John Knox (c. 1514-1572) was a Scottish minister and Reformed theologian, who was a leader in his country’s Reformation and, indeed, the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. This book is one of the “Long Line of Godly Men Profile” series, other titles of which I’ve also reviewed on this blogsite. The idea of … [Read more…]
My wife and I recently went to see a new performance — revival, if that’s the right use of the term — of the 1971 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. This was part of the show’s tour, so we were just lucky to see it so close to Resurrection Sunday, and it gives me the … [Read more…]
Our church recently concluded its sermon series (also noted here on this blogsite) on the book of Exodus, so herewith are some thoughts. First, when you think about it, while of course Genesis discusses the origins of Judaism with the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Exodus is the first book about the Jews as a … [Read more…]
There are of course many valuable truths and insights that are not found in the Bible. There’s not a word in it, for example, about the Pythagorean Theorem. And the fact that the Bible contains many valuable truths and insights is not proof that it is Scripture. Poor Richard’s Almanac is not Scripture, for example. … [Read more…]
It cannot be an accident that the Gospel of John starts with the phrase “In the beginning” — just as Genesis does. The first two words (in koine Greek) of both John and the Septuagint are, En arche. This invites a comparison. One could analyze the entire first chapters of the two books, but I’ll … [Read more…]
I had the thought that is the subject of this blogpost the other day, and I’m not sure it is really God-related. But perhaps there is some connection to, say, Genesis 3:16 (NLT), and in all events it may be evidence of Providence in the way God made them male and female. Anyhow, here goes: … [Read more…]
Maybe it’s formulaic but it’s also true, in my humble opinion: All we have to do is accept Christ and try our best to do what He wants.
My wife and I one recent evening felt like watching a movie, and she loves romantic comedies and I had a list from the February 23, 2009, National Review of the “25 best conservative movies of the last 25 years.” And so we rented Blast from the Past for 79 cents. That 79 cents turned … [Read more…]
In reading the first half of John 19 the other day, I was struck with how real, how straightforward the narration is. It does not read like a made-up mythopoetic fantasy, but instead like reportage (I’m paraphrasing C.S. Lewis). But see what you think: Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together … [Read more…]
Driving during a cold sunset in December, I was overwhelmed with so many sublime intricacies in the landscape, natural and manmade both. It beggars the imagination to think this could all be accidental, just molecules colliding. But, one hesitates, does it not also beggar the imagination to think that this could all be known and … [Read more…]