When Theology Gets Practical
One of the bestselling books of the 1990s was Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. In it, author John Gray attempted to help couples better understand their differences so that their relationships might improve. But by no means was this project original to Dr. Gray. We often gain understanding by comparison and contrast: men and women, darkness and light, the objective and the subjective, and countless other relationships. There...
Theology or Scripture: Why Must We Choose?
“All I need is the Bible. Theology hinders interpretation.” This is unfortunately the mindset of many who approach the interpretation of Scripture. In modern scholarship, entirely too much focus has been given to a historical-critical reading of Scripture in the academy [1], effectively divorcing theology from Scripture. Of a similar mindset, pastors and laymen have taken a somewhat different approach. They have prevented the Church...
Rethinking Christian Liberty: How Much Freedom Do We Really Have?
Nowadays, it seems as if Christians are free to do as they please. One need only read the Barna Group’s various studies to understand that many professing Christians are living contrary to what their faith protests. Secular media has also taken notice of these trends. Recently, CNN made note of a study done by Relevant magazine, which stated that single Christians are almost just as sexually active as single non-Christians [1]. Even...
The Persistence of Place: Reflections on Craig Bartholomew’s Where Mortals Dwell
Some of the most important aspects of life are those we often overlook. Many of us, to some extent, acknowledge that it is during illness that we realize we’ve taken good health for granted. For example, looking death in the eye, even the wealthy and famous often concede: “I wish I had spent more time with my family.” Committed Christians also find themselves repeatedly confronted with the theme of remembrance as they read the...
Christian Worship: “Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs”
We sing. As Christians, it’s something we do. It’s what we’ve done in the past, it’s what we do today, and it’s what we’ll do forevermore. Yet, the simple act of singing in the church is more than just words crafted together, or lyrics set to music—though it is these things. Ultimately, we offer praise to God in worship by it. Today, some sing with instrumentation, and others without. Some sing from screens, and others from books....
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