This is, without hyperbole, one of the most remarkable videos I’ve seen. From Alexandar Tsiaras and unveiled at TED, it shows the miracle of creation (note: some anatomical images). It is impossible to see something like this and not marvel at God’s design for human life. Every birth is nothing less than a miracle, on both a purely scientific and a theological level. You can argue this, but when you see it play before you through the capacities of modern... Read more
It’s been interesting to think about our culture in terms of its celebration of holidays. Here in Louisville, Halloween has become a big deal. Several streets now feature weeks-long decoration parties, as families and residents try to outdo one another by putting up the most zombies, vampires, and cobwebs. My wife and I, working from a decidedly different worldview–one that sees no celebration in death, but rather the overcoming of it–tell our kids not to look out the window. Meanwhile,... Read more
Tim Keller, pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church and New York Times bestselling author of The Reason for God, has a new book out called Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work (Dutton, 2012). (Video on the book here). I am running a contest for this book. Here’s what you need to do: send me an email at owen.strachan [at] gmail.com by Friday, November 23, 2012 at 12pm (two days away). Write two sentences about how you desire to better sync your... Read more
My favorite sportswriter, Thomas Lake, just published a fun story on Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein. Klein professes to be a Christian and seems to have a strong testimony (and unfortunately appears to have been bitten by the SI cover jinx–go Baylor Bears!). The article is written in a different format than the long-form style Lake usually uses. It’s organized around 27 facts about Klein, the Tim Tebow-like favorite for the Heisman Trophy. Here are a few from the InsideSI... Read more
This is a short but rich piece entitled “Culture-Changing Christians” from my Patheos colleague Tommy Kidd. I loved this section: Christians should worry as much about preserving orthodox Christian culture as they do about changing secular culture. Indeed, preserving traditional Christian culture is an essential precondition to any wholesome changes in the broader culture. If American Christian culture is infected by theological vacuousness and historical ignorance, by shallow consumerism, or by ethical corruption, then on what basis can we hope to transform the broader... Read more
Dear God-loving young evangelical, I want you to know something: I hugely appreciate your confidence in God. It is deeply heartening to me to see that you are showing firm confidence in the Lord in the wake of the defeat of the pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-religious liberty presidential ticket of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. The dust is settling one week after this precipitous defeat. How appropriate and right that you would go to the doctrine of God’s sovereignty and providence... Read more
Tomorrow at 3pm I will give a paper at the Evangelical Theological Society in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I’ll be giving this paper in the Hilton-Wright A room as part of the “Caring for Creation” section of the program. You can get tickets on StubHub for this event. Just kidding! Though I do think it might stir up some discussion. Here’s the paper title and description: Is the Christic Reconciliation of “All Things” in Colossians 1 a Mandate for Rehabilitative Evangelical Creation... Read more
The most recent issue of the New York Times magazine features an engrossing profile of Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder by Sam Anderson. It touches on an issue that I mull over sometimes: the effect of celebrity on a person. Here’s a swatch from the long-form profile that illuminates the incredible pressures of massive fame: One evening I went to the mall to observe one of Durant’s public events. He was at a GameStop, signing copies of a new... Read more
Christians disconcerted by the 2012 election results have invincible comfort and hope. From his History of the Work of Redemption, here’s what Jonathan Edwards had to say about our ultimate hope, which triumphs over every obstacle, every Caesar, every hindrance of the preaching of the gospel: Thus God is called in the beginning of this book of Revelation, before the course of the prophecy begins, and so again he is called at the end of it, after the course of... Read more
This is a tough question. And frankly, we evangelicals don’t always present the best example of an affirmative answer. I’m thankful that Barnabas Piper, son of John Piper, has addressed this question and given some practical advice on the matter. I’m in ministry, and I want to take testimony like this to heart. It is too easy to excuse fatherly absenteeism because of ministry and work. Here’s a bit from Barnabas’s helpful Gospel Coalition essay: Yes, you are called to... Read more
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