"Grant today to the whole Christian church and to the world as well that many may break through the glitter and vanity of the holiday season and truly celebrate Christmas with us." - Karl Barth
Year In Review: 2015 in Fiction
Year In Review: 2015 in Fiction
The Best of the Worst
In the spirit of "shut up and listen," I present the best books that are full of things I do not affirm.
Openness Unhindered: When Sisters Disagree
Listening to different stories and perspectives helps us check our own thoughts for hidden paradigms and presuppositions. It allows us to find the roots of our differences and acknowledge that ideas are not what define people.
christmas music that doesn't suck
Are you SICK OF IT ALL? Specifically the top 40 Christmas songs, the ones that started playing on BlackFriday?
The Outspoken Confession of the Faithful
That Christ is the God become man means He is the God who meets man. And in this meeting man can do nothing but confess.
The Great Divide: Liturgy & Baptism
I continue my walk through Jordan Cooper's The Great Divide.
Introducing Openness Unhindered
While we must always affirm God's position and the Biblical worldview, this does not negate the importance of human experience. Instead, we learn that human experience is important so long as it is not utilized to contradict Scripture.
Unmerited Forgiveness in the Lord's Prayer
We pray for this gracious forgiveness then because it has been promised to us (1 Jn. 1:9). We pray for it because it has already been accomplished.
Libertarian Schools of Thought Defined
To help with this problem, below there will be a few definitions and distinctions between different sub-schools of libertarian thought.
The Great Divide: Atonement & Apostasy
What is undeniably "limited" in the Reformed sense is the extent of the application of the atonement.
The Day to Shape the Days Upon
The Sabbath is more than just one day out of seven. It is the queen of days. It is, to borrow another line from another part of McCarthy's story, “the day to shape the days upon.” And in the remembrance of this there is joy.
Losing People For The Plot
"Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the catholic Church" (Roman Catholic Catechism) or perhaps, "Where Christ is, there is his Church" (Karl Barth, The Great Promise).
The Intimacy of the Lord's Prayer
Direct and intimate attention affirms visibly our commitment and love. Doubly so with the Lord’s Prayer because as a whole, it draws us closer to the Father and places us in His care.
so there's that
And the getting of the cash is taking too long..... so his hooker gets out of the car.
The Great Divide: Predestination & Election
I will be decisively less interested in presenting my arguments than Cooper. But I do hope to encourage some Reformed thinking.
Book Review: Thy Word Is Truth
If judged by Hunsinger's goal that "it will succeed only if it whets reader's appetite to read Barth" (xx), then Thy Word is Truth is an outstanding success.
God Draws Near
The reason I celebrate Advent is that it stands against man. Advent completely rejects man moving closer to God.
The Personal Nature of the Lord's Prayer
That makes this prayer the foundational prayer of the church because the Person who prays this prayer places it above all other prayers.
To Heaven & Back: A Liturgy That Hurts
With heaven a reality that Christian experience now, all of Lewis' analogy is being played out in the life of the church.