Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
Our title needs some context. It comes in a question. Does faith work in a fast paced world? In other words is there such a thing as “fast” faith? Let me pose a real life scenario. In my work I’ve often visited Turin, Italy, where I adopted a coffee shop. Over time I noticed a …
Read More Slow FaithSolomon offered us an upside-down gift. His bold curiosity—part of his famous wisdom—led him to explore both good and evil. This quest led to his confused Bible profile: a man of vast wealth, intelligence, and privilege; but also a profligate and apostate soul. So a gift he offers is a warning … of what not …
Read More Solomon’s GiftThe newspaper editorial was scathing. The writer charged insecure white evangelical Christian men in America with hypocrisy in electing a conspicuously broken president. A “morally destitute, insecure narcissist.” The writer’s thesis is that we—I’m an evangelical Christian man—made a bargain with the devil in an effort to restore our former social hegemony in the country. …
Read More Bargaining with the DevilHere’s something from a college Ethics course I taught some years ago: a case study in how we do decision-making. I hope you find it useful. Most of us are informal Stoics. We view decision making as an exercise in logic and choosing. That, in turn, sets up our view of ethics—that we become good …
Read More Cleaning the GarageLet’s think about Genesis 12-16—of God’s promise of a son to Abram and Sarai. This son extended God’s blessing promise made to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15. And, as we now know, the birth anticipated a son born of Abram’s lineage centuries later: Jesus, the Son of God. The plan started badly. As the …
Read More A ProblemJesus aligned himself with the truth as the personified pathway to life in John 14:6—“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” He elevated his invincible life even in the face of crucifixion. Jesus clearly meant to reassure disciples both then and now. Yet there are different approaches to truth—even among believers. One …
Read More Loving the TruthSome people enjoy exceptional intellectual gifts: strong memories, analytic and synthetic abilities, and good language skills. But Moses, it seems, wasn’t one of these. He was certain his speech impediment precluded any public ministry. Which raises a question. Why doesn’t God do better in finding followers? Moses was defective. Peter, too, seemed less than brilliant. …
Read More Brilliantly Wrong!How do we, as Christians, build up others? I’m asking this with both our secular contacts and fellow believers in view. Is there a special evangelism and discipleship program, ministry strategy, or sermon series available to do the trick? Are there seminars to attend, disciplines to engage, or educators to invite to teach spiritual formation …
Read More Spiritual FormationIn the sixteenth century John Calvin was a gift to the young Protestant Reformation; and he remains helpful today. The broad Bible reach of his Institutes, for instance, is still engaging. Some, I know, will be suspicious. Calvin has a reputation as a cold intellectual fixated on divine sovereignty and predestination. But, certainly to my …
Read More Calvin & the SpiritYesterday I pulled out the third volume of my Works of Richard Sibbes. He’s a sweet read on a Sunday afternoon in the late winter. At first reading I’m reminded that he wrote in Shakespeare’s era—so the style isn’t what we’re used to. But any sense of distance evaporates after a paragraph or two as …
Read More Free Grace in Jesus