A Brief Guide to the Redemption Creed
A common pastoral struggle is the work of reminding Christians that they rest upon Christ and his finished work alone for their assurance of salvation. The necessity of regularly preaching the gospel partially flows from a sin-induced, immature forgetfulness. The child of God forgets, or doubts, why the Father has adopted them into his family. A nagging pride can leave some convinced that they merited their salvation. Or fear can convince the Christian that Jesus’ work was not enough, and that there needs to be more: more faithfulness, less sin, on the Christian’s part, in order to be accepted. Sometimes sheer ignorance, or confusion, is the source of the error…
On My 2018 Anselm Reading Project
I am embarking on a project to select a particular theologian and then read everything (or most everything) written by him over the course of a year. My hope is to better learn not only the theologian’s particular insights, but to get into his head in a deeper way. I will also read a few commentaries on the theologian’s work, as well as a biography or two.
For the inaugural 2018 installment, I have selected Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109). I welcome anyone to join in with me as reading and discussion partners in this project…
On God as His Own Interpreter
It is always easy upon reflection of a talk or sermon to identify something that I wish I had said. In the case of my recent talk on scripture’s authority, though, I really regret not including some comments on William Cowper. Friend of John Newton and a famous depressive, Cowper wrote many excellent hymns. God Moves in a Mysterious Way stands as one of the finest…
On Jeb Hensarling’s Retirement
I try not to write on party politics, but this warrants granting an exception.
Congressman Jeb Hensarling is retiring.
“Today I am announcing that I will not seek reelection to the US Congress in 2018. Although service in Congress remains the greatest privilege of my life, I never intended to make it a lifetime commitment, and I have already stayed far longer than I had originally planned…
On the Good News of Scripture’s Authority
I had the honor of speaking at the Michigan Reformation Conference last Saturday on the subject of scripture’s authority, and the audio is now available.
