The Christmas associations of an inn and an innkeeper, however, do not reflect the language of Luke's text in 2:7. Rather, the word usually translated as "inn," seems to refer to either some type of reception room in a private home or some type of public shelter. Since this place was full, refuge was sought…
Radical by David Platt: An Interaction and Review
We love one-sided coins. What I mean by that is that we love to take one “side” of a Biblical teaching and amplify it to the exclusion of a coordinating truth. For example, faith and works. In recent history, “grace alone” preachers have come along and emphasized the undeserved kindness of God toward us in…
Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller: A (Short) Review
My wife miscarried in early 2013, which led us to wrestle with the question, “Where is God in the midst of suffering?” It is not easy. If anything else, however, Christianity is a religion which causes you to wrestle through such questions because at the center of the faith is the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.…
A Shot of Faith to the Head: A (Kind of) Review
A (kind of) review of A Shot of Faith to the Head by Mitch Stokes. This book unnerved me. In a good way. But it still unnerved me. Because it challenged much of what I believed about we as humans know stuff. One challenge to belief in God is “show me.” As in, show me the evidence…
A Slap to Our (Individualistic) Faces
The prevailing view of life today is that of an individual standing on his or her own, heroically juggling various responsibilities—family, friendships, career, leisure, chores, and money…From time to time the pressures overwhelm us and we drop one or more of the balls. All too often church becomes one of those balls…An alternative model is…
What Does it Mean to be “Biblical”?
In order to be biblical in our theology we must take seriously what Scripture claims to be. What, then, does Scripture claim for itself?...We affirm that Scripture is God's Word written, the product of God's mighty action through the Word and by the Holy Spirit whereby human authors freely wrote exactly what God intended to…
When Theology is Not Theology
Some claim we need those who are intentionally 'on a par' with academic theologians in our universities to engage with contemporary theological issues. To a large extent, however, contemporary theology is pursued by people who make no pretense of being 'Christian,' working in non-confessional institutions. If true theology is the fruit of engagement with the…
The Cross and the “Cursing” Psalms
If we “tone down” the cry against injustice as something “primitive,” we cannot appreciate the cross—because there we see that the punishment for such cruelty is exactly what the Psalmist has called for. We see God’s “little one” being dashed to pieces. Yes, the punishment that human injustice and evil deserves is just as bad…
Jesus Cries Because He’s Perfect
There is a tendency for us to say, 'I am afraid of the grief, I am afraid of the sorrows'...But look at Jesus. He was perfect, right? And yet he goes around crying all the time. He is always weeping, a man of sorrows. Do you know why? Because he is perfect. Because when you…
The Anxiety of Prosperity Theology
I often hear people say, “If God is going to bless us, we must believe fervently without any doubts that God will bless us. We must claim our blessing with full assurance that we will get it.” But we don’t see that here, nor do we see that attitude in other places in the Bible.…
Raising Lazarus 