Over at ABC news is this excellent interview with atheist philosopher Alan de Botton on what atheists can learn from religion. Only 8 minutes, do watch it! Read more

Out any day now is this bodacious biblical studies bonanza: Earliest Christian History History, Literature, and Theology. Essays from the Tyndale Fellowship in Honor of Martin Hengel Edited by by Michael F. Bird and Jason Maston Martin Hengel (1926-2009) was a historian of the early church and ancient Judaism. His influence extended through his many publications, research students, conference participation, and ecclesiastical work. His scholarly legacy was honoured by a conference at Tyndale House in July 2010 with a number... Read more

My good friend and fellow pastor in Student Ministry and one of the Teaching Pastors at Christ Community Church, Eric Ferris, has developed a website called The Lent Experience. The website is a video blog designed to help people practice Lent and rediscover the significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus personally.  Eric provides a weekly video post during the season of Lent in which he presents a weekly challenge to practice particular spiritual disciplines as a means to... Read more

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, for ever and ever. Amen. Read more

Rodney Stark and Byron Johnson have an article in The Wallstreet Journal about religion in America. They note that atheism is not surging and young people are not leaving the church in the droves that everyone thought. Read more

What is a Lenten spirituality? Lenten spirituality is baptismal spirituality. Lent orders your spiritual life around the theology of baptism. In Ancient Future Time, Robert Webber tells us that the roots of the Lent are to be found in the early church’s baptism preparation.  In the early centuries of the church, baptism of adult converts was a major event in the life of the church. In preparation for baptism, which usually coincided with the celebration of Easter, Catechumens (those preparing... Read more

Robert Webber in his book Ancient Future Time writes of Lent the following.  Does Webber’s experience reflect your own in the Protestant and evangelical church? How can we recover a Lenten spirituality without failing into the trap of empty ritual? For most people coming from my background, an Ash Wednesday service and Lent are quite foreign and somewhat threatening. The Christmas cycle is much less threatening because Christmas themes are so prevalent within our culture. Also, because the secularization of... Read more

Found this interesting article about the growth of evangelical churches in France including a Hillsong church plant in Paris. See also an earlier CT piece on religion in France from 2005. Read more

William Dalton (“The Meaning of “We” in Galatians.” ABR 38 (1990): 33-44) studies the use of “we” in Galatians within a new interpretive framework of Paul that represents a “re-appraisal . . . [of] his relationship with Israel” (35). His interpretation begins with the assumption that Paul’s audience is pagan Gentile Christian with absolutely no Jewish representation among the recipients. This assumption is based on two even more basic assumptions. First, he assumes that Acts is unreliable as a source... Read more

James M. Hamilton Revelation: The Spirit Speaks to the Churches Ed. R. Kent Hughes Crossway: Wheaton, IL, 2012 Available Amazon.com. (and for Kindle). This book is an exposition of Revelation based on a series of sermon’s preached at Kenwood Baptist Church in Louisville, KY. It reads very easily with a definite verbal feel and gives good explanations and exhortations, but without going into the minutia of academic debate. Hamilton writes in a format that covers the need of the audience,... Read more