22
Dec
2016
“Peace, Peace” When There Is No Peace (Repost)
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One of the more troubling mis-translations in the history of English Bible translation (at least in terms of its popular acceptance and impact) is the King James rendering of Luke 2:14 as “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Despite the fact that nearly every modern translation has... Read More
19
Dec
2016
Spiritual Bumblepuppies: Technology and Personal Presence
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Is technology killing our sanctification? Recently I was excited to attend a sacred Christmas concert. Soaring Christmas music combined with splendid orchestration and lush decoration created a unique visual and auditory experience. Elegant Christmas programs are annual events that we often anticipate long in advance. A fitting celebration of Christ and Christmas. Yet I was... Read More
15
Dec
2016
Making Room for the Mission: Discipleship and Church Planting
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To be “Christian” is to be a disciple (learner, apprentice, understudy) of Jesus Christ. We watch, learn, and then imitate. Jesus’ ministry was marked by the proclamation of the good news of the Kingdom of God. He called people everywhere to repent and believe, to be reconciled into submission to God. Paul tells us we... Read More
13
Dec
2016
“Bone of My Bones”: A Theology of Marriage in One Sentence
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The very first recorded words of Adam have sometimes been the stuff of jokes—the words of a lovestruck fellow who has seen a beautiful woman for the first time: “Look what became of my bone!” he seems to say: “Whoa, Man!” But on closer look, Adam’s words communicate something far more significant than first meets... Read More
8
Dec
2016
An Attempt at Biblical Theology in Poetic Verse
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I think it’s fair to say that art can reach the inner person quicker than an outline (though perhaps “art” is a strong word for my poem!). That is the thrust behind this attempt to summarize the storyline of the Bible. My goal was to produce something that would arrest the reader with the brilliance and intricacy... Read More
6
Dec
2016
Is ‘Divine Accommodation’ a Trojan Horse for Weakened Biblical Inerrancy?
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Last month my colleagues and I had the opportunity to attend the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (for more on the purpose and value, as well as the shortcomings of ETS, see Dr. Snoeberger’s recent blog post). Although I attend the conference for a variety of reasons, a primary aim is to listen... Read More
1
Dec
2016
Developing the Skill of Reading: How to Read a Book
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If you were to rate the importance of reading on a scale of 1-10, how would you rate it? Of course, as people of the Book, I trust you would rate it fairly high. If so, let me ask a second question, When was the last time you read a book about the skill of... Read More
29
Nov
2016
The Gift of Being Stuck With One Another
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You’re driving to church on a hurried Sunday morning and it hits you… You realize that you’re going to have to see “that person.” The wound from their careless words is still fresh and a chill hangs in the air between you. Your Sunday plans suddenly become a strategy to avoid “that person” without making it obvious... Read More
23
Nov
2016
Abortion and Logic
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Over at the Gospel Coalition website, Justin Taylor just posted a short and incisive critique of abortion. In my opinion, his broad treatment of the issue is one of the best ways to converse with those who disagree. It takes a position that nearly everyone on the other side agrees with (i.e., we are not... Read More
22
Nov
2016
Some Thoughts on Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society
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Every year about this time we get a spate of blog posts from within fundamentalism and elsewhere about the viability of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) in view of (1) its skimpy doctrinal basis, (2) its tendency to the speculative and esoteric in its workshop offerings, (3) its broad inclusion of members whose theological positions... Read More