your children.” Recently I’ve been reading a few books about the way pornography is transforming our culture’s sexuality and assumptions about [...]
March 25, 2011
“You know, he didn’t like black people.” This is what one of my neighbors said about another neighbor who was moving. I have no idea whether this is accurate or not–he seemed friendly enough to our African-American neighbors and my African-American children. The deeper concern I had was that this allegedly racist neighbor professed to [...]
March 18, 2011
While most media outlets remain abuzz concerning radiation leaks in Japan and a no-fly zone in Lybia, the Evangelical online world has been teeming with discussion over Love Wins, a new book by influential pastor Rob Bell. I have not read the book and will not pretend to grasp his complete argument, but the reason [...]
