An Interview with Os Guinness (02/29/08 - 7 Comments)
Os Guinness is the author of nearly twenty books, the most recent of which is The Case for Civility: And Why Our Future Depends on it. Guinness was kind enough to answer several questions I posed to him after the publication of this latest title. This has already been posted on Discerning Reader, but I wanted to post it here to be sure you were able to read it. Also, I'd like to hear your...
They Had Been with Jesus (02/28/08 - 10 Comments)
Roy Halladay is the kind of athlete that other players just want to be around. For many years now he has served as the ace of the Toronto Blue Jays’ pitching staff and he is consistently one of the top players in the game. He has achieved his success not only by having innate talent, but also (and primarily, I’m sure!) by working very, very hard. He drives himself relentlessly, training both his body and...
"Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor" by D.A. Carson (02/27/08 - 18 Comments)
I try not to make a habit of posting book reviews two days in a row, but in this case I felt this book was so special that I needed to bring your attention to it. There are some Christians whose ministries God blesses in extraordinary ways. They preach to thousands and their books are read by millions. But this is the exception far more than the rule. Most Christians labor in relative obscurity, largely...
Book Review - "Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana" by Anne Rice (02/26/08 - 24 Comments)
Anne Rice has undergone a radical transformation. A bestselling author, whose novels have sold over 100 million copies, she recently returned to the Roman Catholic faith of her youth, and in so doing abandoned her former subject matter (vampires) and turned instead to a series of books dramatizing the life of Jesus Christ. The first book in Rice’s series, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt (released in the fall of 2005) was critically acclaimed and...
Outgrowing the Need for Grace (02/25/08 - 21 Comments)
It’s no secret around here that I love the book of Proverbs and consider it my “home page” in the Bible. I read through Proverbs at least once a year and, whenever I’m not sure what else to read, I turn to it. And while I love Proverbs and envy the wisdom of Solomon I find something really sobering about his life. Whenever I consider Solomon, I am faced with the question of how a...
Book Review - "Red Letter Christians" by Tony Campolo (02/24/08 - 37 Comments)
There are some people who will probably read no further than the title of Red Letter Christians, the latest offering from Tony Campolo. The reference to Red Letters will no doubt convince people, even before they read the book, that it is a defense of ignoring the black letters of the Bible (which is to say, most of the Bible) in favor of the red words (the words actually spoken by Jesus). While I, too,...
Interview Questions (02/23/08 - 17 Comments)
Next week I have the opportunity to offer both Chuck Colson and Iain Murray. I’d love to get some feedback from the readers here about what I might want to ask them. Read on… In a couple of months I’ll be attending and writing about the Banner of Truth Ministers’ Conference this May (it runs from the 27th to the 29th) down in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (can you believe I actually found a direct flight from...
Friday Miscellania (02/22/08 - 38 Comments)
Occasionally I use a Friday article to take care of a few things that have been on my mind. I’m going to do that today. A Media Junkie Joe Carter is a media junkie. You can read about his media obsession right here. He took an inventory of his media consumption and found he reads “one daily newspaper, 12 magazines, and over 300 RSS feeds.” And even then he reads far more magazines than he...
Overcoming Sin and Temptation (Chapter 14) (02/21/08 - 22 Comments)
This morning we come to the end of the second classic we’ve been reading together. Chapter 14 marks the end of John Owen’s Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers. If you are interested in knowing what we’re doing, you can read about it here: Reading Classics Together. Summary Today we are at the fourth and final part of the book: directions for the work of mortification. Set faith at work on Christ for the...
A Total Eclipse of the Moon (02/20/08 - 8 Comments)
A total eclipse of the Moon is set to occur during the night of Wednesday, February 20/21, 2008 (tonight). It will be visible throughout most of North and South America. I believe it is the last total eclipse we will see for several years. Here is what NASA says about the event: During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon’s disk can take on a dramatically colorful appearance from bright orange to blood red to dark...
