On March 17, I’ll be speaking at North Point Community Church in Atlanta, primarily to their Starting Point leaders. I’ll be speaking about the nature of the gospel and how we can best engage our culture. North Point has made this event available to a limited outside audience for a modest fee. So, if you’re interested, please visit this site and click on the Starting Point Training link under “Events” to register. I hope to see you there! Read more
The psalmist believes God is righteous and has spoken words in Torah that are right and that can guide God’s people. But those two convictions are at odds with others: they evidently don’t believe either of his convictions. How does he respond? Here are his words: |inline Read more
Here’s my simple contention: if you believe God is in control of all, then you are driven to think either (1) that catastrophes are divine judgments or (2) that God has surrendered “control” to cosmic or human forces. When 9/11 occurred, many of us watched with horror, pondered, and prayed, but very few of us had the moxie to think we “knew” what God was doing. When the tsunami devasted the Pacific coastlines, when the earthquake jolted Iran, or when... Read more
This is part two of RJS’s review of Vern Poythress, Redeeming Science. Vern Poythress in his book Redeeming Science begins with a thoroughly Christian worldview. God is the creator of the world. Everything came into being by Him and through Him (Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1-3). God revealed Himself and reveals Himself through special revelation (scripture) and general revelation (providence and nature, laws of physics …). We all know however, that the real sticking point is the apparent conflict between... Read more
Not only are the mishpatim — commands, rulings, judgments — of God right, but also the adot — statutes — are righteous. God is right — he is a righteous God. Therefore, what God says is right — what God commands and the rulings God lays down: they, too, are right. Implication? |inline Read more
The news story coming out today that they have found the tomb of Jesus, that Jesus was married to a woman named Mary (presumed then to be Mary Magdalene), and that they had a son named Judah, will surely raise all kinds of questions and problems. I haven’t seen the evidence, but I will be studying what I can find. Here are my first two questions: |inline Read more
There is a movement underway, in some places quite significant and in others not yet significant, but it seems to be growing. It can threaten, it can transform, and it can provoke. It is called “new monasticism.” I’m wondering if you are encountering it or encountering Christians who are pondering the new monasticism. What do you know about it? ny issues? What is it? Here’s a brief on it: |inline Read more
Tripp Fuller and Zach Roberts, two leaders for the campus ministries at University of North Carolina-Greensboro, invited Tony Jones and me to the campus this weekend for a “conversation” on Keeping Jesus Revolutionary. Here are some random thoughts and happenings: |inline Read more
Psalm 119:137-144, each verse beginning with the Hebrew letter tsade, revolves around familiar themes for those who read Psalm 119: the Law of God is right, the psalmist is committed to observing the Law of God, his enemies are a nuisance, and he pleads with God to understand the Law. In part because the letter is tsade, the psalmist focuses this section on God being right (tsadiq) and therefore his Word being right. |inline Read more
Kris and I are in Greensboro, NC. I’ll post about our event at UNC Greensboro early this week, but I must mention this. Our flight Saturday night back to Chicago was cancelled — bad weather in Chicago. So, we called our son, Lukas. He’s in the area — where’s he staying? No kidding. At the hotel near the Greensboro airport — so we’ll get to spend time with Luke while we wait for a plane flight home today. Read more
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