Two Weeks Behind, But Marketing Like Crazy
The first week of September (!) I received my first piece of Christmas mail: a holiday subscription offer from Time magazine. This week I received a similar offer from Christianity…
Philip Ryken
Blog 181: 4.6.4 – 4.6.9
In defending the prerogatives of the pope as the successor of Peter, Roman Catholics commonly appeal to Matthew 16:19, where Jesus says to Peter, “I will give you the keys…
Blog 180: 4.5.16 – 4.6.3
In critiquing the Roman Catholic Church for pursuing earthly riches, Calvin employs an interpretive principle that holds the Old Testament and the New Testament in proper relationship. Calvin was critical…
Blog 179: 4.5.8 – 4.5.15
Calvin’s broad-scale attack on the abuses of the Roman Church continues with his criticisms of monks, priests, deacons, and other clerics. The Geneva Reformer had little time for monks who…
Blog 178: 4.5.2 – 4.5.7
The Protestant Reformation was not a renewal of doctrine only, but just as much (if not more so) a renewal of practice. This helps to explain why Book IV–which primarily…
The Human Condition
One of the many books I enjoyed reading this summer was Original Sin, by Alan Jacobs. The book included this gem of a quotation from novelist Rebecca West: “If the…
Christian Improv
After three months on sabbatical, I am back to blogging again. I start with a quote from Time magazine’s Joel Stein, who made a guest appearance with the improv troupe…
Addendum for Thabiti
I have been doing a fair amount of reading on sabbatical, including Thabiti Anyabwile’s The Decline of African American Theology, which I enjoyed immensely. Thabiti uses original sources to document…
Blog 129: 3.14.12 – 3.14.18
Calvin borrowed generously from earlier theologians (especially Augustine) in formulating his Institutes of the Christian Religion. Of one group, though, he was especially critical: “the Schoolmen,” also known as “the…
The Crook in the Lot: Part III
WHY GOD ALLOWS SUFFERING This passage began with a call to consider the work of God. As we contemplate the way that he works in the world, he teaches us…