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Mark Driscoll? (02/20/08 - 88 Comments)
How do you solve a problem like Mark Driscoll? Is he a darling, a demon, a lamb? He’d out pester any pest; drive a hornet from it’s nest. He could throw a whirling dervish out of whirl. He is gentle; he is wild. He’s a riddle; he’s a child. He’s a headache. He’s an angel. He’s a… Never mind. Forgive me for the introduction. Just a couple of days ago my mother-in-law and I were...
Book Review - "Vintage Jesus" by Mark Driscoll (02/19/08 - 66 Comments)
Vintage Jesus is the first book published under the banner of Resurgence Literature (Re:Lit) which is a ministry of Resurgence (which is, in turn supported by Mars Hill Church). This is also the first title in a series called “Vintage Jesus” that will build on the themes and doctrines introduced in this book. It is one of six(!) new books we’ll see this year from the pen of Mark Driscoll. The book is a collaborative...
Learning How to Rest (02/18/08 - 12 Comments)
I got to bed just a little bit later than usual last night. But when I settled into bed, I felt that kind of comforting fatigue—the kind that is not so overbearing that I’m exhausted, but the kind that means I’m really looking forward to a good night’s rest. You know the kind, I’m sure. It’s the kind of tired that makes stretching out between the sheets a real pleasure. There was one false start...
DVD Review - "The Blue Planet" and "Planet Earth" (02/17/08 - 13 Comments)
The Blue Planet and Planet Earth are among the finest nature documentaries you could ever hope to see. Produced by the BBC and narrated by David Attenborough, the first looks to the world’s oceans and the second primarily to its land masses. The Blue Planet (first broadcast in 2001) is comprised of eight 50-minute episodes. As Attenborough explains in the opening moments, “Our planet is a blue planet: over seventy percent of it is covered...
Free CDs for Bloggers (02/16/08 - 3 Comments)
You and You Alone is a recent CD release from Sovereign Grace Ministries’ “Overflow Series.” The CD features songs written and performed by Pat Sczebel and his son Joel. It just so happens that I’ve got fifty copies of the CD to give away to bloggers. All Sovereign Grace asks is that if you request a copy of the CD, you think about writing a brief review or consider otherwise mentioning it on your blog....
Is Forgiveness Conditional or Unconditional? (02/15/08 - 69 Comments)
Some time ago I promised an article on the subject of conditional versus unconditional forgiveness. I’ve had many false starts and have been largely unsatisfied with anything I’ve written on the subject. So I decided to simplify and to provide only an outline of my thoughts on the subject. I am, perhaps, a little less than perfectly confident in my beliefs on this subject which is why I do not wish to be too dogmatic....
Overcoming Sin and Temptation (Chapter 13) (02/14/08 - 8 Comments)
We are nearing the end of our project to read through John Owen’s classic book Overcoming Sin and Temptation. After this morning we will have just one chapter remaining. If you’d like to know more about this reading project, you can read about it right here: Reading Classics Together. If you are interested in participating in reading the next classic together, stay tuned to this site and we’ll choose a new book in just a...
February DVD Giveaway (02/13/08 - 2 Comments)
This is the first of the “Great Giveaways” for 2008 (somehow January slipped past without one). Through the last months of 2007 I was able to give away books, Bibles, CDs and all sorts of good things. We’ll be starting 2008 by giving away a load of great DVDs. The Sponsor This month’s sponsor is Franklin Springs Family Media. Franklin Springs exists “to provide families with top-quality DVDs that set forth a vision for the...
Book Review - "The Reason for God" by Tim Keller (02/12/08 - 16 Comments)
There are many people I “know” primarily through their books. I read constantly and find that books allow me to understand the people who write them, especially when the author has written several books. As I read through the corpus of his writings I learn to understand how he thinks and learn to understand what he believes. Even if I have never met an author face-to-face, I often feel like I have met him in...
Discernment and Long Division (02/11/08 - 12 Comments)
Do you remember learning to do long division back when you were in grade school? It was probably fourth or fifth grade when we learned to do it. It was a long and laborious process and one that, even in my day, seemed irrelevant. After all, we all had calculators and we knew that they could do it quickly and easily. With the tapping of a few buttons we could get our solution and it...
