Postcards from Palookaville

World magazine has an article this week on the appointment of a celibate gay counselor at Wheaton College. While the evangelical jury still appears to be out on whether same-sex attraction is in itself sinful, the comments of President Ryken look (at least as reported in World) rather confused...

By popular demand, we reprint here the picture of Paul Levy's wedding, as referred to in this week's podcast. We trust it will be a source of comfort and hope for you. Sadly, 'The Encouraging Tour of Paul Levy's Library' video appears to have been pulled from the web. The Top...

In honour of the fact that there is no way, no way at all, that Reformed evangelicalism has been remotely corrupted by celebrity culture, Top Men, 'great leaders,' or self-promotion, the Mad Woman in the Attic has not only designed and promoted that series of humble, gospel centred '...

A significant part of Thomas Oden's autobiography is taken up with his account of his life in the mainline United Methodist Church and how this was affected by his repudiation of his early liberalism and his discovery of a creedal orthodoxy rooted in the patristic authors. He seems on the whole...

Aimee’s post earlier this week pointed to the complex relationship that inevitably exists between legitimate publicity and self-promotion. When one ends and the other begins is not easy to discern. George Orwell commented that all writers are to some extent egoists, driven by a belief that...

Listeners to this week's podcast who persevere to the (bald and) bitter end are in for a special treat: the voice of the axe wielding Mad Woman calling from the Attic as she rebukes Todd Pruitt for indulging one of his many vices on air...

We three Ref Packers are all reading Thomas C. Oden’s beautifully written autobiography, A Change of Heart: A Personal and Theological Memoir , and will be posting numerous reflections on it, as well as making it the subject of a podcast. Here is an interesting comment Oden makes early in the...

On this week’s Spin, the Ref Pack deals with various aspects of pastoral ministry and culminates in a discussion of friendship. Three friends discuss friendship, albeit under the unfriendly, cold, and calculating gaze of the Mad Woman in the Attic. Friendship has been devastated in the modern...

One question which I am frequently asked is whether we need a new confession, or at least some additional paragraphs or chapters, to deal with contemporary issues. It is perhaps not surprising that the most common example cited is that of gay marriage. All true Protestant confessionalists must be...

In the casual chatter that precedes a Westminster faculty meeting, Greg Beale once commented that a certain person ‘often gives me good advice on my work.’ 'What? Make it shorter?’ was my response. Cue silence, death stare, and a perceptible atmospheric shift from the feeling...