Don’t miss Russell Moore’s “Who Would Jesus Bomb? War, Peace, and the Christian.” In this short essay, Moore considers the poles of pacifism and militarism and suggests that the Just-War tradition is the best way for Christians to think about issues of war and peace. Here’s a snippet: “When, if ever, is it right for a government to kill people? As you sort out the ethics of war, the stakes are high for your spiritual formation. Sure, you probably won’t single-handedly decide whether the United States should invade Canada. But the way you think through the rightness or wrongness of military action tells you something about how you see your…
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McKnight vs. “Hyper-Calvinismâ€
Scot McKnight has posted a letter from one of his readers who is having problems with “hyper-Calvinists,” but the difficulties to which he refers include nothing of what hyper-Calvinists actually believe. Rather, the real difficulty with the ones that he labels “hyper-Calvinists” is that they are self-righteous and condescending in their eagerness about regular Calvinism. If the letter-writer’s description is accurate, then the problem is not Hyper-Calvinism or even regular Calvinism. The problem is sin—self-righteousness, condescension, and arrogance, to be specific.
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Well, I’m just sick.
LSU laid an egg tonight as they lost to Arkansas 50-48 in the third overtime. Some thoughts. 1. Poor execution. In the first qaurter, the LSU offense got into the red zone twice, but failed to make touchdowns. Instead of 14 points, they settled for 6. National championship teams should be able to close that deal by this point in the season. LSU didn’t.
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Two Thoughts on Thanksgiving
Today is a holiday, so my post will be brief. 1. Do not miss John Piper’s short essay “Ganging Up on Gratitude.” It’s an exhortation to an atheist and a liberal Bishop who have a chip on their respective shoulders when it comes to giving thanks to God. Piper engages them evangelistically, and it reminds me why I am thankful to the Lord for the ministry of John Piper. 2. There’s a hymn that I learned in church as a youngster that I don’t often hear anymore (Thanks, Mom and Dad for taking me to church. What a heritage of grace!). Maybe some of you remember it. It’s called “Count…
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Witherington’s Critique of Schreiner’s NT Theology
Ben Witherington offers some critiques of an unnamed book on NT theology. The book to which he is referring is Tom Schreiner’s forthcoming New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ. Tom Schreiner argues in his new book that the basic theme of the New Testament is “God magnifying himself through Jesus Christ by means of the Holy Spirit.” Witherington doesn’t like this thesis. Let me give you a sampling of Witherington’s complaints and then offer some brief responses.
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Rudy Giuliani: A Disaster Waiting to Happen
Hadley Arkes argues in First Things something similar to what I have been arguing on this blog. The nomination of Rudy Giuliani would effectively give us two pro-choice parties. If Rudy is elected, pro-lifers will be pushed to the political margins, and there will be no voice for the unborn in mainstream electoral politics. Here are the relevant lines:
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Good News from Abroad, and from the Homefront
According to the Washington Post, there is more good news from Iraq and beyond, and this is welcome news for the Bush administration. The war in Iraq seems to have taken a turn for the better and the opposition at home has failed in all efforts to impose its own strategy. North Korea is dismantling its nuclear program. The budget deficit is falling. A new attorney general has been confirmed despite objections from the left.
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The Amendment Is On the Table
Last night, our proposal to amend the doctrinal basis of the ETS was formally presented to the Society to be voted on at next year’s gathering in Providence, Rhode Island. Here’s what happened.
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Wedgie-Proof Underwear
This post is just for fun, but it is true. Two eight-year old twins have invented Wedgie-Proof Underwear, and they have been peddling their wares at the 2007 Invention Convention in Ohio. Their brief fame earned them a spot on the Ellen Degeneres Show, but what follows is their interview on Fox News.
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Douglas Moo on Richard Hays’ Echoes of Scripture
This post is a bit of inside baseball for the bibliophiles and theologues who read this blog. Yesterday, I commented on the new issue of SBJT on the book of Romans. Douglas Moo is one of the contributors and is well known as an accomplished Pauline specialist. He is especially known for his thick commentary on Romans in the NICNT series.