Justin Taylor and I have been swapping videos lately, but I have to say that I think he’s found the whopper of the week. This song you are about to hear is sung by the “Joy Quartet” at Pensacola Christian College. Listen carefully to the words. You are not going to believe this.
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Pat Robertson and the Gift of Prophecy
Pastor John Piper tells the story of a woman who “prophesied” over him after a church service one day: “Once a woman prophesied over me that my pregnant wife would give me a daughter not a fourth son, and that my wife would die in childbirth. That was not a helpful prophecy. It was pointless. And, as you know, it proved false. Love did not govern the use of that gift. That is not the way saving faith uses gifts” (source).
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Review of Jim Hamilton’s God’s Indwelling Presence
James M. Hamilton. God’s Indwelling Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Old & New Testaments. NAC Studies in Bible & Theology. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2006. 233pp. $19.99. The Gospel according to John has the reputation of being the “spiritual gospel†within the fourfold gospel tradition. Its distinct characteristics have caused it to be one of the most beloved books in the Christian canon. Indeed, one recent commentator has said that John’s Gospel “penetrates more deeply into the mystery of God’s revelation in his Son than the other canonical Gospels and perhaps more deeply than any other biblical book†(Köstenberger, John, 1).
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See the ending of . . .
“… one of the most significant moments in the history of college football†– Stewart Mandel (Sports Illustrated) “… a game unlike any college football has ever witnessed†– Pat Forde (ESPN) “… one of best games in college football history†– Arash Markazi (Sports Illustrated)
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Maybe the Best Bowl Game Ever
When’s the last time you saw a team win a bowl game off of a hook and lateral play? That’s precisely what Boise State did in their victory over the University of Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
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Touchstone Magazine on Human Life
Touchstone magazine is a staple for the serious Christian reader, and if you are not a regular reader of Touchstone magazine, you should start your subscription today (click here to order). The January 2007 issue is about human life, and it is outstanding. Here is an excerpt from Patrick Henry Reardon’s excellent editorial: “Because ours is a journal ecumenical in structure, we are rarely apodictic in our views of public matters. In general, we have endeavored to be more Socratic than prophetic. Most of the subjects encompassed by our interest, after all, are open to more than one legitimate approach. . .
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The New York Times on Free Will
See the article in today’s New York Times on free will. “Free Will: Now You Have It, Now You Don’t” – Dennis Overbye
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Auld Lang Syne
Our family has been enjoying James Taylor’s new Christmas album this holiday season, and on it I have found my new favorite version of “Auld Lang Syne” (listen to it in iTunes). If you have ever wondered what the lyrics to “Auld Lang Syne” mean, the Wikipedia article on the song has Robert Burns’ original words along with a modern translation. I commend it to you. In the meantime, I won’t be forgetting our acquaintance. Thank you for reading my blog and Happy New Year!
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C. S. Lewis and Egalitarianism
S. M. Hutchens has some provocative things to say about C. S. Lewis’ attitude toward egalitarianism and whether he considered it compatible with “mere Christianity”: “[Lewis’] gentleness toward egalitarians was evangelical: he wished to win them to Christ. He did not think they could be mere Christians because he did not consider them Christians at all. To come to Christ is to leave egalitarianism; a church with priestesses, he gently indicated, was ‘not like a church.’ The egalitarian may honor and admire Lewis, but cannot honestly retain him as a coreligionist, much less a patron, since he has rejected the cosmology that undergirt his writings.”
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C. S. Lewis and “The Weight of Glory”
Perhaps you’ve read Mere Christianityor The Screwtape Letters, two of C. S. Lewis’ better known books. But have you ever read any of his essays? I recently came across an online version of one essay that has had a significant impact on me over the years. I just reread this one over the holidays, and I thought I’d share it with you. In “The Weight of Glory” Lewis takes on Immanuel Kant and the Stoics and the idea that self-denial is the ultimate Christian virtue. Lewis argues that “glory” and human desire are not at odds. Here is one of the many quotable quotes: