Stumbling on a Two-Way Street
Sin is a two-way street. There is the offender and the offended. We may not think of sin in those terms, especially in instances where we are the offended party. But the truth of the matter is that we bear…
Tag Christian Living
God Helps Those Who Help Themselves?
I’ve heard it uttered dozens of times. Friends, family members, and strangers have looked at me, a Presbyterian pastor, and said, “Well, you know what the Bible says, ‘God helps those who help themselves.’” I politely smile, but inside I’ve…
Lewis on the Christian Life
Joe Rigney, Lewis on the Christian Life: Becoming Truly Human in the Presence of God Crossway, 2018. 320 pages, paper, $21.99 In addition to teaching literature classes at Houston Baptist University, I have the privilege of conducting our first and…
Lewis on the Christian Life
Joe Rigney, Lewis on the Christian Life: Becoming Truly Human in the Presence of God Crossway, 2018. 320 pages, paper, $21.99 In addition to teaching literature classes at Houston Baptist University, I have the privilege of conducting our first and…
The Exception and the Rule
Over the years, many have approached me in order to ask what I believe the Bible teaches on some particular theological or ethical subject. In many cases, no sooner have I finished answering them that I’m met with the reply,…
Praying the Psalms in Christ
In this short series, I have explored some of the special challenges that come in interpreting the Psalms of lament as Christian scripture. We have seen how this is not an easy task, particularly if we insist upon praying the…
The Real John Knox
If you ever go to see the John Knox statue at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, you won’t come away with warm and fuzzy feelings. Knox, in statue and in Scottish historical memory, comes off as stern, formidable, and unapproachable. To…
The Real John Knox
If you ever go to see the John Knox statue at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, you won’t come away with warm and fuzzy feelings. Knox, in statue and in Scottish historical memory, comes off as stern, formidable, and unapproachable. To…
Overcoming Sin & Temptation
J. I. Packer’s endorsement of John Owen’s treatment of sin in an introduction to the 1983, Multnomah Press edition of Owen’s writings on sin, Sin and Temptation, contained the following effusive words: He told me how to understand myself as…
Heaven on Earth: Capturing Jonathan Edward’s Vision of Living in Between
“You know, ol’ Bob is so heavenly minded that he is no earthly good.” Perhaps, you have heard someone, in an effort to sound practical, say something like this. I suppose it is possible to be so focused on the…