It snowed big time here in Chicago this week, and snow reminds us where we live and why (and for some how long, O Lord?). Rules for snow in Chicago: So what other acts of mercy can you do as part of the snow angel challenge? Let’s start with what not to do. — Don’t shovel your snow in front of someone else’s car or stoop. — Don’t race past a slushy curb and pelt pedestrians with slop. — Don’t... Read more

By Allan Bevere From the time that the first humans became self-aware realizing that there was more beyond themselves, they have searched for knowledge. We want to know. The pursuit of knowledge is a noble endeavor, and as long as we are seeking to know, we need to seek wisdom as well. Once we human beings acquired the knowledge of good and evil, we needed wisdom to use our knowledge for the good. Human history has demonstrated that while much... Read more

https://soundcloud.com/user-212639123/reading-revelation-questions-edition-part-2-kr-81 Read more

Michael Kruger, a fellow NT professor (though he does the admin thing too!), has an insightful analysis of what he calls a deconversion story, and he focused his article on the shift of Jen Hatmaker. Thoughts? From Michael Kruger’s blog, Canon Fodder: When it comes to reaching the “lost,” one of the most tried-and-true methods is the personal conversion story.  Whether done privately or publicly, it’s compelling to hear a person’s testimony about how they came to believe in the... Read more

By Geoff Holsclaw is a professor of theology at Northern Seminary and pastor at Life on the Vine Christian Church. He is writing a book with his wife about how God’s presence WITH us allows us to be FOR the world. Today we are encouraged to follow our feelings to determine what is right and wrong. We are called to be authentic in deciding what is good and evil, even if—especially if—it conflicts with traditional religious norms. But can we just invent... Read more

In two words, “sphere sovereignty.” That Craig Bartholomew, in Contours of the Kuyperian Tradition,  has a full chapter on Kuyperian sphere sovereignty shows (to me at least) his attunement to the issues still alive today but also to the issues Kuyper himself was facing. First, the context for Kuyper’s theory of sphere sovereignty: The overwhelming background of Kuyper’s concept of sphere sovereignty is the reconstruction of nations and societies that developed out of the Enlightenment. [revolutionary starting all over again] … Their... Read more

Kris is a psychologist and it is precisely this kind of utterly mistaken theology that generates more problems for Christians than solutions. I’m told this was sent out by the Desiring God folks. And they have posted something along the line of a request that this tweet be read in a larger context: Here And here My request would be a direct post by John Piper on what was meant by that tweet in context, and a consideration that the... Read more

By Chris Seidman John Cassis served as a chaplain for the Chicago Bears during some of their better years in the 80’s. He tells a story about their coach, Mike Ditka, who was addressing the team in the locker room before a game. In the course of his talk, Ditka asked defensive tackle William “Refrigerator” Perry to lead the team in the Lord’s Prayer when he was done with his comments. Jim McMahon, their outspoken quarterback, elbowed Cassis. “Look at... Read more

Just in case you think an interpretation of Scripture can’t go wrong and stay wrong, think about Romans 16:7 and the story of Junia. She was a woman whose name was changed to Junias because, so it was believed, the person was an apostle and an apostle can’t be a woman. So some males changed the woman into a man and, presto, we got a man named Junias. The problem is that there is no evidence for a male name... Read more