History belongs to God. He is the great author. To look at periods of time in history and assume that God is not acting is to think like a pagan.
Reading the Bible as a Literary Person
Unfortunately, it is this type of pragmatic unliterariness that so pervades many Christians’
John Calvin and the Civil Magistrate (Part 2)
"It is our duty, therefore, not only to pray for those who are already worthy, but we must pray to God that he may make bad men good." - John Calvin
C.S. Lewis on Being a Literary Person
No doubt there are many morals and messages held in the great works of literature. However, to approach a work of literature with the sole intention of mining these things is to approach literature as an unliterary person. In the case of the literary person, they approach a great work with the main intention to sit under the author’s tutelage. In this
Intentionally Being Intentional About Intentionality
I am far from a perfect covenant parents. Instead, I call to mind the promises of God and try to communicate them to my children faithfully. The whole time recognizing that our efforts are analogous to 1) "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24) or 2) "We have only five loaves and two fish" (Matt 14:17).
music consumption
I would argue that a trustworthy artist puts thought and care into their tracklisting, so give it the respect due.
Relativism, Objectivity, & Fittingness
A recovery of beauty in the realm of aesthetics in the church is not going to be an easy task. It is going to take a long time and the odds are unlikely that our generation will taste the fruit of faithfulness. But what greater example of selfless love is there than laying down our own aesthetic preferences so that our great grandchildren can reap the fruit of a robustly beautiful church.
Book Review: Understanding Gender Dysphoria by Mark Yarhouse
“We do not want to artificially endorse rigid gender stereotypes that make cultural normative expression of gender roles a marker of obedience to God or something along those lines.” (150-151)
Barth Before Barth
"Whereas God had withdrawn to a distance from us, he has drawn near to us in Christ, and thus Christ has become to us the true Emmanuel, and his coming is God’s drawing near to men."
John Calvin and the Civil Magistrate (Part 1)
The church cannot suffice as a law unto itself. Calvin says, "they stupidly imagine her to be such as she never can be found in the community of men."
Christians Are Against Relativism, Right?
Goodness, truth, and beauty must work together. But many modern Christians have ceded the realm of beauty to modernist ideal of relativism: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Christians need to be more consistent in their defence of an objective reality. We should continue to contend for objectivity in the realms of goodness and truth, but we should also contend that beauty is not in the eye of the beholder.
pairs well with whiskey
Pairs well with whiskey. Pairs well with grilled meats and dancing. Pairs well with exhausted contemplation as you watch guests leave.
Abraham & God's Promises
Does "a faith that never is alone" mean that works are ever present in salvific faith?
Book Review: Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion
A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion fell short of it’s potential. The text boxes contained phenomenal information, the story was creative, and every detail researched – but in the end all was underwhelming.
Be Careful Who You Crucify
In many
City Planning and the Gospel
Before recent times, church architecture meant something. Recently the protestant faith in the West has come to be understood in (almost) entirely intellectual terms. “Belief” is the core and sole tenet. Due to this emphasis on an intellectualized faith, aspects like architecture, city planning, and aesthetics in general, have gone by the wayside.
Good Things When It Rains
I might die having not seen the fulfillment of the promise (Heb 11:13). But I can know it will not disappoint. Our hope is in a resurrection where every tear is wiped from every eye.
A Round-table Discussion on SCOTUS
In light of the recent Supreme Court decision on marriage, we here at TG decided to bring in some guest writers to discuss in a round-table format.
In Medias Res: Small, Rudderless Life Rafts
Imagine the insanity, the death, and martyrdom. Imagine the complete lack of theological development and tradition, and the total absence of a canon of Scripture. There was baptism. There was the Eucharist. There were hymns, prayers, and teaching.
When Politics Becomes An Idol
Attempting to fit our understanding of the Bible into our narrow political landscape leads us to electing "compassionate conservatives" or to voting for "hope and change" that never materializes. And yes, there are plenty of people even today that will tell you Jesus himself would have voted for Bush, Obama, or any number of other politicians.