Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; 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

I had a good time at the Wheaton Theology Conference this week — I presented on Romans 12:1-2. Once again, check in to The History Channel Monday night … Jesus: His Life at 7pm and 8pm Central. Two new episodes. A beautiful post by Beth Allison Barr about praying for those who suffer. But even when prayer doesn’t change our circumstances, the act of praying helps heal our souls. C.S. Lewis is often attributed with saying, “I pray because I... Read more

By Mike Glenn When I first started reading the Bible a long time ago, I thought Paul’s teaching in Philippians to “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” was one of the most arrogant things I had ever read. Think about it. Paul seems to be saying, “If you don’t know how to act, act like I do because I’m doing it just like Jesus would”. Then I became the father of two little boys. And every conversation began with, “Here,... Read more

This week, Northern Seminary is excited to announce it is expanding its successful live-streaming programs to include the Master of Divinity and MA in Christian Ministries degrees.  The programs combine two cutting-edge forms of education: interactive live-streaming classes (“Northern Live“) and mentored learning in context. With Northern’s smart classroom technology, you can interact with fellow students and engage professors in a live classroom experience, no matter where you live. Featured professors include myself (Scot McKnight), David Fitch, Cherith Fee Nordling, Dennis Edwards, Todd... Read more

Francis Collins and BioLogos! (RNS) — On top of his duties as the director of the National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins takes time to answer letters from Christians trying to reconcile their faith with science. At a conference last week of BioLogos, the nonprofit he founded more than 10 years ago to bridge science and faith, Collins told an audience of 360 scientists, pastors and educators about an email he received recently from a man in Nigeria named Emanuel. Emanuel... Read more

The next segment of the conversation between Heidi Lene Maibom and N. T. Wright raises a question worth a little consideration. Still engaged with the question “What is wrong with the world?”, Prof. Maibom reacts to Wright’s suggestion that God is at work putting it right. In the discussion she gives a common description of the Christian view of God. The video embedded below starts about 56 minutes into the conversation with Prof. Maibom’s response. I guess I simply don’t... Read more

James Davison Hunter and Paul Nedelisky, in their new book called Science and the Good: The Tragic Quest for the Foundations of Morality, describe the “new sythesis” — that is, where people are today when it comes to morality in the pubic sector. Perhaps the most important single chp in this book so far. The Enlightenment led to this: “Science could explain what human beings were doing when they made moral claims, but the truth or falsity of those claims could... Read more

Matt Smethurst, at The Gospel Coalition, pokes at the Red Letter Christians movement (RLCs), the movement that wants us to focus on the “red letters” in the Bible — namely, the sayings of Jesus. I, too, have heard some simplistic, reductionistic and misguided statements from those impacted by the RLC. Smethurst knows there’s some nuance here but he begins with a sketch of the RLCs, not all of it nuanced: With the way some Christians talk, you might be forgiven... Read more

Rodin’s The Thinker (originally The Poet) was part of a large commission begun in 1880 for a doorway surround called The Gates of Hell. According to the Rodin Museum, “he represented Dante, author of the Divine Comedy which had inspired The Gates, leaning forward to observe the circles of Hell, while meditating on his work. The Thinker was therefore initially both a being with a tortured body, almost a damned soul, and a free-thinking man, determined to transcend his suffering... Read more

Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun contend, contrary to its dry-as-dust reputation, that theology is for the flourishing life in their new and very important manifesto: For the Life of the World. We believe the purpose of theology is to discern, articulate, and commend visions of flourishing life in light of God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ. The flourishing of human beings and all God’s creatures in the presence of God is God’s foremost concern for creation and should therefore be the central... Read more