Book Review: Essential Eschatology
Since Jesus ascended, eschatology (or the study of “last things”) has been a major topic of conversation. As Christians, we eagerly await and anticipate Jesus’ coming. We often wonder when that time will occur. Over the centuries since the ascension, many predictions and much controversy have ensued concerning when this will occur. Into this discussion steps John E. Phelan Jr. with his newest book Essential Eschatology (IVP Academic...
Baptizing Our Imaginations in the Basin
As Christians, we give much time to consider how we might restructure our thoughts. This is appropriate, since God speaks to us through our understanding and calls us to use our minds to exert self-control over our fallen intuitions (Eph. 4:17-24). And in so doing, we refuse to conform to the fallen culture around us. But if we address only the intellect and neglect the imagination, we’ll redirect our thinking only to leave our...
Is the Church the “New Israel”?
by Jeffrey Cockrell With recent conflict in Israel and the apparent lack of Jews accepting Christ as Messiah, one must wonder if God has rejected Israel. In the Old Testament, Israel is identified as the people of God;[1] and in the New Testament, the church is described as God’s people, which includes Jews and Gentiles.[2] Yet there are many differences of opinion on this controversial subject. The idea of classifying the church as...
Why Reason Isn’t Enough
How far can reason take us? Whether we’ve ever asked this specific question, most people assume an answer to it in their thoughts, discussions, and arguments. In The Evidence for Virtue: Social Science, Natural Law, and Human Flourishing, political scientist Paul Miller argues that Christians need not be fearful about the use of social science. He says, “[I]t provides a way to talk normatively about human flourishing in terms that are...
C.S. Lewis, Beauty, and the Experience of Story
by Alexandra Harper Great writing is not merely a matter of knowledge, clever ideas, or technical brilliance. These elements illuminate, but only as stars in light of the vast universe. Precise technique is capable of delivering a cold performance absent of the power to transform. Transformation, that is, transfiguration, is the offspring of beauty, the Mona Lisa smile of storytelling, elusive yet captivating. Whatever the genre or...
J.R.R. Tolkien: Storytelling & the Eucatastrophe
What book has been voted #1 on NPR’s “Top 100 Fantasy Books,”[1] Waterstone’s “Book of the Century,”[2] and Amazon’s “Greatest Book of the Millennium”?[3] None other than J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic trilogy The Lord of the Rings (LOTR). But why? One can almost hear the voices of literary critics lamenting, “Of all the books in the world, why pick this?” Why indeed? Why does the incredible and fantastical imagination of one man resonate so...
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