Reformation21

Readers of this column will know the various chips I have on my shoulders. At least I hope they do. I try to wear my chips with a certain amount of unapologetic panache, after all. One of them is disco music. Another is the middle-aged pastor with the soul patch. And one of the more serious is my...

One of the more effective strategies in converting an Anabaptist to a Pedobaptist is to have him examine the ancient term oikos or "household." It certainly worked in my case. I poured over literature handed to me by kind elders and teachers who not only wanted me to feel at home in a new...

In our day, unlike in the days of generations past, we have much too simplistic a view of what it means to believe something. In the world today, many people use the word "believe" to describe their feelings about something or describe a fleeting wish or hopeful desire. But as we consider the word...

While for me, J I Packer and Dr Lloyd-Jones are the most important British evangelicals of the last hundred years, there is no doubt that, in terms of world impact, it is John Stott who looms largest for the current generation. His life shaped so much of modern world evangelicalism: the Lausanne...

Rarely, rarely comest thou, Spirit of Delight! Wherefore hast thou left me now Many a day and night? Many a weary night and day 'Tis since thou art fled away. P. B. Shelley So wrote the poet, Shelley, suggesting that life had darker moments more than brighter ones. Though much modern Christianity...

No, not Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (for Derek and more "seasoned" readers). A question recently came to me from a reader concerning what Cornelius Van Til called the transcendental method of apologetics. The question was whether or not this method could be explained in "simple terms." This question...

It was said of John Henry Newman that he was never less alone than when alone. Newman liked the peace and quiet of isolation: it allowed him to read, to think and to write. I confess to some sympathy for Newman on this. I do not like the hyperconnectivity of the current world. As an administrator...

One of the questions that came to me asked about the nature of the antithesis and its relationship to evangelicalism. This may initially sound like an abstract, maybe even, impractical, question. But it could be one of the most important questions that is asked with respect to apologetics. Reformed...

The Greek historian Herodotus tells the story of an encounter between Croesus, the fantastically wealthy king of Lydia, and the Athenian sage and lawmaker, Solon. Pointing to his wealth and power, Croesus asked Solon if he considered him to be blessed. Solon's laconic response was simple: 'Count no...

Family worship. I know your reaction when you read those two words. I used to have the same response! Whenever that term or one like it was mentioned, I would inwardly cringe. Similar to the reaction many of us have when the word evangelism is uttered. Guilt begins to creep in, our shoulders begin...