Good Material but Too Episodic and Superficial Albert Moehler is a Christian phenomenon. His presence for the good of God’s Kingdom seems to be everywhere, and finally he’s written a book. While I agree with almost all that Moehler has to say in “Culture Shift” I still don’t think it’s a great book. This is primarily because the book is divided up into 25 episodic chapters that have no overall theme except the vague one of “Culture Shift.” Since each... Read more
2 Peter 1:12-21 2 Peter 1:18-21 is perhaps the most important Scripture in Scripture about Scripture. In it, St. Peter tells us the value of Scripture, the origin of Scripture, and the way to guard Scripture. What we do together every morning in Daily Bread is utterly dependent upon what we believe about the Word of God. If, as some have suggested, 2 Peter is not inspired, then we are wasting our time in staking our lives upon what it... Read more
2 Peter 1:1-11 Is it just me – or does St. Peter in this passage deal with the same theme we just saw in Colossians – that God is absolutely sovereign and man is accountable before Him? Isn’t this another variation on the theme of God’s grace in our lives and the necessity of good work? If I didn’t know better, I’d think God was trying to tell us something and coordinating this whole thing! To me, the most extraordinary... Read more
2 Timothy 4:9-22 Because of the extraordinary ministry and character of St. Paul, it is possible at times to get the impression that Paul was in the ministry alone. But when you read passages like 2 Timothy 4:9ff, you realize how many co-laborers in the faith Paul really had. Of these, Timothy himself was probably the most important (at this stage of Paul’s ministry), but Titus, another important church leader is mentioned, as are the famous Prisca and Aquila. In... Read more
2 Timothy 4:1-8 Something about me rebels against the phrase “We’re all winners here” when used in the middle of an athletic competition where there are obviously losers. Maybe it comes from my years of watching the Chicago Cubs, but in a lot of human endeavors it sure doesn’t seem to me as if we are all winners. It seems like a vain attempt to hide the very fact that there are indeed losers in some aspects of human endeavor.... Read more
The Structural Definition of Anglicanism I began my last blog with the idea that in order to define adequately religious identities, it’s best to use complex and even multiple definitions. Last time I offered a normative definition of Anglicanism, a kind of definition which is especially helpful in defining religious identities more specifically. However, normative definitions of Anglicanism don’t quite capture all that it means to be Anglican. A second kind of definition of Anglicanism is what I am calling... Read more
2 Timothy 3 If you are reading these Give Us This meditations, then you probably already know the supreme importance of the Holy Scriptures. For many of us, it is something so deeply ingrained in us that it is as taken for granted as food or air. If you have been reading St. Paul’s two letters to St. Timothy, then it will have been impossible for you to miss the extraordinary importance that Paul places on the apostolic teaching and... Read more
2 Timothy 2:14-26 For years, I spent my life as a Christian focusing on some of the most obvious sins in my own life. It’s true, that the sin in our lives should be a daily focus, for without acknowledging our sins there can be no confession of sins or repentance, and without these, no man shall see God. But it dawned on me years later that instead of focusing on my sins and how I kept repeating them, I... Read more
Timothy 1:15-2:13 A lot of people dressed up last week for Halloween as a variety of monsters and other diverse personae. Many of us have secret fantasies about who we would really like to be, fantasies about archetypal roles such as heroes, athletes, actors, artists, warriors, kings, scientists, doctors, or entrepreneurs. What St. Paul is asking us to be this morning is a race of warrior-kings, united under the banner of the King of kings, in whose kingdom we train... Read more
2 Timothy 1:1-14 I want to discuss predestination and free will this morning. There – that ought to wake some of us up! All throughout St. Paul’s incredible opening to his second letter to Timothy he asserts, side by side, two fundamental truths of life in Christ. First, your salvation, your faith, and your good works are all by the grace of God that comes through Jesus Christ. Second, you are the one who is to actively keep this faith... Read more
Give Us This Day
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In