It’s hard to know sometimes whether I’ve forsaken my sins or some of them have forsaken me. Continue reading “An Old Man’s Prayer”
Month: September 2010
Introvert
Six times per year I get an e-mail that make my little ole heart go pitter-pat, pitter pat: the latest issue of Mars Hill Audio Journal is available for downloading. Continue reading “Introvert”
Westminster vs. The Fathers
The most familiar Calvinist synopsis in the U.S. probably is the Westminster Catechism, a product of British Calvinism. Having been an ardent Calvinist for 20 years, I nevertheless was stunned this morning to see how stark is the contrast between the “let’s keep God at arms’ length” approach of Calvinism and the radical teaching of the Fathers.
Where and how to fight
It is not as important to slay your enemy outside the city as it is not to let him into the city. Continue reading “Where and how to fight”
Jim Wallis struts and preens
Jim Wallis, head of Sojourners and longtime Religious Left leader, has a very revealing column in the Washington Post about the “behind the scenes” scrambling to avert last weekend’s scheduled Koran-burning. What it reveals mostly is his self-importance Continue reading “Jim Wallis struts and preens”
The paradoxes of knowing God
“You cannot know God – but you have to know Him to know that.” Fr. Thomas Hopko.
“The God whom we seek to know is not the same thing as the “God of our understanding,” much less the God of our imagination. Knowing God is eternal life (now and always).”
Victimless sin?
I assume there are still people around who inveigh that there should be no “victimless crimes” — no legal threat if you’re “only having a little fun” or “only hurting yourself.” Well, maybe. But there are no victimless sins. Continue reading “Victimless sin?”
Whaddya mean, “sin”?
In conversation with others, I have adopted the reflex of avoiding the word “sin” because of how it is (mis)understood in the Christian West Continue reading “Whaddya mean, “sin”?”
TJ’s Excellent 15 Minutes of Fame
Michael Gerson at the Washington Post has an Op-Ed on — how best to put it? — the insanity of “Pastor” Terry Jones getting his 15 minutes of fame so cheaply.
Gerson is, if I recall correctly, an Evangelical Protestant — perhaps even a Wheaton College Evangelical — so it was interesting to see his spin on why Muslims go postal at a threatened Koran-burning while Christians (a far more equivocal term than you might think, but serviceable in this context) remain pretty mellow about sacrilege Continue reading “TJ’s Excellent 15 Minutes of Fame”
Lowering the ante
It bother me that sanctimonious jerks can so easily make me sympathize with certified, publicity-seeking creepy-crawlies. Continue reading “Lowering the ante”
Tipsy Teetotaler ن 