A Theology of Profanity (11/30/05 - 0 Comments)
Over the weekend I posted a brief review of the film To End All Wars and indicated that, while it was quite a good movie, I would hesitate to recommend it because of the amount of swearing it contains. That comment led to some discussion over at Boars Head Tavern and another blog or two. Joe Carter also wrote a lengthy article entitled "What the @*&#...? A Christian Critique of Swearing" in which he discussed...
King for a Week - A Practice in Belief (11/29/05 - 0 Comments)
This week's King for a Week award goes to Laura who blogs at A Practice in Belief and is also a member of the Intellectuelle crew. Laura is one of the very few teen bloggers I read and certainly the one that has edified me the most. She is also the first recipient of the King for a Week award to be nominated by one of my readers. The person who nominated Laura commended her...
Our Privilege As Members Of The Same Body (11/29/05 - 0 Comments)
Last week I was made aware of a family in Chattanooga that I feel could desperately use the prayers of other believers. This is a family that has come under a time of intense pain the likes of which few people will ever experience. As I read their story, I found the faith of this family absolutely inspiring and I just pray to the Lord that, if I come under a time of such pain...
Book PREview - Redefining Christianity (11/28/05 - 0 Comments)
In the past couple of years there have been a few books written specifically to challenge the teachings and assumptions of Rick Warren's mega-seller The Purpose Driven Life. Some of these have also discussed other Purpose Driven material and the man who has produced this successful franchise. These books have sometimes been criticized for being alarmist or for providing an unfair treatment of the subject matter. While I, having read all of that material, generally...
DVD Review - To End All Wars (11/27/05 - 0 Comments)
Last night, at long last and having had it recommended to me many times, I sat down to watch the film To End All Wars. For those who do not know of it, it is the story of Ernest Gordon who was a captain of the Scottish Argyles during the Second World War. After escaping the Japanese at the fall of Singapore, Gordon and some fellow soldiers sailed a junk almost 2000 miles, only to...
DVD Review - The Jim Elliot Story (11/26/05 - 0 Comments)
The Torchlighters video series is a new series of animated DVD's dedicated to "Highlighting the honor, integrity and life-changing experiences of those well-known and little-known Christian men, women and children who in response to God's call, dedicated their lives to a life of whole-hearted commitment and passionate service to Jesus." It is a production of Christian History Institute along with International Films and Voice of the Martyrs. The first in this series is The Jim...
Black Friday and other Friday Ramblings (11/25/05 - 0 Comments)
Yesterday I indicated that I am a little bit envious of American Thanksgiving. We Canadians are impassioned about almost nothing (except our lack of passion and our distaste towards most things American) and make far less fuss about Thanksgiving than our friends across the border. I don't think that is a good thing, but I also kind of like America and Americans. That is probably grounds for treason up here. While I often spend Christmas...
A Thanksgiving Proclamation (11/24/05 - 0 Comments)
My neighbors to the South are celebrating Thanksgiving today, an event we celebrated six or seven weeks ago in Canada. Thanksgiving is a much more important celebration to Americans than it is in my country and that is something that makes me just a little envious. Americans know how to celebrate; I wish Canadians would learn from them. What follows is an amazing Thanksgiving Proclamation, made by one of my heroes, Abraham Lincoln, in the...
DVD Review - The Yali Story (11/24/05 - 0 Comments)
Until the 1960's, the Yali tribe of Papua (formerly known as Irian Jaya) existed much as they had for thousands of years. An adventure web site says the following of the tribe. "Yali tools have not changed in a thousand of years [sic] - stone axe of pointed shards wrapped tightly onto a wooden stick, net carrying bags supported from the forehead, thick bows five or six feet long, and arrowhead carved to a purpose...
Sleep (11/23/05 - 0 Comments)
There were some things I had hoped to say today before all of my American readers disappear for a long weekend filled with thanks, gluttony and excess. Unfortunately, because of the unexpected call last night which took me out of the house for much of the night, I am awfully tired today and don't trust myself to say anything profound. So rather than embarrass myself by posting some incoherent rant, I thought I'd simply post...
