Sarah Larimer: Here is a thing that Cade Pope, a 12-year-old from Oklahoma, said Tuesday about the power of hand-written letters: “It shows more expression and feelings, rather than typing it on a computer. And it explains a lot more if you actually write it, because you can actually tell what they are trying to say.”…. He wrote letters to every single NFL team, to be more specific. In a phone interview with The Post, Cade’s mother, Heather, said that it... Read more
The industrious ants store up food for the winter while the grasshopper sings the days away. Aesop’s fable of The Grasshopper and the Ants provides an ancient example of moral lessons derived from nature. Ants are always working and foraging for food. We would do well to emulate this industry. But can nature alone really provide moral lessons? Is it wise to seek such lessons in nature? Although ants may provide a positive lesson, what about wasps? Charles Darwin commented... Read more
Here’s a tweet from John Piper, which I read about on FB on a day when my DMin had a day-long conversation about eternal conscious punishment and annihilationism. We had a spirited conversation @nseminary but there were some who thought annihilation is actually more to be dreaded than ECP. Here is a collection of Jewish texts from the 2d Temple period that show that Judaism knew a spectrum: from an annihilationism to eternal conscious punishment. Into this kind of diversity... Read more
NPR: Pope Francis says there are limits to freedom of speech, especially when it comes to someone’s religion, in comments that made reference to the deadly attack last week on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Francis defended freedom of speech, calling it a fundamental human right, but said it must not cause offense. “It is true we cannot react violently,” he told reporters today on the papal plane en route to the Philippines. “But if Dr. [Alberto] Gasbarri here, a great... Read more
Here’s the text of Martin Luther King’s famous speech/sermon/address in Washington DC. I remember watching it as a kid on TV. I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a... Read more
To the Church about to Baptize My Baby: Be warned. It’s all cuteness and lace now, but in no time at all, my little baby boy- after a brief sojourn in childhood- will hit adolescence. His hormones will kick in and quickly conspire to undo all the good you’ve done in him. These will be the years that he’ll push you, Church. He’ll suddenly wonder how Jonah could survive that dark trip in the whale’s belly. He’ll argue that David... Read more
Michael Jensen, at The Gospel Coalition, briefly sketched nine things he wants people to know about the Anglican Church. I have clipped only his bold-faced points and you can read his short explanations at the link above but then I want to add one more point, something he did not mention that puts it all into a slightly different — broader — context and one I’m sure he’d affirm: 1. Since the arrival of Christianity in Britain in the 3rd century,... Read more
Almighty God, Whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, That he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Read more
RNS, by Jonathan Merritt, where you can read the rest: The pastor of one America’s largest churches is peeling back the covers on topics that might make some Christian squirm. Andy Stanley, pastor of the 30,000+ member North Point Ministries, addresses a range of issues from human sexuality to pornography in his latest book, The New Rules for Love, Sex, and Dating. While the broader culture continues to fight over what “sexual morality” means, one thing is certain: Andy Stanley is determined not to sit this one out. RNS: If these... Read more
Book Review by Jim Salladin: Strobel, Kyle. Jonathan Edwards’s Theology: A Reinterpretation (T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology). [Also see Kyle Strobel’s review of an Edwards book here and another of Kyle’s books here.] The current interest in Jonathan Edwards has created a flurry of new books outlining the Northampton pastor’s theological vision. One of the most provocative is Kyle Strobel’s Jonathan Edwards’s Theology: A Reinterpretation. The book began its life as a Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Aberdeen,... Read more
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