Romans 5:12-21 proves to be one of the key texts in any discussion of science and faith these days, and the problem hits full force with v. 12: Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned– (Ro 5:12 NASB) The issue of course is death – what is this death spread to all men through the sin of Genesis 3? Our scientific understanding... Read more
The third chp of Jean Twenge’s book, Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled–and More Miserable Than Ever Before, concerns this theme: “You can be anything you want to be.” Her concern is research on the growing primacy of the individual. Her study was on 81,384 high school and college students and dealt with “agency” (measures assertiveness, dominance, independence, and self-promotion). “Between the 1970s and the 1990s, both young men’s and women’s agency increased markedly, with... Read more
Let’s put in our orders, before this gets out of hand, for funds from the stimulus package since it is really “our” money we are lending out. Chrysler and GM are already asking for more, a mere 21.6 billion dollars, so I thought we’d open up the lines for requests. What do you need that will stimulate your economy? Read more
There are many today who advocate specific diets — more organic food, no pork, no shrimp, etc — on the basis of the Bible. One can go back to the Bible for such things to carry out a number of agendas, but no longer … Nathan MacDonald, a professor in Scotland, has just published a book that challenges many claims being made today and this book can be read with profit by anyone who: 1. Makes claims about a “biblical... Read more
James exhorted the messianists to face their exploitation with some courage and faith and to see through the exploitation, which they were incapable of resisting, to something they could get out of it. So he tells them to face the trials with “joy.” 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,... Read more
We are looking at the rise of the NeoReformed; we began Monday and this is part two. The NeoReformed movement of which I speak is an attempt to capture evangelicalism, redefine it by some clearly-defined doctrines that are Reformed, and kick the rest of us — and there are lots more “of us” than the NeoReformed — off the village green. When we are in need of profound degrees of cooperation (as we see in someone like J.I. Packer), we... Read more
James Nicodem, pastor at Christ Community Church in St. Charles Illinois, gives the church a gift in his book about learning to pray: Prayer Coach: For All Who Want to Get Off the Bench and onto the Praying Field . A few words come to mind when I think of this book: it is practical, it is encouraging, it is manly, and it is honest. Practical: I know I’ve not seen any books that give so many concrete, practical steps... Read more
What do you think? Dear Scot, I wondered if you might do some blog posts addressing this (or maybe you have some past posts addressing this that I’ve missed and you could link me to). Growing up in a typical conservative evangelical home and church in the 80’s, I was exposed to pretty standard dispensational teaching – Thief in the Night movies, novels about the rapture and tribulation, fearing I’d be ‘left behind’, reading Revelation into current world events, etc…... Read more
James, brother of Jesus, offers us wisdom. He opens his letter with a very typical greeting and then dives right in with these words: 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. This verse has been a favorite of positive thinking; it has shaped some to form Christian... Read more
John Calvin of course was one of the principal leaders of the reformation in the 1500’s. Calvin got many things right and, like everyone, many things wrong. In the protestant church in general and in the more reformed branch of modern evangelicalism in particular we benefit from his insights and we have payed and are paying a price for some of his errors. John Calvin wrote a commentary on Genesis – and his commentary I think sheds light on the... Read more
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