It's Late (and/or Early)! (11/23/05 - 0 Comments)
We finally got the call. For the past couple of weeks we've been on "baby watch." Our friends are expecting a baby and had asked us to watch their children while they go to the hospital for the birth. Today, sometime shortly before 2 AM, on what just so happens to be the due date, we got the long-awaited call. Because it was the middle of the night they asked if I would be able...
Rick Warren: Three Primary Concerns (11/22/05 - 0 Comments)
A few years ago I was handed a copy of The Purpose Driven Life and told that I really ought to read it. I knew almost nothing of Rick Warren or his Purpose Driven material, so decided I would read this book that, judging by the shelf space it had been given at the Christian bookstore, was "the next big thing" for Evangelicals. It turned out to be a bestseller in a class all its...
King for a Week - Rebecca Writes (11/22/05 - 0 Comments)
This week's King for a Week award goes to Rebecca who posts her Everyday Musings at Rebecca Writes. A year or two ago I said of Rebecca's site, "...if I could recommend one, and only one, blog to people that would edify them the most, I would have a difficult time choosing any other than Rebecca's." I think that is still true. The quality of what she posts continues to amaze me. I always benefit...
A Desperate Jealousy (11/21/05 - 0 Comments)
I am desperately jealous of Josh Harris. Of course I would assume that there are lots of people who are jealous of him. After all, he wrote a silly little book about dating courtship that must have sold more copies than The Prayer of Jabez and probably made him filthy, stinking rich. If my understanding of the Christian publishing industry is accurate, and I think it is, Harris must sleep every night on an enormous...
Sorry Doesn't Know How to Count (11/20/05 - 0 Comments)
I have no idea where she picked it up, but my daughter has begun to answer my son's apologies with the phrase, "Sorry doesn't know how to count!" She may have made it up. Wherever she got the phrase from, she does not seem to understand what it should logically mean. To her it means something like, "I don't accept your apology." In reality I suppose the phrase should be concerned with grace, with saying,...
Working Man Hands (Redux) (11/19/05 - 0 Comments)
I have received a few "complaints" of late that I have not been writing enough articles of a personal nature. That is probably true and I hope to remedy that, at least somewhat, next week. In the meantime I thought I'd share an article I wrote a couple of years ago to honor my father on Father's Day. This was and remains one of my favorite pieces of writing. Like most boys I idolized my...
Friday Ramblings - A Critical, Judgmental Deconstruction of Derek Webb's Life, Faith and Ministry (11/18/05 - 0 Comments)
A Critical, Judgmental Deconstruction of Derek Webb's Life, Faith and Ministry It seems that some people are expecting me to deconstruct the interview with Derek Webb. I am not going to do that. I am not going to write about what my conversation with him did to my opinion of his life, faith or ministry. There would be no value in that. However, I do have a few observations that I would like to make....
Derek Webb - The Challies Dot Com Interview (II) (11/17/05 - 0 Comments)
This is the second and final installment of an interview with Derek Webb. You can read the first installment here: Derek Webb - The Challies Dot Com Interview. Let me go to a reader question here. We'll lighten it up for a minute. In your opinion, what is the most underappreciated of your songs and why? [Laughs] That's a great question! Here's my moment to be completely self-indulgent and totally arrogant! Right! So the one...
Derek Webb - The Challies Dot Com Interview (11/16/05 - 0 Comments)
Yesterday afternoon Derek Webb took time out of what was his first day off in a week to speak with me. We talked for almost an hour and discussed his new album, doctrine, social justice and a variety of other topics. We even discussed (or at least touched on) Reformed theology, the Emerging Church and Jim Wallis. Because of the length of the interview I will post it in two parts, the first today with...
