Perhaps I was simply too young to appreciate the absurdist humor of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," the popular television comedy (1968-1973). I never quite understood why the laugh track kicked in whenever Sammy Davis, Jr. shuffled across the screen to the sing-song catchphrase "Here comes the judge." I still don't. But the "Laugh-In" writers must […]
With his new book The Last Word and the Word After That, Brian McLaren brings to an end the saga of Pastor Dan Poole. Those who have followed the story through the first two books will be glad to know Dan's tale comes to a happy ending, though not without conflict. This time, the good […]
I was sitting in their living room. (We will call them Mr. and Mrs. Smith.) Mrs. Smith was proudly declaring to me that she had just completed her thirty-second reading of the whole Bible. Well, almost the whole Bible. "You see," she said, "I don't read that one book in the Old Testament." "Leviticus?" I […]
"When we speak bad theology, we live badly theologically." In seventy-two pithy, very personal essays, Marva Dawn provides ample proof for that assertion. The latest offering from this theologian and teacher targets the contemporary bent towards the corruption of words and their meanings. But not just any words. Rather, the essential words of traditional Christianity, […]
Lies That Go Unchallenged, by its own description, is about the culture war between the cultural implications of Christianity and the cultural implications of secularism. Christians trying to wage a culture war often confuse politics for culture and moralism for the gospel. True, Christians believe in morality (while understanding that fallen human beings cannot keep […]
Shades of gray are the new black. For evangelicals who wonder why, if the church is one body with one spirit, we are divided by so many ideas, comes a new book by John Franke. You can label The Character of Theology; you can disagree with it; but if you are concerned about communicating the […]
We the People is one of those do-it-yourself legal service operations. Marketers advertise it with sayings such as "Divorces for only $19.95." Their motto is "No lawyers-save money." The owners recently sold this business for more than 10 million dollars. I am sure they simply relied on their $19.95 business sale package forms to handle […]
How many movies have you watched recently in which hell was considered a possible destiny for the departed? Probably not many. And when was the last time you heard a radio or TV preacher say that on the cross Christ endured the wrath of God? Probably a long time ago. Although a majority of Americans […]
One of the most important tools essential for proper biblical interpretation, or indeed for the interpretation of any book at all, is to recognize that not all words are used exactly the same way in every instance. This principle is not difficult to master, because it is regularly and intuitively understood. When, for example, someone […]
Interview with Peter Jones, co-author of Cracking Da Vinci's Code: You've Read the Fiction, Now Read the Facts. WHI: We're talking with Peter Jones, adjunct professor at Westminster Seminary California and also the co-author of Cracking Da Vinci's Code. Peter, it's great, as always, to be able to talk about these things.PJ: Good to be […]
What comes to mind when you hear that phrase, "the righteousness of God"-or when you hear it declared that God is righteous? A natural reaction, I think, is to affirm it, but sort of the way one affirms that a triangle has three sides or that all unmarried men are bachelors. It is just one […]
For some time theologians and commentators have debated the central theme of the Book of Romans. Is Paul primarily concerned with the big picture of redemptive history and how the appearance of Jesus at the critical moment in the story alters the way in which the people of God enter the covenant-through faith and not […]
