I didn’t think I’d get to a second part until tomorrow, but I just got the book for review, so here we go. In this second installment we will look briefly at what DA Carson says positively about the Emergent movement. I am sad to say that I’ve seen some bloggers jump on his case before they have listened to him, and they are doing just what they are accusing him of doing. Whether or not some Emergent folk think... Read more
As I told Andrew Jones in my blog at his site, I am a former colleague of DA Carson’s at TEDS; I had the office next to his for years; he is my friend; I consider him an expert; I do not have the book but I am in contact with those who know what is in it. I can sketch here only the briefest summaries of what is there, and I am encouraging everyone to buy it. And I... Read more
One of the more than 58,000 (count ‘em) names on the War Memorial to the Vietnam Veterans in Washington, D.C., is Barry Armstrong. We weren’t close, but we did play sandlot baseball together at the Little League field in Read Park in Freeport, Illinois. Boys who play pick-up games together are forever joined and so, when I saw Barry’s name on the Memorial, I was stirred far more deeply than I anticipated. “What would have become of him?” It hurt,... Read more
Alan Jacobs, in his brilliantly written and wide-ranging book, A Theology of Reading, makes a simple point that has sent my mind reeling and my heart into confession and prayer. Here it is: genuine interpretation of another’s writing is an act of love or it is an act of abuse. Either we treat the author as a person who has given voice to his or her inner heart and that we can trust, listen to, and respond to. Or, we... Read more
I have been skipping through some of Leo Tolstoy of late, and came upon William Shirer’s incredibly insightful study, Love and Hatred, which details the turbulent relationship of Leo and Sonya Tolstoy. For years and years they fought and warred and called one another hateful things, and then worked out their feelings in their diaries. The pattern was set: fight all day long, write about it at night, apologize, make up (which they didn’t always do), and then start all... Read more
Last night at Willow Randy Travis gave a mini-concert. The place was packed. We are not country fans, but his song on the three wooden crosses was good enough to make it on all kinds of charts, and won our hearts. He then led everyone in a worship song. And then he finished off with Forever and Ever, Amen. So today I’ve had a hard time getting that kind of music off my mind. Randy Travis has quite a story,... Read more
I’ve been left wandering in my thoughts in my commute of late with a challenge to reach our world and our local communities more effectively. And my thoughts have considered at times how it was that Jesus drew so many to the kingdom. Here’s my conclusion: Jesus had the ability and willingness to establish permeable walls between himself and his world. John the Baptist, by calling people to get purified in the water of the Jordan, and Jesus, by calling... Read more
In Julia Keay’s new book, Alexander the Corrector, we are introduced not only to a long-standing controversy — was Alexander Cruden mentally unstable or not? — but also to the power of labeling. In this book, which reads like a detective novel, Keay seeks to rehabilitate Cruden from a host of labels and mistakes. Who was Cruden? If you have ever used a concordance to the Bible, and the one you used was a real book (compared to the electronic... Read more
Can anyone dispute the unimpeachable character revealed in this observation: James Kaplan, who wrote for TV Guide, once said this of Mr. Fred Rogers: “Fred Rogers is more Mister Rogers than Mister Rogers.” Recently read the splendid memoir of her meetings and correspondence with Fred Rogers by Amy Hollingsworth. I’ve had my wonders about Mr. Rogers over the years, assigning him to the shelf of self-esteem gospelers, but after reading “The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers,” I’ve changed my mind... Read more
Everyone believes telling the truth is vital. Until the truth one has to tell is about one’s self, and one has to tell it to God. Read more
Jesus Creed
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In