Catechesis begins by recognizing that the Christian life is as much about union with Christ as receiving the benefits of his saving work. It's about 'getting saved,' yes, but also growing in him.

Listen carefully: Christianity is not first and foremost about our behavior, our obedience, our response, and our daily victory over sin—as important as all these are. It is not first and foremost about us at all–it is first and foremost about Jesus!   One of the chief vehicles for dishonesty in my own life has... Continue Reading

One of the more fascinating sections of the book is Cosmas’ account of when the flat-earthers and the round-earthers met in Alexandria for a debate. Each side presented arguments, counter-arguments, and even conducted experiments. Evidently Cosmas believed his side won. He reported to his mentor, “And it is the truth I speak, O most God-beloved Father, through the power of Christ they went away dumbfounded and sadly crestfallen, having been put to shame by our exposure of their fictions.”

Authors include: Monica Duffy Toft, Daniel Philpott, Timothy Samuel Shah; R. C. Sproul; Doug Coleman; Idzerd Van Dellen, Martin Monsma; G.D. Cloete, D.J. Smit; Piet J. Naude

All 50 states require vaccination for public-school attendance, permitting exemptions for medical reasons. All except Mississippi and West Virginia allow religious exemptions, and 20 states let parents skip their students’ shots for “philosophical” reasons—often a firmly held belief that vaccines are ineffective or harmful. An Associated Press reporter found the rate of vaccine exemptions has... Continue Reading

We can put this kind of media event into perspective by noting that each such unearthing of non-canonical ancient Christian texts receives publicity in direct proportion to attention being given to particular controversial issues in the contemporary world.

Then he told me something that concerned me as his pastor. Mark said that he wished that he could be like his dad when it came to death. He explained that shortly before his death, his father had accepted Christ through the influence of a friend and had told Mark he was not scared to die. Mark said, “To be honest, Barry, I’m concerned about facing death.”

Privacy and solitude has just about vanished from our world and the strange thing is that we seem to love that fact. Moronic tweeting about routine daily activities, the constant rattle of texts, planes full of people who can barely wait for the wheels to touchdown before they need to switch on their iPhones: it is surely strange that the idea of being alone with one's thoughts for even a moment has now become something which seems to terrify people or at least be most undesirable

I do think the Gospel Coalition’s rallying behind complementarianism is troubling. It resembles the version of Calvinism that traffics among the young and restless — lots of talk of divine sovereignty, not so much about limited atonement. After all, that biblical teaching and those Reformed creeds can sound reactionary to modern ears and we don’t ever want to sound extreme

Keep pedaling, son, despite your fears. I know all the bumps in the road, and, although you falter and even wipe out, my grace surrounds you to the end.