King for a Week - Purgatorio (11/15/05 - 0 Comments)
This week's King of the Week honor goes to a newcomer to my blogroll. I actually met Marc, proud proprieter of Purgatorio when I was at the Desiring God conference last month but did not realize at the time that Purgatorio was his project (I'm a bit dense that way). With tens of thousands of new blogs beginning every day, it is rare that one comes along that is very different from the rest. Purgatorio...
Words, Phrases and Metaphors (11/15/05 - 0 Comments)
This morning I began to read the book of 1 Kings. Earler this year I had read through the Old Testament up to the end of 2 Samuel and, after spending some time in the New Testament, I decided to pick up where I had left off. As you know if you read this site on a regular basis, the topic of Bible translating has been much on my mind of late. As I read...
November Giveaway (11/14/05 - 0 Comments)
It is time, once again, for a giveaway. I have arranged quite an unusual prize this month, but one I trust will grab your interest. As always, two equal prizes will be awarded based on a random drawing from all entries received. Each winner will receive two prizes. The first prize is a copy of The Outdoor Bible (NASB). The Outdoor Bible, a perfect gift idea for someone this Christmas,is printed on 100% plastic material,...
How Crassly Is The Church Being Used? (11/14/05 - 0 Comments)
The Passion of the Christ was a major marketing success. But it was more than that. It was an astounding, shocking success that few people felt was possible. It was, after all, a movie filmed in a dead language focusing on a dead man whom most people in the world hate. It was overtly Christian in both theme and content and pulled no punches in expressing the deeply-held, politically incorrect religious views of one man....
Exegetical Fallacies (11/13/05 - 0 Comments)
Before church began this morning I was thinking about exegetical fallacies. I'm not sure why this topic was on my mind but I was trying to think back to which of these fallacies I have written about on this site. I came up with three and promptly forgot one of them. I thought I'd collect the other two here for your reading pleasure. Proverbs 29:18 The first of them is Proverbs 29:18 which you may...
Where Does God Want Us? (11/12/05 - 0 Comments)
This afternoon Aileen and I went out to look at homes in various neighborhoods in this area. We know that we want to buy a place of our own but are not quite sure where. Having rented for the past seven years we are growing increasingly tired of paying other peoples' mortgages and feel it would be nice to pay our own! Right now we live in a rented home in a very wealthy town...
Today We Remember (11/11/05 - 0 Comments)
My son has recently taken an interest in wars and the military. I have a 39-volume Time-Life series of books covering the Second World War and he loves to sit and look through the pictures. He often bemoans the fact that he cannot yet read as he would love to be able to learn about what the soldiers are doing and against whom they are fighting. A few weeks ago I pulled an old box...
The Benefits of Providence (11/10/05 - 0 Comments)
I have a bad habit of waiting a week or two after finishing a book before writing a review. I tend to do this with books that are particularly challenging to me as I like to allow what I have learned to resonate in my mind and heart for a little while before committing those thoughts to paper (or pixels, as the case may be). The drawback, of course, is that I tend to forget...
Personal Worship (11/09/05 - 0 Comments)
Earlier this year I posted an article in which I described a method I use for personal worship (or devotions, quiet time, etc). At the time I was hoping it would spark discussion from others about how they spend daily time with God. While the article brought about some discussion few people shared about how they spend their times of worship. Personal worship is, of course, personal and some people may be unwilling to share...
Business for the Glory of God (11/08/05 - 0 Comments)
I own quite a few books written by Wayne Grudem and most of them vary between being long and very long (not to say that this is necessarily a bad thing). Grudem takes on difficult and controversial subjects such as Bible translation and the roles of men and women in the church and covers them both thoroughly and biblically. It was with some surprise, then, that I received Business for the Glory of God and...
King for a Week - Centuri0n (11/08/05 - 0 Comments)
As you have probably noticed, I've added a King of the Week section to this site. This section allows me to highlight the contributions of other bloggers and to pay tribute to people who have blessed (or even just amused) me through their efforts. Doug from Coffeeswirls was there by default from the beginning of the site, but I am now going to begin a regular rotation of adding a new site each Tuesday. So...
