Losing Our Religion by Russell Moore (January - 4 out of 5 stars) The Lord's Work in the Lord's Way; No Little People, No Little Places by Franic Schaeffer (January - 5 out of 5 stars) Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (January - 5 out 5 stars) The Lord's Prayer by Kevin DeYoung (January…
The Kids Are (Sort of) Alright (Part 1)
"I just want my kids to be happy." How did that statement become the dominant parenting philosophy today? Author Andrew Root briefly tours history to answer that question. He explores the answer to that question in his provocatively titled book, The End of Youth Ministry?. The Shift to Happiness In the book, Root traces how…
Blogging the Institutes | 2.1.10 | God is Not the Author of Sin
We cannot attribute to God the vices of humanity. Some people believe that God made people sinful. Instead, they should look for God's handiwork in Adam's nature when it was still whole and uncorrupted. The blame of our ruin rests solely upon us, not with God. The only cause of our sinful conditions comes from…
Blogging the Institutes | 2.1.9 | Depravity Affects All Parts of the Soul
Ever since Adam revolted against God, all parts of the soul were possessed by sin. Not only did the appetites of the body entice Adam, but also a damnable impiety siezed his mind. Pride penetrated his innermost heart (Romans 7:12). Therefore, it is foolish to confine the corruption of sin merely to bodily desires. It…
Blogging the Institutes | 2.1.8 | Definition of Original Sin
Let's define original sin. I don't have any intention, however, of discussing all the definitions that different writers have adopted. I'm only going to talk about the one which I think is closest to the truth. Original sin, then, is the hereditary corruption and depravity of our nature. It extends to all parts of the…
Violence in the Book of Joshua
Reading Joshua can be a shock to the system. The book details the conquest of Canaan by Israel which often involved war and violence. Modern readers, especially Christians, can feel uncomfortable with the narrations of violence in the book because they seem so contrary to not only what contemporary people believe about human rights, but…
What Hypocrisy Really Is
Too often, Christians think of hypocrites as people who do one thing but feel another. But that's not hypocrisy. Hypocrites publicize one set of beliefs but live by a different set of beliefs. When you come to church but don't feel like it, that's more like faithfulness. When you do the right thing in your…
How Do We Actually Change? (Thomas Chalmers Expulsive Power of a New Affection)
Christians have long wrestled with the question of how people actually change; how do Christians exhibit Christ-like character in the world? Scottish pastor Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) is one example of a believer who contemplated such questions. He presented his answer in a sermon entitled "The Expulsive Power of a New Affection." Chalmers understands the heart,…
How to Grieve
When Heather miscarried her first pregnancy, people around us told us that we were grieving. Obviously, we both knew that was the case from the sadness we were experiencing. Being told we were grieving was like having a handful of pieces for an 1,000 piece puzzle. Certainly, it was a good start, but it was…
The Grand Illusion
Most of us tend to live under the illusion that God wouldn't intentionally lead us into such pain [of loss] —especially multiple times. We can't make any sense of why the people and things we love must literally and figuratively experience the finality of death...If we embrace these losses for the severe mercies they are,…
Raising Lazarus 