Reformation21

While making final preparations for Sunday morning's message, I met up with an old friend. A Calvin quote on the purpose of 1 Peter that I think I first read about five years ago. It struck me (reading it this afternoon) how much it sounds like our friend John Piper - if I may speak...

When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad released 15 (illegally held, by all objective accounts) British prisoners this week, he claimed that he was doing so "on the occasion of the birthday of the great prophet [Muhammad] . . . and for the occasion of the passing of Christ." Further, on behalf...

Yet another fine book from Joel Beeke, published by Bryntirion Press this month. Oh, yes, it has another blurb from that Thomas guy!

Having just read Del's latest attack on pop cuture (this time re. clothing) I accept his challenge -- you CAN only be holy and reverent if you wear a black suit, white shirt etc. Anything else is anathema (see St. Paul's Letter to the Armanians 2:7 -- though admittedly this verse is not present in...

Some of you may have seen an article in CT by an anonymous theology professor who writes about hearing the voice of God. CT Online has now published John Piper's response .

In Velvet Elvis , Rob Bell writes: "And when Jesus died on the cross he died for everybody. Everybody. Everywhere. Every tribe, every nation, every tongue, every people group. Jesus said that when he was lifted up, he would draw all people to himself. All people. Everywhere. Everybody's sins on the...

Recently I read Otherwise , a collection of new and selected poems by Jane Kenyon, including the last poems she wrote before dying of leukemia in 1995. One of my favorite Kenyon poems is "Man Sleeping," a short piece that calls us to care for the homeless:

With the great demographic shift to the southern hemisphere in terms of evangelical Christianity, the issue of listening to the voices of brothers and sisters from these newly significant areas is a pressing one. But I want to raise some concerns.

This morning I came downstairs to find two of the young women in my life (age 2 and age 4, respectively), lifting up hockey sticks in the entry way and singing loud "Hallelujahs!" The word "Hallelujah" was sung frequently last Sunday, from the first strains of "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" to...

Charles Spurgeon's sermon "Christ's First and Last Subject" is on repentance, which Christ preached both at the beginning (see Matthew 4:17) and at the end (see Luke 24:47) of his earthly ministry. Spurgeon's taxonomy of true and saving repentance is a good one -- something preachers can use and...