Theoblogy
In fact, he’s a very prominent leader: From MSNBC: (more…) Read more
In fact, he’s a very prominent leader: From MSNBC: (more…) Read more
Richard Beck has a useful debunking and re-bunking of Anselm’s (in)famous “ontological argument” for the existence of God: Few find the ontological argument persuasive. It seems too cute and quick. Seems a bit fishy. And yet, some find the argument persuasive and the argument has been given a fair amount of logical and philosophical attention, then as now. Personally, I’m one of those who don’t find the ontological argument persuasive. And yet, how I think about God has a family... Read more
I’ve been a critic of denominations. That’s not because the people who work for denominations are bad — in fact, just about everyone I know who holds a denominational position is a good, loving, Christ-centered person. I have great respect for them. It’s not the people that is the problem, it’s the bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is bad for the gospel. Bureaucracy is good at sustaining itself, but only for its own sake, not for a larger, more noble purpose like the... Read more
I’ve taken a week off from writing my own book on the atonement to edit the chapters of the forthcoming book, Phyllis Tickle: Evangelist of the Future. One of the beautiful and surprising aspects of the book to many readers is sure to be the lengthy, anotated bibliography of Phyllis’s published books, compiled by Kelly Pigott. To those of us who’ve only gotten two know Phyllis in the past decade or two, her earlier career as a Latin professor, art teacher,... Read more
When I started as the Minister to Youth & Young Adults at Colonial Church in 1997, I inherited a lot of programs, as most pastors do. Among them were Sunday school for both middle schoolers and high schoolers. Since I couldn’t be two places at once, I alternated weeks between them, and I had other leaders help me out. The very first realization I had was that the high school students hated Sunday School. I mean they HATED it. Only... Read more
Charlie was in my youth group when I was a pastor. He was, hands down, one of my favorite kids, and he and I have stayed friends in the decade since I left the ministry. He read my post on Tuesday and asked if he could respond. Here’s what he wrote: Every week I go to church, not necessarily by choice, but by way of employment. I have been working at medium sized church in an affluent community for the... Read more
All this week, as part of Patheos’s “Passing on the Faith” series, I’m writing about how the church should — and should not — educate our children about Christianity. Today, I excerpt an excellent post from Beliefs of the Heart: Several years ago I met with a woman distraught by her son’s rejection of Christianity. She said, “I did everything I could to raise him right. I taught him to be like the ‘heroes of faith,’ with the faithfulness of... Read more
I just got back from a week at a dude ranch in Colorado. It was a celebration of my mom’s 70th birthday, and we gathered 17 Joneses of three generations for a week of horseback riding, whitewater rafting, and eating lots and lots of beef. It was the perfect family vacation (and I’ll post about it more in days to come, including my victory in barrel racing at the culminating rodeo). I’ve got two brothers, each with a spouse and... Read more
Tim Keller on Emergent I have a great deal of respect for Tim Keller. Honestly, of all of the leaders of the Reformed “resurgence,” I like Keller the most. He seems thoughtful, evenhanded, and I know many people who go to his excellent church. I’ve never met him (though I’ve tried), and he used to frequent this blog. But I have a bone to pick. At John Piper’s conference here in Minneapolis last week, Keller responded to a Justin Taylor... Read more
My Lunch with John Piper I wasn’t planning to post on my lunch last month with John Piper, but since he mentioned it in public at his conference last weekend, I guess it’s on the record. I emailed him (and three of the presenters at his conference — all the rest said they were too busy to get together) to ask him to lunch or coffee in order to clear up any misconceptions. So many caricatures of emergent(s) exists, that... Read more
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