Just how is grace applied to the individual? This is a question that we all have an interest in, but which we rarely spend enough time in reflection on. To help us with this failing, the Puritan minister John Flavel has written the excellent book Method of Grace. (You can find it for free as an eBook here; for Kindle here; and as a print book–well worth it, IMO–here.) I’ve already reflected on Flavel on assurance and on Union with Christ,... Read more
The 2016 election involved a lot of soul searching on the part of some Evangelicals, a lot of compromise with the world on the part of others, and increased polarization on all sides. Author Stephen Mansfield’s book Choosing Donald Trump explores the question of why 60-80% of the people who opposed Bill Clinton because of his character would vote for an unrepentant philanderer. This is an interview with the author on this and other issues, including the question of whether or... Read more
A response to "Rules Without Reasons: Why the Culture Is Eating Evangelicals for Lunch" Read more
Thanks to high school anthologies, many of us have read O. Henry’s work “The Gift of the Magi.” And while it is a fine enough story (if a bit sappy for my tastes), it is not really representative of the whole of O. Henry’s corpus. For that, I strongly recommend a collection of his short stories. (I’ve been reading the Barnes and Noble edition–which is excellent; but this one is cheaper and looks to have the same stories in it.)... Read more
Over Father’s Day weekend, a documentary festival shows the power of parental legacies. Read more
How did Christianity stand out in the ancient world? What made it different from other religions? In the early 20th century, the dominant theory was that Christianity was just one of many new religions (the Manicheans, the mystery cults, the cult of Mithras, etc) which happened to have better PR and more Machiavellian leadership. That scholarship has been discredited these days, but what then is the truth? Why did Christianity take off in so spectacular–albeit halting–a fashion? To help answer... Read more
When you think of Anne McCaffrey and riders, the first thing that undoubtedly springs to mind is her Pern series. But she has another book (apparently a series) that likewise involves riding mythical beasts–at least so far as its title goes. To Ride Pegasus is the first book of the “Talent Saga”, which explores the implications of the rise of parapsychic powers in the world. You rarely find good theology at used book sales–people who have good theology books don’t give... Read more
Punishingly grim, Hereditary goes from dark to demented. You can’t say it’s ineffective. But is it essential? Read more
Rigney's "Lewis on the Christian Life" is excellent Read more
More than you might think. At least, that’s what Justin Dyer and Micah Watson argue in their book C.S. Lewis on Politics and the Natural Law. You can now listen to an interview with Dyer and a talk by Watson below, or through the City of Man podcast (available on Stitcher, iTunes, and elsewhere on the internet). Dr. Coyle Neal is co-host of the City of Man Podcast and an Associate Professor of Political Science at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar,... Read more
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