Relevance is irrelevant (Part 1)
Paul opens up his letter to the Corinthians thanking God for the good work of grace begun in them, but quickly moves to admonish them… Read More »Relevance is irrelevant (Part 1)
Articles on Theology
Elephant Room 2, Biblicism, and the Importance of Tradition
If you aren’t at least somewhat familiar with the recent controversy over T. D. Jakes, James MacDonald, Mark Driscoll, and the Elephant Room, you’ve probably… Read More »Elephant Room 2, Biblicism, and the Importance of Tradition
A. W. Tozer on the Church in His Day
I’m currently reading Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy and plan to share some quotes over the coming weeks. From the preface, here is the… Read More »A. W. Tozer on the Church in His Day
A postscript on Biblical discernment
Last October I wrapped up my eight-part series on Biblical discernment (parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and 8), and I thought I would now, in retrospect, add a brief postscript… Read More »A postscript on Biblical discernment
Christmas Thought from Tozer
“Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!”—Phillips Brooks. That there were in the world multiplied millions who had never heard of Christmas did not matter to our poet… Read More »Christmas Thought from Tozer
“Glory Be to God on High” by Charles Wesley
A while back I stumbled across Charles Wesley’s Christmas hymn, “Glory Be to God on High.” This is a superb text on the incarnation of… Read More »“Glory Be to God on High” by Charles Wesley
Some concluding thoughts on discernment (Part 8)
I was pushed to write a series on discernment when I heard a famous evangelical pastor define discernment as the ability to see, allegedly by… Read More »Some concluding thoughts on discernment (Part 8)
Discernment and God’s Judgment (Part 7)
I have been arguing for the importance of discernment in the life of a Christian. I define discernment as a biblically informed judgment whether certain… Read More »Discernment and God’s Judgment (Part 7)
Encouraging Reflectiveness
Ours is not a particularly reflective age. When a pastor begins speaking of the meaning of the media, devices and technologies that surround us, he… Read More »Encouraging Reflectiveness
Maturity and Discernment (Part 6)
Discernment is a biblically informed judgment whether certain extra-biblical moral actions are good or evil. Last week, we looked at discernment in Eph 5:7-11 and… Read More »Maturity and Discernment (Part 6)
Enlightened Discernment (Part 5)
We are beginning to see that discernment was a significant category for Paul. As an apostle, Paul was very much accustomed to giving the Lord… Read More »Enlightened Discernment (Part 5)
Discernment and Good and Evil (Part 4)
To this point, the passages studied in our series on discernment have been pretty straight-forward. Whether Philippians 1:9-11, Romans 12:1-2, or Colossians 1:9-10, each passage… Read More »Discernment and Good and Evil (Part 4)
Discernment as spiritual wisdom and understanding (Part 3)
This is a series on Christian discernment. My first post argued that Christian discernment is necessary for living for the glory of God (Phil 1:9-11).… Read More »Discernment as spiritual wisdom and understanding (Part 3)
Interlude: Thirtle’s Theory
I have been among those who committed the error of publicly reading a psalm and omitting to read the title. I reasoned that these titles… Read More »Interlude: Thirtle’s Theory
Discernment and worship (Part 2)
Last week I argued from Philippians 1:9-11 that discernment is of great importance to the believer as an important part of living for the glory… Read More »Discernment and worship (Part 2)
Discernment for the Glory of God (Part 1)
Yesterday, Phil Johnson highlighted the “preposterous claims, unhinged behavior, and spiritual quackery” of the charismatic movement, with Mark Driscoll as “Exhibit A.” I agree with… Read More »Discernment for the Glory of God (Part 1)
A History of Psalm 130 in Music: Part 1
Sometimes we really don’t appreciate the continuity of the Christian tradition, especially in that there is, by and large, an approach to the music of… Read More »A History of Psalm 130 in Music: Part 1
Doctrinal Literacy – 2
Churches that wish to be doctrinally thorough and promote theological literacy ought to have a pulpit that systematically teaches through Scripture, and support it with… Read More »Doctrinal Literacy – 2
Doctrinal Literacy
How do churches teach Christian doctrine thoroughly and cohesively? I suggest four ways, the first two of which I’ll deal with in this post. First,… Read More »Doctrinal Literacy
Doctrinal Thoroughness
Google ‘Gospel-centered’ and you will find thousands of churches and Christians who have adopted this nick as descriptive of themselves. No one wants to be… Read More »Doctrinal Thoroughness