8
Mar
2021
Yet Another Question of Discernment: Binary Assessments
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As a professor and occasional interim pastor, I routinely hear a question (or something like it): “Is __________ (fill in the blank with any popular author, radio/TV preacher, apologist, musician) a good guy or a bad guy?” Often the question is asked in passing with the assumption that I can flash a simple thumbs up/thumbs... Read More
24
Feb
2021
What Counts as Religious Persecution?
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You may have heard about the pastor in Alberta, James Coates, who has been arrested recently in connection with his church’s gathering as a whole for worship (without masks or distancing), which violates the current government restrictions. You can see some details (and slightly different perspectives) here and here. My goal here is not to... Read More
12
Feb
2021
15 Signs You Are in a Loving Marriage
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A while back I saw Oprah magazine had a list of 16 signs you may be in a loveless marriage (with the obvious assumption that love is something a person can fall in to or out of). Since this is a time in which many people are thinking about loving relationships, I’d like to offer... Read More
1
Feb
2021
What Shall We Think of Special Providence?
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A few weeks ago Doug Wilson outlined a solution to the “problem of prayer” in the face of divine sovereignty by championing the idea of special providence. Wilson is not, of course, the first to express this idea, but he does so uniquely and well, and is deserving of a response. Simply explained, since God is absolutely sovereign, he... Read More
27
Jan
2021
The Offense of Grace
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No one hates grace, do they? Who would ever be offended by a free gift? After calling a tax collector to follow Him, Jesus invited tax collectors and sinners to eat a meal with him (Mark 2:15–17). Jesus was showing grace to the outcasts. Tax collectors and sinners were well-known for their evil. Many tax... Read More
19
Jan
2021
Dr. McCabe on Exodus 21:22-25 and Abortion
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According to the World Heath Organization, over 42 million abortions were performed across the globe in 2020, making abortion the leading cause of death. This Friday marks the 48th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States. Though Christians should be united in condemning this moral atrocity,... Read More
15
Jan
2021
“Remember Those Who Taught You the Word of God.”
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Pastor Richard A. Harris (1934–2021) was the pastor of my youth. By God’s grace and through his efforts the Bethel Baptist Church of Sellersville, PA, was chartered in 1962 in an unlikely patch of Bucks County that, despite the otherwise booming growth of that county, has remained delightfully undeveloped. Despite what would be considered by... Read More
12
Jan
2021
Review: Finding the Right Hills to Die on
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I recently read Finding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case for Theological Triage by Gavin Ortlund. The concept of theological triage (coined by Albert Mohler, as far as I know) concerns categorizing doctrinal matters such that some are recognized as more vital than others. For instance, on all orthodox accounts, the divinity of... Read More
4
Jan
2021
Another Question of Discernment
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In my last blog post I addressed the irrational distrust that is increasingly plaguing religious and political conservatives. Specifically, I suggested that we ask of our theories about, say, mask mandates, social distancing, and vaccines, “Why would all these people be doing what I have convinced myself that they’re doing?” Specifically, For what logical reason would... Read More
15
Dec
2020
A Question of Discernment
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About 25 years ago I was privileged to take several seminary courses that focused on the science of textual criticism. Textual criticism was really important in those days because epic battles were then raging over texts and translations as the King James Version lost its ascendancy in conservative Christian circles. Textual criticism is still important,... Read More