Is the World a Better Place Since Christ?The short answer, though hard to answer concretely, is no. Yes, we are living longer than 100 years ago. Birth mortality in developed countries is near zero. Living standards have increased. But are we really any better off? And if so, has Christianity contributed? The Enlightenment is a curious moment in history. A moment that said…
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Hid in Christ: A Hymn on Colossians 3:3This is my attempt at writing a hymn. It’s a commentary on Colossians 3:3: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” I don’t know anything about writing music, but I figured it couldn’t be any harder than writing a poem. You be the judge. Long ago we once stood…
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On the one had we are to call sin sin and call sinners to repentance. On the other hand, we need to love our enemies. Those who would reject us, ridicule us. Those who would call us intolerant, bigoted, and hateful. So how do we respond to a challenge like same-sex marriage or abortion? Ask…
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Below is my manuscript for the ten-minute sermon I preached at (our home church). It was the first sermon I ever preached. I was part of a team of ten or so guys chosen to preach during the Advent season. Instead of one 40-minute long sermon, each week three guys would preach a ten-minute sermon…
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Long ago I wrote a story that probably occurs a million times a year–a young man falling in love with a married woman. Here’s the tl:dr version of that story … A tall, lean bicycle courier named Morrissey has a crush on a young nurse named Beth Leguisadauskas. He gives her a ride home on…
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Introducing the 8/60 best books on the gospel. A 62-week long series. Nineteen sixty-six. That was the year that was published by . Today it is September 13, 2012. Forty-six years later the book is still in print. And if the blurb on the front cover is true there over one million copies in print. That’s…
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Introducing the 6/60 best books on the gospel. A 62-week long series. Gimmick isn’t deragatory. It’s marketing jargon for something that makes a product stand out from competitors. Think toy in cereal box. Easy-grip handles on toothbrushes. J. D. Greear has his own gimmick. More on that in a minute. Why Another Contemporary Book on the…
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Introducing the 2/60 best books on the gospel. A 62-week long series. Baxter’s is a brutal little book. Not brutal in style like Owen. But brutal in content like Owen. Baxter’s is an unflinching prosecutor of the wicked. A man who approaches their conversion and condemnation like their life depended on it. Which it does. The Quick and…
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Mention the word submission and you’ll make some people’s hair stand on end. For instance, in a recent conversation I was groping for a word to describe someone who is compliant and respectful. The word I chose to use was “submissive.” The gentleman interrupted and said, “No. No. No. No. No. No.” Wagging his finger…
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Last week I talked about how God hates sinners in the first 50 Psalms. How this tied into the statement “God hates the sin, but loves the sinner.” And how that particular post was only half the story. Let’s look at the other half today. God Curses Christ for Our Sins Christ did not deserve…
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