Jeremiah, in some of his best known words, wrote, âThe heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?â The implication to the final rhetorical question seems to be no one can understand it. And, in particular, we cannot understand our own hearts. We think we know ourselves, but our own hearts deceive us, blinding us to our real motivations, thoughts, feelings. We do not need Satan to deceive us when…
How does the Bible define true and godly love, the blessed intimacy and bond that unites a man and woman in the state of marriage? Here are some reflections on just this question, given as the charge to my younger brother and his new bride at their wedding last week. Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as…
Humanism, as Francis Schaeffer noted, is what happens when âman is the measure of all things.â In our educational system, is man the measure of all thingsâor the Man? That is, are we Christian or humanist? Stemming from recent, fruitful conversation with colleagues about what makes education truly Christian instead of humanist, I have tried to compile a short, and undoubtedly inchoate, list of distinctions. As always, commentsâcorrections, suggestions for improvement, additionsâare more than…
There is a false humility that breeds subjectivity and precludes certainty. Because we cannot know anything absolutely, we assume we can know nothing adequatelyâand forbid others from thinking or speaking so. There is another humility, born of conviction, that produces faithful service and selfless love. Because we know some things with certainty, we act with conviction and grace-driven purpose. To one of these we are called. To the other we succumb with alarming…
I recently had the opportunity to speak on the power of speech (ironic, I know), and offered at that time a brief âtheology of teasing.â I sought to defend the notion that teasingâpoking fun, irony, even sarcasm in its less technical sense[1]âcan serve a life-giving purpose within the Christian community. My comments were not received favorably by everyone. So I wish now to give a fuller defense of what I only hinted at earlier. …
Most holidays suffer from insufferable commercialism and superficiality in these dark times. Occasionally Christians respond by retreating from the holiday as a whole. I wonder if this is really the best course of action, however, especially when young children are present; I wonder if it wouldnât be better to redeem the holidays instead. While not addressing the issue directly, Scripture does hint at the latter response. After all, Jesus encountered the same crass commercialism…
While discussing Wednesdayâs post with a friend and colleague, he shared a story that demonstrates the need for cultural discernmentâwhat I called âloving judgmentââamong ministers of the gospel. My friend had spent the past few weeks speaking with a group of missionaries from a decidedly post-Christian nation. These missionaries were lamenting the state of the nation, giving as an example a recent church retreat at which half the attendees shacked up in cabins with…
At one point in his letter to Titus, Paul goes on a ârantâ that, were he to utter it in todayâs culture, would surely have gotten him dismissed from his apostolic post. He says to his young charge, âOne of Creteâs own prophets has said it: âCretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.â This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faithâ (1:12-13). These are strong…
This past weekend I had the privilege of spending some time with a group of high school students on our annual retreat. As a community we devoted a good portion of our time to silent meditation on four verses from the Holy Scriptures. Here are some reflections springing from that time of meditation. Fourth Meditation: 1 John 4:7 âDear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has…
This past weekend I had the privilege of spending some time with a group of high school students on our annual retreat. As a community we devoted a good portion of our time to silent meditation on four verses from the Holy Scriptures. Here are some reflections springing from that time of meditation. Third Meditation: Colossians 1:22 âBut now he has reconciled you by Christâs physical body through death to present you holy in…