NCCT 08 - Heading Home (02/10/08 - 5 Comments)
The Nashville Conference on the Church & Theology wrapped up last night with Dr. Carson speaking on “Preaching Christ Crucified.” It was, I think, a very useful conference and one that seems to have touched many of those who attended. The staff and the team of volunteers were very kind and very eager to serve. I always love the conferences that are held at local churches as they give such great opportunities for service. It...
NCCT 08 - Day 2 (02/09/08 - 4 Comments)
It’s day two of the Nashville Conference on the Church & Theology. Things kicked off last night with a session from Dr. D.A. Carson in which he introduced the Emergent Church and Emerging theology. He also dipped into postmodernism and a variety of related topics. For those unfamiliar with the whole movement, I’m sure this proved a useful introduction. You will be able to download audio from the conference site after things have wrapped up....
Checking in from Nashville, TN (02/08/08 - 10 Comments)
I’m a little bit later than usual in updating this site, but I’m also a timezone removed from where I usually update it. Yesterday, after spending over a hour shoveling out the car, the house, and a neighbor’s driveway, I left behind the cold and the snow and caught a flight to Nashville (where it’s merely cold—there doesn’t seem to be any snow). I am here for the Nashville Conference on the Church & Theology...
Overcoming Sin and Temptation (Chapter 12) (02/07/08 - 6 Comments)
This morning we continue with our reading of John Owen’s classic Overcoming Sin and Temptation. If you’d like to know more about this reading project, you can read about it right here: Reading Classics Together. We’re in the heart of the book now and are looking at specific instructions on how to put sin to death. In the past few chapters we have been in the book’s second section—a section that focuses on “the nature...
Having One Without the Other (02/06/08 - 50 Comments)
Some time ago a reader of this site, a new Calvinist, wrote to ask, “If a person is ‘a child of wrath’ from birth due to Adam’s sin and unable to choose God because of Adam’s sin, how is he responsible for his actions if he was born this way (and has no ability of his own to choose God)? … If Christ didn’t die for all men, yet all men were condemned for one...
Book Review - Hollywood Worldviews (02/05/08 - 11 Comments)
Perhaps no area of discernment is more difficult and more controversial than the Christian’s engagement with culture. Are we to be cultural gluttons, immersing ourselves in the culture around us so we can speak to it from the perspective of first-hand experience? Are we to be cultural anorexics, avoiding culture altogether lest it corrupt us? Or are we to take some middle ground where we appreciate aspects of it while rejecting others? In Hollywood Worldviews,...
The Beauty of a Good Translation (02/04/08 - 44 Comments)
I love language and the English language in particular. While I have always enjoyed using words and studying language, I found that my love of English was forged during the time I spent studying other languages, primarily those from which English is derived—Latin, Greek, and to some extent, French. I also studied linguistics and, of course, the English language itself. I came to love understanding how people use words to craft ideas. There is a...
An Interview with Makoto Fujimura (02/03/08 - 20 Comments)
A little while ago I conducted a brief interview with Makoto Fujimura (makotofujimura.com). Fujimura is a New York-based artist who deals with a kind of art with which I have little familiarity. I first heard of him through an article written by Phil Ryken in which he describes visiting an exhibition featuring Fujimura’s work. I was intrigued by the examples of his art I saw through the internet and asked if he’d be willing...
Prayer for the Lord's Day (02/02/08 - 2 Comments)
Last Saturday I shared a prayer for the Lord’s Day Eve. Like that one, today’s prayer is also drawn from that collection of Puritan prayers The Valley of Vision. This prayer is meant for the Lord’s Day and is a perfect way to begin Sunday looking to the Lord of that day. O Lord, My Lord, This is thy day, the heavenly ordinance of rest, the open door of worship, the record of Jesus’ resurrection,...
Friday Miscellania (02/01/08 - 8 Comments)
It’s a snow day today. We woke up to a pretty good blanket of the stuff on the ground and it’s supposed to keep up all day. It’s an absolute mess on the roads which makes me doubly glad that I am able to work from home. It’s a good day to stay in. The kids saw their schools canceled today, so I expect they’ll be heading outdoors soon to have some fun. It’s a...
