2 Corinthians 12:1-13 Sometimes I want to be the apostle Paul and other times I don’t. Who cannot but hope for such visions and revelations as Paul had, and who cannot help desiring to be caught up into the third heaven? Of course, with such visions and revelations go the kind of persecution we read about yesterday, as well as Paul’s infamous thorn in the flesh. I would talk more about Paul’s visions, except that I’ve had none like them... Read more
2 Corinthians 11:16-33 While Jesus Christ is, of course, the ultimate superhero, St. Paul should definitely be seen as a hero. I could go into a discussion of how Paul can be seen as a hero in classical terms – but I’ll spare you. But by almost any definition, Paul is a hero and should be considered as such. Here are a few definitions of “hero”: 1. In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed... Read more
Anglicanism is Reformed The one central thing I’ve wanted to have you see in my writings about Anglicanism is that Anglicanism is, at heart, Reformed Catholicism. In my last blog, I discussed the Catholic identity of Anglicanism and re-asserted another central idea: that “Reformed” is an adjective and “Catholic” is a noun. My examination of the Catholic identity of Anglicanism led me into a discussion of “catholicity,” which I defined as the faith once delivered to the saints. This faith... Read more
2 Corinthians 11:1-15 In the past 10 chapters we have heard and seen in action the extraordinary lengthsSt. Paulgoes to minister to the Corinthian church in love. What is Paul’s secret to being so faithful and so dedicated, in spite of incredible difficulties and suffering? It is this: that he sees the Corinthian church as the very Bride of Jesus Christ. This requires the exercise of the religious imagination, which is so closely related to faith. In our lives we... Read more
2 Corinthians 10 Whether we acknowledge it or not, every day we are in the middle of a great spiritual war. Because we grew up in the middle of this war and have gotten used to the sounds and smells of war; because we were born on the wrong and losing side of the war and still have some allegiances to the other side; and because the war is everywhere – we often don’t recognize it for what it is.... Read more
Gives a Vision and Stories of How to be a Virtuous Man A lot of us have figured out that there is a lack of male leadership in our culture these days. It’s easy to lament this fact but more difficult to do something about it. William Bennett, the compiler of the excellent Book of Virtues, has done something about the need for real men in our culture. He’s compiled a book, The Book of Man, that offers a great... Read more
Simple, Useful Introduction to Christian Spirituality Alister McGrath is a prolific Evangelical Anglican scholar. He’s written on a wide variety of subjects related to Christianity, ranging from very scholarly works to popular works. “Christian Spirituality” occupies the middle ground: it can be used as a brief reference for more serious study but is also accessible by the literate laymen. McGrath is a reliable scholar who understands theology and church history and writes from the perspective of one who is himself... Read more
Has Led Many to Use and Celebrate the Spiritual Disciplines Richard Foster has served the Church and Christians well by writing this book, “Celebration of Discipline.” Modern Christians have so separated their head knowledge from their heart knowledge and behavior that our faith is weak. It’s no wonder that many people are leaving the faith or that the behavior of Christians doesn’t match what they say they believe. One of the things missing from the contemporary church is discipline, the... Read more
Addiction and Virtue – Kent Dunnington Very Important Christian Understanding of Addiction and Its Meaning “Addiction and Virtue” is a book lover’s dream. It’s a book with a big and important idea, presented in an original thesis, and compellingly argued. What Kent Dunnington has done is to provide us with an extremely important book about the nature and meaning of addiction. In recent decades, the concept of addiction has grown to be a dominant way of understanding what it means... Read more
2 Corinthians 9 “God loves a cheerful giver.” We’ve all heard this before, usually at the very time we are not being a cheerful giver and don’t want to hear it. But it’s true: God loves a cheerful giver. This simple but powerful statement could be used as a blunt instrument to pressure someone into giving – but then the giving probably wouldn’t be done very cheerfully. I happen to think God likes uncheerful givers, who at least are giving... Read more
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