Who is a “real Christian?”
Just being a member of a Christian church doesn’t make you a true Christian. It makes you at best a nominal Christian
“True Christianity” is a centered set and not a bounded set. Neither I nor any other mere human has the authority to decide who is and who is not a true Christian—other than as a matter of personal opinion. There are times, however, when churches (denominations) find it necessary to decide who is not a true Christian
Exploiting the Prophet
That said, for a self-described “religion of peace,” Islam does claim a lot of lives.
Are extremists hijacking the Arab Spring? They’re trying to, but this is just the opening chapter in a long drama. Some Eastern European countries, like Romania and Hungary, are still wobbly more than two decades after their democratic revolutions. Maybe the closest parallel to the Arab Spring is the 1998 revolution in Indonesia, where it took years for Islamic extremism to subside.
The Jesus Conspiracy
Like Elizabethan buffs in search of the “real” Shakespeare, the questers for the historical Jesus turn out to be masters of detection and geniuses at codebreaking.
The analogy to “The Da Vinci Code” rankles academics, of course. “Dr. King said she wants nothing to do with the code or its author,” my colleague Laurie Goodstein notes in her story on the newly discovered text, and quotes King saying: “At least, don’t say this proves Dan Brown was right.” But if they don’t want people to make the analogy, they shouldn’t imitate his arguments.
Tim Keller’s Disappointing Comments on Homosexuality
Rev. Keller’s remarks do not appear to have been accidental or mistaken but represent settled conviction.
What the Academy needs today is men who are fearless in proclaiming sin, righteousness, and the coming judgment in the context of the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ to desperate sinners like us. And these men should normally be those who are followers of Jesus Christ who work on campus; His slaves who can't help but be faithful in speaking of His holiness and mercy in their classrooms, faculty offices, faculty senate meetings, on the walkways from classroom building to classroom building, and so on.
Against Traditional Marriage
Traditional marriage hasn't usually been all that Christian
Let’s stop advocating for traditional marriage, an institution dominated by the curse. Let’s recognize that our critics may have more to teach us than we may have been prepared to admit. Let’s advocate instead for Biblical marriage, and the wonderful picture of love and companionship we see presented to us there, a model of mutual... Continue Reading
Problems with a New Reading of an Old Verse: Genesis 3:16
Two views on the meaning of Genesis 3:16, when God curses the woman and says, "Your desire will be for your husband."
I am convinced, however, that this phrase reflects an idolatrous longing for something from the man that the woman was created to receive from God alone. As I researched this topic, however, it became clear that my view is in the minority. Editors’ note: Two views on the meaning of Genesis 3:16, when God curses the... Continue Reading
The Manhattan Declaration Crosses the River in Defense of Religious Freedom
Religious liberty is under assault as never before
Some Christians are having to choose between their livelihood or their Christian conscience, Sears lamented. Citing a pastor in Sweden charged with hate speech for preaching from his pulpit against homosexual acts and told by a prosecutor to “get a new Bible,” Sears predicted such cases are a “little taste of what lies ahead…if we... Continue Reading
Will America Keep the Faith?
Journalist David Aikman wonders whether our nation will squander its spiritual heritage.
Just as legions from Beijing to Brasilia are discovering how vital faith in Christ both saves the individual and offers moral ballast to culture, many Westerners have jettisoned and ridiculed that same faith. Perhaps global South believers will help Americans appreciate the value of their own spiritual legacy. Revival Is Possible In a... Continue Reading
Reformed Response to Two Kingdom Theology
John Frame, The Escondido Theology: A Reformed Response to Two Kingdom Theology
A major part of Prof. Frame’s critique of the Escondido men is that they lay exclusive claim to the Reformed tradition. In fact, he says that this is his primary motivation for writing this book: “I would not be writing this book if it were not for another distinctive of the Escondido theology…: the view... Continue Reading
Grand Canyon University Gets Free Mass. Campus
For-profit school established nonprofit arm to qualify, but Green family sees benefits in its model.
Hobby Lobby Stores founder David Green is already the world’s largest evangelical giver. Now, Green is giving away something other than money: a 217-acre college campus. Hobby Lobby announced today [Sept. 21] its plan to donate the former D.L. Moody Northfield Mount Hermon School campus in Northfield, Mass., to Grand Canyon University (GCU), a for-profit... Continue Reading