Wesley Hill: One of the most prominent arguments for the so-called “full inclusion” of LGBTQ people in the church is the analogy of the early church’s inclusion of Gentiles as Gentiles. In the book of Acts and in the Epistles in the New Testament, Gentile people—despite their ongoing violation of the clear biblical command for those in the covenant family of Abraham to be circumcised—were welcomed and affirmed in the church precisely in their uncircumcised state. In Christ, as St.... Read more

By Leslie Leyland Fields I didn’t know the Sea of Galilee was polluted. I sit in the tiny skiff with Micah and his crewman, trying not to gape. It’s early morning, just sunrise. An egret lands two feet from me in the bow and stays with us. We pass a row of fancy hotels just as the smell of sewage hit my nose. I glance at Micah, a lifelong Galilee fisherman, to see if he registers the foul smell at... Read more

The word is now out that Crossway has said the ESV is now as unchangeable as the law of the Medes and Persians and thus the publisher/translators have stood back in admiration of their creation and said, “This is very good.” The NIV 1984 will not be revised, but it has plenty of successors — the TNIV and the NIV 2011. Confession time: when I teach or preach I use the translation used most in that audience, which means I... Read more

Source: Astros manager A.J. Hinch lost a challenge resulting in the final out of the seventh inning, when George Springer was called out at home plate with the Astros ahead, 2-1. Springer tried to score from first base on Bregman’s second hit of the game, a single that got pastJason Heyward in right field. After taking a relay throw from shortstop Javier Baez, Contreras applied the tag on Springer’s foot as he was sliding headfirst into home. The review took... Read more

Source: “What if we design an environment that looks like outside?” he said. “What if I can have a sunrise and sunset inside the building? What if I’m able to have the moon and stars come out? What if I build a unit that takes residents back to the ’30s and ’40s?” And that was just the beginning. He also researched sound therapy. And aromatherapy. And carpet that looked like grass. No idea was off-limits. What he came up with was... Read more

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. BCP Read more

To keep our focus on our coffee at this time of day, here’s how best not to spill it when you are walking — from Ana Swanson: So what’s the best solution? The secret is that the splashes are partly because of the additional motion that your wrist introduces to the cup when you walk. If you strapped your coffee around your waist, you’d be less likely to spill it, but that also seems strange and impractical. So Han suggests the... Read more

By John Frye Son of God and Son of Man J. R. Daniel Kirk (A Man Attested by God) dives into the Synoptic Gospels to support his view that Jesus is not presented as one who is ontologically God, but is, instead, an idealized human figure. Kirk is methodical and draws upon many texts (both biblical and non-canonical) to support his hypothesis. Chapter 2 considers the title “son of God.” Kirk concludes that “son of God” applied to Jesus simply... Read more

Trust is a powerful word. From the Merriam Webster dictionary definition: belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc. a) assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something b) one in which confidence is placed Webster’s Unabridged 1983 to the right, (click for a larger image) uses biblical references as illustrations of the word in context: Whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe (Prov. 29:25) and For you, O Lord, are... Read more

A local church has the capacity to adjust itself to its environment and, so long as the environment is redemptive, adjustment is good. When the environment is not redemptive, adjustment is compromise. I believe this is why many today use the term “institutional” for the church: they are saying the church has become not what it should be but more like culture. To rethink what the church needs to be we need to return to the period of the apostles... Read more