What child is this?

By | December 25, 2011

Athanasius

Athanasius of Alexandria (Wikimedia Commons)


“What child is this?” asks the famous nineteenth century Christmas carol. It’s a question posed since Christ first entered human history two thousand years ago and a question that sometimes provokes vitriolic and violent answers. We’ve seen it in recent public tiffs about Nativity displays and, far more seriously, in terror threats against Christians in Egypt and Iraq.

A glance to the distant past provides useful and sobering perspective. Few people exemplify and clarify the fight for the true meaning of Christmas as powerfully as does Athanasius of Alexandria. Read more »

Be back soon … and an announcement

By | November 29, 2011

Hey there. I’m working on a book right now, one I’m eager to tell you about. I’m almost done in fact. My deadline is about two weeks away.

As I work to finish, I’ll be slacking off here quite a bit. I need to stay focused or I won’t make it in time. I hope to begin blogging again semi-regularly in mid to late December.

I’m really excited about the book. My previous publishing has been in the area of politics and history; this one is much closer to the material I cover here on the blog. I will share more with you in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned.

Jesus: The sweetest name

By | November 21, 2011

    Jesus, the door
    Jesus, the road
    Jesus, the guide
    Jesus, the goal
    Jesus, the beginning
    Jesus, the end

    Jesus, maker of all worlds
    Jesus, babe in Mary’s womb
    Jesus, physician of my soul
    Jesus, healer of my body
    Read more »

Things I’m pretty certain are true

By | November 17, 2011

Many are the authors who have assembled lists of various undeniable truths and irrefutable laws. I’m less sure about these ones, but here’s my list of things — some discovered through ample trial and much error — that I’m pretty certain are true: Read more »

How can we stand together?

By | November 17, 2011

It seems there are three ways to approach ecumenism.

1. The nice approach

The first is to look at the differences between ourselves and dismiss them, even the big ones. Don’t believe in the virgin birth or the resurrection? No problem; pull up a chair! Read more »

The bastard child of Christian love

By | November 16, 2011

If you follow the conversations and events of our day, it’s clear that our contemporary culture values agreeableness over truth. Christians have fallen for this as well because the greatest Christian virtue is love, and love is patient, kind, etc. In other words, love comes off as pretty agreeable. It’s not going to interrupt. It’s not going to correct and chastise. It’s definitely not going to judge. It’s going to calm the mood and make nice. Read more »

Make room for suffering

By | November 15, 2011

There is a strain of Christianity that promises material blessing as a sign of God’s favor: cars, homes, bank accounts, etc. Given the economic downturn over the last few years, this strain should strain all credibility. Did God decide to withhold 30 to 40 percent of his favor across whole neighborhoods as their housing values plummeted?

God clearly promises blessings in Scripture, even material ones, but if these are our focus we’ve narrowed in on the smallest part of his love and grace to us. Read more »