The Night Before: Luther’s Anfechtung Before His “Here I Stand” Speech
“Orchestrated by Satan, But Permitted by Christ” “Orchestrated by Satan, but permitted By Christ.“ This is what Martin Luther called it: “Anfechtung,” a German...
Why I Don’t Think the Church Is Called to Be as Unified as We Think
Introduction In John chapter 17, Christ prays for His followers, saying, “that they may be one as we are one.” This prayer has often been interpreted as a call for...
Six Pillars of Trust: Building Confidence in Theological Voices
When I first became committed to the things of the Lord, I was a sponge. I absorbed whatever anyone was offering, as long as they said they loved Jesus. I bought anything that...
Punting to Mystery: A Calvinist Reflection on Free Will and Divine Sovereignty
Introduction I’ve been mulling over an idea for many years, one I’ve written about before but am now trying to articulate more clearly. It centers on the notion of...
The Joyful Cost of Evangelism: Embracing the Mission with Resilience
At the turn of the twentieth century, Theodore Roosevelt wrote these gripping words in his riveting book The Strenuous Life: “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth...
Biblical Lists of Sins in Reverse
10 Commandments in Exodus 20:3-17 in Reverse You shall have no other gods before me. Reverse: Trust only God for everything. You shall not make for yourself an idol. Reverse:...
Reconciling Free Will and Divine Sovereignty: A Three-Dimensional View from a Two-Dimensional World
Imagine a world where you had to choose between two truths that seem equally valid but seemed utterly contradictory. In the realm of the Christian faith, this isn’t just...
Giving Up On Life
About thirteen years ago, right after my dad died, I felt like I gave up on life. I wasn’t going to end my life because I knew from experience the impact that would have on my...