Adoring With Caravaggio
Take some time to consider Caravaggio’s Adoration of the Shepherds. Don’t scan and speed-read, but if you have the time, stop and stare. First, where… Read More »Adoring With Caravaggio
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A Worship Catechism (8)
46. What is meant by confession? Confession is the agreement of the mind and heart with God’s conviction (1 John 1:9). The mind agrees with… Read More »A Worship Catechism (8)
Augustine on that which deserves the name “love”
Too often, contemporary Christianity sees all emotions or affections as essentially equal. For this reason, many conclude as long as some kind of religious emotion… Read More »Augustine on that which deserves the name “love”
A Worship Catechism (6)
33. What is meant by communing with God? Communing with God is beholding of the glory of the Triune God, directly and indirectly, in the… Read More »A Worship Catechism (6)
A Worship Catechism (5)
29. What has the Father done to enable us to abide in God’s presence? The Father lovingly chose us in Christ before the foundation of… Read More »A Worship Catechism (5)
A Worship Catechism (3)
15. How does the Father magnify God’s beauty? The Father magnifies the glory of God as Beholder, by delighting in it and declaring its uniqueness… Read More »A Worship Catechism (3)
A Worship Catechism (2)
8. Can we love anything or anyone besides God? Ultimate love for God demands that we love all that God loves, for His sake (Matthew 10:37).… Read More »A Worship Catechism (2)
A Worship Catechism (1)
1. What is the great priority and purpose of man? Man’s great priority and purpose is to love God with his entire being: heart, soul,… Read More »A Worship Catechism (1)
Why Tolkien Wrote About Middle-Earth
Some Evangelicals’ credo might be: “There is only one Tolkien, and Peter Jackson is his Prophet.” While there is no denying that the art of… Read More »Why Tolkien Wrote About Middle-Earth
Why Christians Should Care About Meaning in Art
Christians claim to be concerned with meaning. They debate over the meaning of texts of Scripture, and urge particular hermeneutics, so as to arrive at… Read More »Why Christians Should Care About Meaning in Art
Chestless Churches
What would ‘Churches Without Chests” look like? To use a strictly Lewisian definition, it would be groups of professing believers without ‘the spirited element’. In… Read More »Chestless Churches
Tozer’s Third Concern – Worship and Entertainment
Perhaps Tozer used more ink on the topic of worship than on any other. As Tozer watched the heritage of Christianity being exchanged for a… Read More »Tozer’s Third Concern – Worship and Entertainment
Tozer’s Second Concern – Pragmatism
A.W. Tozer had the uncommon ability to step aside from his own culture, and see as alien what had become natural. Tozer saw that the… Read More »Tozer’s Second Concern – Pragmatism
Tozer’s First Concern – Illumination
It would be easy – or more precisely, lazy – to dismiss Tozer’s concern with the doctrine of illumination 1 as a form of flakey… Read More »Tozer’s First Concern – Illumination
Tozer’s Three Concerns
Although A.W. Tozer’s writings ranged over all kinds of topics, three concerns dominated Tozer’s writings. You’ll find him returning to these often, and giving them… Read More »Tozer’s Three Concerns
On Associations
Whenever the question is asked whether associations matter in musical choices, people usually fall into one of two camps. First are those who strongly believe… Read More »On Associations
Sweetly Destructive
Sentimentalism would not be high on pastors’ lists of threats to the church, were they to be polled for such a thing. False doctrine, lack… Read More »Sweetly Destructive
What Churches Take For Granted (But No Longer Should)
A first-grade teacher does not require, but typically expects the five and six-year-olds that arrive in class to be able to: * understand enough language… Read More »What Churches Take For Granted (But No Longer Should)
The Mortification of Spin’s Take on Secular Music (or, Calvin vs. the Calvinists)
Occasionally I listen to the Mortification of Spin (hereafter MOS) podcast. I find the episodes largely helpful and would happily recommend the podcast to others.… Read More »The Mortification of Spin’s Take on Secular Music (or, Calvin vs. the Calvinists)
The Holy Spirit and decent and orderly worship
In the fourteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul rebukes the church for its chaotic worship. It seems that the problems included women teachers (14:33b-35), the… Read More »The Holy Spirit and decent and orderly worship