Writing you from beautiful Wake Forest, NC, as I’m on the road and have had little computer access, I want to give a few more thoughts on how a man decides his way in the world. The criteria I posed for a man’s vocational decision were as follows: 1) Self2) Family3) Society4) Kingdom of God In my humble estimation, most men take into account the first factor. Most men consider what they are good at and what they like doing... Read more
This question came up in my brief series on manhood last week: is it wrong for a responsible man to be a toymaker? Asked anonymously, this question prompted much thought on my part over the weekend. I won’t yet answer this directly. Instead, I want to try and sketch out a framework by which a Christian attempts to answer this question. This is no perfect framework, but it is nonetheless an effort to provide one. It strikes me that there... Read more
This question came up in my brief series on manhood last week: is it wrong for a responsible man to be a toymaker? Asked anonymously, this question prompted much thought on my part over the weekend. Here’s my own answer, though I of course do not propose this as the answer, merely the best I myself can give. It strikes me that there are four categories a man must consider in deciding his vocation. 1. Self. A man must consider... Read more
Now that’s manhood. When you can wear a kilt, and still look like a man, you’re a man indeed. This particular repository of vigorous masculinity is none other than Presbyterian pastor Dr. Ligon Duncan, one of the four primary figures in the Together for the Gospel conference. Dr. Duncan, however you interpret his appearance here, is a man of great integrity and leadership ability. He spoke on the Old Testament at T4G 06, and it was not to be missed.... Read more
I do not have the space or time to do this subject justice–not to mention experience and knowledge. Two things encourage me to make a humble attempt, however. First, I’m not posing as an expert or know-it-all. I’m merely trying to jumpstart a thought process in the minds of fellow Christians who may or may not have similar concerns. Second, my employer, Dr. Albert Mohler, is writing a book on raising boys to be men that will much more expertly... Read more
My wife and I watched a bit of a show last night that profiled men who make Lego movies. Yes, you read it right. A Lego movie. It took one man five hours to “shoot” five or six seconds of “film.” The “filmmaker” was disarmingly cheerful and honest, confessing to being a nerd and having started his “career” when in high school and friendless. Though I liked him, I couldn’t help thinking a central thought: what a waste of masculine... Read more
Yesterday I tried to give a very rough systematic outline of some questions to ask a person you know who claims to be a Christian but who gives little evidence of being converted. In thinking over my post, I thought it might be helpful to conclude this mini-series with a few gut-level questions that attempt to drill less systematically but more piercingly to the core of the matter. These are not intended to be systematic, but they are intended to... Read more
I have been thinking some lately about how we can help family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers determine whether or not they are Christians in the biblical sense. There is much confusion on this topic as many people claim that they are converted with little evidence to back up such a claim. People who are in this position are in a dangerous spot, and we need to help them think their claims through. Here is a very short list of questions... Read more
The picture above is of pastor CJ Mahaney and his wife, Carolyn. I assume it’s on their wedding day, as it would be rather strange to dress up in one’s wedding clothes on any other day. As you can see, it is a T4G promo pic. It is stunning for one reason (and that reason is not the slightly cheesy grins): CJ has hair. Alot of it. I once heard him say that the reason he thinks he is now... Read more
Over at Said at Southern, where I’m a co-editor, I recently posted a blog on three benefits of seminary. I didn’t intend the post to be an exhaustive list, but I did intend to help people to begin thinking about seminary well. It can be tough to decide whether or not to go–the MDiv is usually long and taxing, one delays entrance into vocational ministry, and one leaves one’s local church and home to come to a new place. There... Read more
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