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As a lover of art in general and abstraction in particular, I have wrestled with a number of questions. What is art? What constitutes good art? What responsibilities does the artist bear in transmitting one's work to one's audience? What responsibilities (if any) does the audience have in receiving such work? And what happens when […]
Just over one hundred years ago, E. M. Bounds began his influential book Power Through Prayer by calling the Christian community of his day to abandon their reliance upon the latest church growth "techniques" and to concentrate instead on communing with Christ by way of massive doses of Word and prayer. Bounds insisted, The church […]
It is a fruitful exercise to be challenged about what one believes, and that on any point of doctrine. "Iron sharpens iron" and discussing or interacting with those of different persuasions often leads one into a fuller understanding of what one actually believes, even if one's conclusions are different from the immediate dialogue partner. In […]
Jesus' later Galilean ministry (especially as recounted in Mark 8 and 9) is a bit of a rollercoaster for his inner circle of disciples: Peter, James, and John. Peter, especially, can't seem to find any solid footing. First, of course, he is given the biggest "attaboy" in history after his divinely revealed confession of faith […]
Those of us who believe Jonathan Edwards's life and work are relevant for theology, church and Christian living today will be excited about George Marsden's latest work. Following his definitive biography, Jonathan Edwards: A Life (Yale University Press, 2003), Marsden tailored his research into a "fresh retelling" (not an abridgement) of Edwards's life. The most […]
5. Collegial Governing: The Senate Calvin argued long and hard that government should not and could not do everything; it had to be limited in its task and scope. If it was not, it would run aground as in the time of the Hebrew prophet Samuel. Calvin's sermon on 1 Samuel 8 addresses one of […]
Of all the quotations he could have chosen to open his latest sociological survey, Malcolm Gladwell selected Matthew 25:29, the chilling pronouncement of Jesus that at the last judgment everyone who has will be given more, while everyone who does not have will lose even what he has (15). Gladwell then goes on to unpack […]
How many times have we heard that relativism is synonymous with postmodernism? Whether celebrated by friends or assailed by critics, postmodernism is getting a lot more credit (and discredit) than it deserves in contemporary Christian conversations. On the more "Emergent Church" side of things, breaking out of an era of rigid dogmatism and religious intolerance […]
"Imagine"By John Lennon Imagine there's no Heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace Imagine […]
Nathan the Wise-Which One is the True Religion? is the title of a play written in 1778 by Gotthold Lessing (1729-81), an influential German writer of the Enlightenment era. Set in Jerusalem during the Third Crusade, with Christian crusaders threatening Muslim-controlled Palestine, the play has the Muslim leader Saladin asking Nathan the Wise which is […]
Just the other day I heard the song by George Harrison called "My Sweet Lord" on the radio. Beyond the simple delightfulness of the tune typical of a Beatle, there is something about this particular song that always makes me pause to focus and reflect. I think it has something to do with its honesty, […]
A Not-So-Straightforward Question In many cases, reasonable dialogue is stifled due to lack of clarity concerning key terms in a discussion. Consider the case of two disputants discussing whether or not the claim that "Fred and Carmen have the same car" is true. After listening to the discussion, an outside observer rightly asks for clarification. […]
