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...
T.S. Eliot: “I Should Be Glad of Another Death”
Several years ago I decided to start reading poetry. This was no easy endeavor. Poetry distills complex thoughts into compact sentences full of association and tone. Thus learning to read and understand it was difficult for me. As is often the case though, the reward for such hard work is very high. T.S. Eliot was the first poet to really grab me and refuse to let go. His poetry drew me into a new world I never expected to find. Since...
George MacDonald: Life, Works, Legacy
I was 14-years-old the first time I saw the name George MacDonald. It appeared in C.S. Lewis’ Surprised by Joy (1955). It didn’t make an impression initially, but as I read Lewis more, MacDonald’s name became unavoidable. “Whoever this MacDonald was,” I surmised, “he clearly made a profound impact on Lewis.” This may be your experience too: if you’ve heard of MacDonald at all, it’s been by way of Lewis. After all, he has been one of...
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