Translating Truth (11/07/05 - 0 Comments)
Translating Truth is a collection of essays on the subject of Bible translation written by leading Evangelical scholars. The essays were first presented as papers at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in November 2004. The publishers notes that "the purpose of publishing these papers now as a collection is to encourage the ongoing, careful reflection on methodology and issues in Bible translation—that necessary work, which the Christian church is called to undertake,...
The Bible or the Axe (11/06/05 - 0 Comments)
Exile, persecution and tortue. Jesus told His followers that they should expect this type of treatment from the world. Those of us who live in the Western world often lose sight of the difficulties that Christians face in other parts of the globe. It is books like The Bible or the Axe, the biography of William Levi, than tend to shake us up a little bit, reminding us of the inestimable blessing of having freedom...
Growing Up (11/05/05 - 0 Comments)
For the past couple of years we have been able to observe an industrious pair of robins building a nest in a tree directly outside our bathroom window. Just about a foot below the window and perhaps 8 feet out from the house, in a little crook of a crabapple tree, they build a nest of grass, mud and bits of string. Before long the mother begins spending all her time sitting on the nest...
Various Site Updates (11/04/05 - 0 Comments)
It has been nearly a week since I updated the look of the site. Initially there were quite a few people who objected (sometimes quite strenuously) to this. I know that in the ensuing time some have come around and have learned to appreciate the new design. To the rest of you, well, you're clearly beyond hope! Now we turn to other matters. Gerard, a reader of this site who has quite an interesting job...
Confidence in the Bible (Part 2) (11/04/05 - 0 Comments)
Yesterday I wrote about Bible translations, hoping to stir people to at least investigate the issues surrounding what has become a hot topic in the church. I believe that an influx of poor translations is beginning to erode the confidence Christians have in their Bibles, and unfortunately, this erosion of confidence happens with good reason. Yesterday evening I was reading Translating Truth, a book that is due for publication in the next couple of weeks....
Liveblogging the Shepherd's Conference (11/03/05 - 0 Comments)
I have been offered the privilege of liveblogging the 2006 Shepherd's Conference. This conference, as you may know, is affiliated with Grace Community Church and, of course, John MacArthur. It runs from March 1 to 5 of 2006. I am thrilled to have this opportunity, not only to learn from what I'm sure will be a challenging time of examining God's Word, but with the opportunity to share the conference through the Internet with those...
Confidence in the Bible (11/03/05 - 0 Comments)
Imagine, for a moment, that you woke up one morning to find the front door of your house wide open, the brisk morning air blowing into the room. Your first thought, of course, is for your family. You race upstairs and throw open the door of your son's room. He is lying peacefully asleep. Breathing a prayer of thanks you cross the hall, opening the door to your daughter's room. Her blankets are in a...
Convergence (11/02/05 - 0 Comments)
"There's no escaping the fact that a serious, and occasionally vitriolic, breach exists between Word-based evangelical cessationists and their more experientially oriented charismatic cousins." It is true, of course, that there is a breach between cessationists, those who believe that the more spectacular of the spiritual gifts (prophecy, tongues, etc) have ceased, and charismatics, who do not. In recent days we have seen the beginnings of the healing of that breach between those who hold...
Interviewing Derek Webb (11/01/05 - 0 Comments)
I have been given the opportunity to interview Derek Webb, something I consider quite an honor. Derek is a singer and songwriter whom I much admire both for his talent and for his courage in taking on the difficult subjects. Never one to shy from a fight, he has written songs that have rattled many nerves and even caused his albums to be removed from certain Christian bookstores. His songs are always filled with meaningful...
Miracles and the Peculiarities of Human Psychology (11/01/05 - 0 Comments)
"A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature; and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws, the proof against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined" (David Hume). That quote, taken from David Hume, the Scottish philosopher and historian, would summarize what the average person believes about miracles. Miracles are impossible because they violate laws of...
