Presumption not Faith

April 7, 2020 By Darrell Lackey

From stories like these (here, here, and here), one could credibly assert that certain parts of the Christian church (evangelical/fundamentalist/Pentecostal) and their pastoral leadership are guilty of theological malpractice. While we might shake our heads at the profound ignorance and lack of wisdom displayed by the people in these stories, we should remember they are simply navigating by what their pastors and leaders are teaching them. As for the pastors in these stories, their seminary professors or the sources of... Read more

What the World Needs Now

April 1, 2020 By Darrell Lackey

We need a lot of things right now. We need a vaccine. We need ventilators. We need protective gear for our doctors and nurses. We need rent. We need economic help. We need science. We need medical judgment and wisdom. We need political leadership. We pray God speed for all these. We also need prayer and spiritual wisdom. We need to fast and pray. We need to repent. Some of these we have needed all along. I wonder if we... Read more

In Times of Crisis: We Are Our Prayers

March 21, 2020 By Darrell Lackey

Obviously, during a time like this, we need to be listening to the best medical, scientific, and governing voices out there. As any rational person can now attest, those voices do not include Fox News or the president. Do not listen to either. At this point, not listening to those voices will probably save lives. Consider this a public service announcement. We should also consider spiritual voices. After listening to all these however, beyond the requirements of simply being good... Read more

The Pecuniary Over Principle—Mammon Over Morality

March 12, 2020 By Darrell Lackey

I’ve started a fascinating book written by Eugene McCarraher, which asserts, among other things, that capitalism is the religion of modernity. Rather than a neutral or scientific economic system or understanding that simply corresponds to “natural” laws of human behavior, it is a metaphysical and theological view of exchange—or the relation of beings. Further, whereas the common view of modern times is one of disenchantment (Weber), our writer asserts, no, an enchanted or a sacramental world is always the case, but... Read more

Evangelism as Pathos and Concealment

February 18, 2020 By Darrell Lackey

I was reading a review of David B. Hart’s new book on universalism, which I’ve addressed in other contexts, here and here, when I came across these words: “Hell has always been a psychic method to obscure the subversive import of Christ’s command that we should love everyone as we love ourselves. Without the crutch of hell, we must contend with what that revolutionary egalitarianism means. It is to believe that every human being is so divine, every spirit so... Read more

What Did Jesus Get Upset About?

February 6, 2020 By Darrell Lackey

I’ve focused several times on the fact that evangelicals, in my opinion, get upset over the wrong things. This came into focus again this past Sunday with the reaction of some evangelicals to the Super Bowl half-time show. I didn’t see the half-time show as I was busy stuffing my face with great food and soothing adult beverages. However, I have now watched parts of it and read some of the complaints, notably addressed here. This one takes the cake... Read more

Al Mohler Misses the Point and Makes it—All at the Same Time

January 24, 2020 By Darrell Lackey

Albert Mohler is upset. He came across a New York Times essay he didn’t agree with. Further, he was offended. He felt the essay was condescending. And he felt many other things too, no doubt, and he spends most of his writing telling us about those other things. All good and well, but it’s hardly a reasoned response to the essay. The entire thing is a rant full of question-begging, non-sequiturs, and appeals to authority (sort of…). Those are all... Read more

Christian: We Don’t Have to Baptize Everything

January 11, 2020 By Darrell Lackey

One of the heresies of modern times is that we live in a two-story universe. Here below is the “natural” the material, the physical, and the “supernatural” belongs to the upper story, the heavens, the spiritual, that world we can’t touch or see. Of course, if one is an atheist, then it’s all a one-story universe, pure material/physical, pure matter-in-motion, whether up or down. Christian orthodoxy however believes the entire universe, existence, is, like the Incarnation, both. Like the atheist,... Read more

Leithart Makes A Poor Case for Keeping Trump

December 26, 2019 By Darrell Lackey

I respect Peter Leithart a great deal and have read several of his books. His writings were actually a helpful part of my journey out of funda-gelicalism. Unfortunately, one can still detect the right-wing, culture-war-training, he no doubt received at Hillsdale as an undergrad. From this response, it doesn’t appear his political views have caught up to his education. Regardless, he is a true scholar, a man for all seasons as they say. And this makes his rebuttal to Mark... Read more

Advent Meditation: Only Those in Darkness

December 8, 2019 By Darrell Lackey

Only those in darkness can see a great light. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2-) Only those who are burdened, who have felt the bar and the rod, who have been oppressed, can rejoice. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken... Read more