Earlier this week, Dennis Prager hosted a fascinating interview with conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer. The bulk of the discussion deals with politics and Krauthammer’s new book Things That Matter. But that is not why I am posting the interview here. The best part of the interview is at the very beginning in which Prager presses Krauthammer to talk about his theological beliefs. In short, Krauthammer compares his views to that of Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein. In short, he describes himself as a Deist who has a fairly impersonal view of God’s nature and agency. You can download the audio here or listen below. [audio:http://s3.amazonaws.com/stitcher32.e/30059764.mp3]
-
-
Halloween: Trick or Treat?
(HT: Tim Challies)
-
“Strange Fire” messages are now available for download
All of the plenary sessions from John MacArthur’s “Strange Fire” conference are now available. I’m including below links and audio of MacArthur’s three messages and the panel discussions. The rest of the messages—including ones by R. C. Sproul, Phil Johnson, Steve Lawson, and others—are available for download here.
-
“Hot and Holy” in @CTmagazine
I am really grateful to Christianity Today for publishing an interview about my new book in their October issue. It’s titled “Hot and Holy” (their title, not mine!), and it surveys in brief some of the major issues covered in the book. The actual interview was much longer than what ended up in the magazine. You will see that this one has been compressed considerably. It is no longer behind a subscriber wall, so here’s the link. Or if you don’t want to read about the book but to read the book itself, you can get it here or click the image below.
-
What is the meaning of sex?
For those of you who pay attention to the sidebar, you know that I have a new book set to be released on October 31. As it turns out, the publisher got her done early, and the book is available now for anybody who wants one. Amazon.com has it at a discounted price, but the best price I’ve seen so far is offered by the Westminster Theological Seminary bookstore—only $9. People have been asking me why I wrote this book. There are a number of reasons I could cite, but the main reason is this—the glory of God. We inhabit a culture that falls short of the glory of God…
-
Mark Driscoll crashes the “Strange Fire” conference
As many of you know, John MacArthur is hosting the “Strange Fire” conference at his church in California this week. The conference is focused on reasserting a cessationist position and highlighting the dangers of the charismatic movement. The Christian Post is reporting that Mark Driscoll showed up to the conference today, engaged attendees, and handed out free copies of his new book, which has a chapter advocating the continuationist position. Driscoll himself posted pictures of his visit on Instagram. Driscoll also says that the books he was handing out were confiscated by security. Security confiscated my books. #strangefire http://t.co/mGccvXZwyK — Mark Driscoll (@PastorMark) October 18, 2013 Sarah Pulliam Bailey reports…
-
Authorial Intent and Theological Interpretation
Jim Hamilton has some really insightful reflections on the difference between biblical theology and so-called “Theological Interpretation of Scripture” (TIS). In short, he says that authorial intent in typology may be the key. He proposes that biblical theology cares about authorial intent in typology while TIS does not. Some people may dispute with Jim whether this is a true distinction between biblical theology and TIS. In any case, I absolutely agree with his bottom line: I argue that biblical theology is the attempt to understand and embrace the interpretive perspective of the biblical authors… Authorial intent may be out of fashion, but I contend that without it we lack meaningful…
-
N. T. Wright discusses his magnum opus on Paul
N. T. Wright’s magnum opus on Paul is set to release on November 1. It’s titled Paul and the Faithfulness of God. Mike Bird recently interviewed Wright about the book, and you can watch it above. Keep your eyes peeled for the appearance of this book in November. Wright is one of the most consequential New Testament scholars of our time, and this book is expected to be a watershed for the field. Stay tuned.
-
Should Christians spank their children?
Andy Naselli has a really good article about spanking in the most recent Journal of Discipleship & Family Ministry. It’s titled “Training children for their good,” and Naselli argues that the Bible supports the use of spanking as a legitimate form of discipline. There is careful discussion of the relevant biblical texts, especially the Proverbs. If you’re looking for a solid, biblically formed position paper on spanking, you need to read this. Andy Naselli, “Traing children for their good” JDFM 3.2 (2013): 48-64.
-
Watch Eric Metaxas’s “I am second” testimony