Religion for the Weak
“Who did Jesus come for?” This is not the typical way we frame the purpose of Jesus’ coming. Usually we think about the cross, forgiveness, and perhaps even the kingdom of God. But inserting the interrogative “who” moves our thoughts elsewhere. Former Governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura (D), infamously said, “Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers.” We could dismiss this as the...
Clothed in Righteousness: What Isaiah 61 Teaches About Justification
With all the debate among evangelicals regarding justification, we find a renewed vigor among Christians to mine the Pauline epistles for nuggets of gold. Even church history shows that when questions about justification arise, Christians go particularly to Romans and Galatians for their answers. Yet much of the Bible is neglected when developing our views on justification, particularly the Old Testament. Countless passages of...
The Hobbit: Celebrating Its 75th Anniversary
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit,” begins J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, or There and Back Again—the enchanting prelude to The Lord of the Rings. Today, The Hobbit celebrates its 75th anniversary. Originally published on 21 September 1937, only 1,500 copies were printed. Today, it is one of the most popular fantasy books of all time, with some estimates of more than 100 million copies sold [1]. Numerous critics have noted...
Is History “Bunk”? A Biblical Theology of History
Henry Ford famously commented, “History is bunk” [1]. What is more, he believed it irrelevant, useless, and paramount to “myth” [2]. High school and college students express similar sentiments. Their cries are all-too-familiar: “History is boring and pointless. Who cares?” As Christians, we too may wonder, “Is history really that important?” In fact it is. When compared against Scripture, Ford’s comments border on...
Civic Order, Foreign Affairs, and Biblical Subjection: A Soldier’s Appraisal
Essay by Nathan Trimble The United State of America: The name is known across the world for many reasons, some excellent and some terrible. Nevertheless, it is known in part because of its military influence. Throughout America’s stormy past, the U.S. President and Congress have used the military to defend the nation, to rescue the politically oppressed, and most recently to conduct “counterinsurgency and stability operations in Iraq...
Arminius on the Sanctification of the Believer
While Arminius is often known for his disagreements with Calvinism’s five points, many other aspects of his theology are often neglected. One such issue is the doctrine of sanctification. Both Arminians and Calvinist ignore his teachings as if he never spoke of it at all. Yet this issue defines much of so-called Arminianism today. So what does Arminius teach about sanctification? To answer this question, let us first examine what...
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