My buddy Doug Hankins has the story here. John Figdor, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, is the new university-appointed chaplain for atheists (wearing the pink shirt in the SFGate photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez). Here’s what Doug blogged: So what does this line of work look like? How do you minister to a person in existential crisis and not direct them to transcendence for Spiritual peace and comfort? Chaplain John explains: we emphasize the values of compassion and empathy... Read more
Some of you may have seen this story earlier when Gospel Coalition highlighted it. I missed it, somehow. It’s quite remarkable. An atheist locked in a battle with Christians over a Nativity Scene was shocked when, in the midst of public conflict, a local church gave hundreds and hundreds of dollars to help pay for his medical expenses. Here’s the story from the Athens Review: A few weeks ago, Patrick Greene of San Antonio, was known in Henderson County simply as... Read more
The whole top 10 thing is officially a “thing.” Such lists can be funny, but I really enjoy them. So, without further ado, here are three of particular note. 1. Collin Hansen’s top 10 theology stories of 2012. Hansen has done this for five years now. He has an exceptionally sharp eye for this sort of thing, and one is edified and instructed by the list itself. Excerpt: Before we flip the calendar to the new year, it’s sometimes encouraging... Read more
Not necessarily, no. Actually, it often helps them. See this fantastic piece by Chris Horst for Christianity Today’s stimulating “This Is Our City” project. There are companies, Horst makes clear, that are not only turning a profit–they’re helping people. Many of us know that businesses perform such functions, of course; our common sense and life experience has given us abundant evidence of the way that businesses help communities. I think of my Little League baseball field, for example, in Machias, Maine. Who... Read more
So tomorrow is Christmas. I won’t be posting on Christmas day, so this counts double. The miracle we celebrate on Christmas is the incarnation, which depends in biblical terms on the virgin birth (or, perhaps more accurately, the virgin conception). We know that things like the cross and the empty tomb are of importance to Christian faith. But seriously, does the virgin birth really matter? Or is it this odd little teaching of the Bible that we could take or... Read more
Really appreciated this Huffington Post piece by a poet named Seth Abramson. Abramson gives very helpful backstory to The Hobbit, which as some know has taken a bit of a critical pounding of late, and shows that there is actually a good deal more history to the matters covered in and around The Hobbit then originally meets the eye. Making three movies from the book, while tricky, is not necessarily only a money-grab. Here’s what Abramson has to say on the subject. The... Read more
The December 2012 issue of Southern Seminary’s Towers featured a thoughtful piece on the “Christian year” by Louisville pastor Daniel Montgomery. Montgomery is pastor of Sojourn Community Church and a cofounder of the Sojourn Network. I am from a low-church background. We observed such holidays as Christmas and Easter, of course. But this essay, entitled “Reasons for the Seasons,” made me think in a fresh way about the church calendar. Here’s a bit from the piece: Rightly understood, there is nothing... Read more
I listen to a good amount of music. The best song I heard in 2012 was “Beautiful Eulogy” by the rap group of the same name (Beautiful Eulogy, just to make that abundantly clear). BE is based out of Portland, Oregon; in the oddness of life, I first listened to the song while walking on the beach in…drumroll…Oregon. I got to hear the music in its element, I suppose. Love the strong beat, and the “feel” of the music. Here’s... Read more
A young evangelical pastor named John Dickerson just released a head turner of an essay in the New York Times, with the Wall Street Journal America’s paper of record. Wielder of a sharp pen and possessor of a passionate heart, Dickerson is senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona. He is a graduate of Bob Jones University and Phoenix Seminary. Dickerson is soon releasing a book entitled The Great Evangelical Recession: Six Factors That Will Crash the American Church…... Read more
The most captivating public moment I witnessed in the past year was at Together for the Gospel in Louisville, Kentucky. A man I’ve never met named John Joseph shared his story of salvation. If you doubt whether God is real, the gospel is true, and sinners really can be transformed, watch this three-minute video. It will blow you away. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,... Read more
Thought Life
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In