Out, damned spot! Out, I say!—One, two. Why, then, ’tis time to do ’t. Hell is murky!—Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?—Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him. (Macbeth, […]
Death, dogma, and discourse might not go together at first glance. Death and dogma perhaps—as John Henry Newman wrote, “Many a man will live and die upon a dogma”—but that makes discourse the third wheel. How is discourse—personal exchange—related to death and dogma? My experience has shown me that discourse is actually the beating heart […]
Every major doctrine in Christianity is cloaked in mystery. Some claims to “mystery” are actually excuses for not having to support your claims with arguments and evidence—many play the mystery card when their claims turn to outright contradiction. But Christianity is full of mystery. There are answers—real answers—but they only go so far, and even […]
The Old Testament depicts a host of potential saviors who end up failing (often spectacularly) to show that even the best of us are not enough. Even our prospective redeemers need salvation. It is not until we get to Jesus that we find a Savior who can bear the crushing weight of our sin because […]
Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre accurately describes shame as “a hemorrhage of the soul,” that is, a painful, unexpected, and disorienting experience. It is often linked to some painful incident—sin that has been done to us rather than by us. Shame has the power to steal our breath and smother us with condemnation, rejection, and disgust. Guilt, […]
Some years back, I viewed Amadeus in the student lounge of the Assemblies of God college my friend was attending. In this film about Mozart, a Roman Catholic priest visits a lunatic asylum where Salieri, a court musician of mediocre talent, is pining away his last days. The priest seems sincere and has a good pastoral manner. […]
Growing up in evangelicalism, I have found that there is a healthy suspicion of unbiblical ceremonies. At least in theory. In practice, we often substituted our own “sacraments.” Where Rome offered forgiveness if the penitent met the conditions and claimed the inherent powers of the priesthood, we evangelicals were nevertheless often led to ourselves, to […]
In the evangelical 1980s, regular appearances of “The Power Team” at local megachurches were great opportunities for desperate youth pastors to connect with bored young men. In the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit, team members would take turns performing feats of strength. It was all designed to remind the […]
Systematic theology can be intimidating. Like every discipline, it comes with its own vocabulary, a complex history, and seemingly endless debates. At first glance, it may appear more problematic than practical, but it would be hard to find any topic discussed in the church today (from the ordination of women to the role of instruments […]
The politics of transgenderism is removing the veil that has long obscured gender dysphoria and intersexuality from the serious thoughts of most Christians. Very few Christians have any real understanding of what gender dysphoria and intersexuality even are, let alone their cause or the trauma and isolation endured by individuals experiencing them. The church’s temptation […]
Having benefitted from his lectures on this topic years ago, I was excited to hear that Sinclair Ferguson was finally going to publish his work on the Marrow Controversy. Weaving together the insight of a church historian and the heart of a pastor, Ferguson uses the Marrow Controversy as a map to help track our […]
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Ps. 51:5) It’s a curious truth that through their attempts to deny the doctrine of original sin, marketing companies and self-help gurus unconsciously end up reinforcing it. If we’re so wonderful and capable of so much, how is it that […]
Many of us were raised on the idea of salvation from this world—whether it was the drama of a rapture and apocalyptic destruction, or the traditional hope of bright lights and streets of gold, salvation was less about this world redeemed than about “I’ll fly away.” Then the pendulum swung in the other direction. Salvation […]
