Blogs by Phil Ryken

In Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell writes:"And when Jesus died on the cross he died for everybody. Everybody.Everywhere.Every tribe, every nation, every tongue, every people group.Jesus said that when he was lifted up, he would draw all people to himself.All people.... continue

When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad released 15 (illegally held, by all objective accounts) British prisoners this week, he claimed that he was doing so "on the occasion of the birthday of the great prophet [Muhammad] . . . and for... continue

Yesterday we held our traditional Good Friday worship service at Tenth Presbyterian Church.  We meet at noon -- a good time for Center City workers to come over on a lunch break.  I was especially blessed by a beautiful... continue

I find it hard not to envy the disciples a little. They were there for the first Easter. Therefore, they were the first to hear the good news of the resurrection and the first to see the risen Christ. Don’t... continue

As a loyal Philadelphian, I was more than a little pleased to see the design the U.S. Postal Service unveiled last week for its permanent stamp.  The cost of postage will continue to rise, I am sure, but this image... continue

Reformation21 readers should be sure not to miss the April 2 cover story in Time magazine: "Why We Should Teach the Bible in Public School."  David Van Biema is much too cautious about the possible dangers, as he sees them,... continue

In the opening address at a recent conference in New York sponsored by the International Arts Movement, Mako Fujimura made the following provocative comment about Christianity and the arts:"Theologically, the whole world, after our expulsion from Eden, is ground zero.... continue

A reformation21 reader has written with a helpful comment on First Commandment and Second Commandment Christians, so called:"Years ago Dr. D Martin Lloyd-Jones warned about the subtle danger of reversing the order of the two commandments (somewhere in his Romans... continue

Arkansas Governor and presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is quoted in this week's TIME magazine as saying, "I'm a 'grace' Christian, not a 'law' Christian. The Second Commandment--do unto others--is the basic tenet of my faith."I expect Huckabee's formulation quickly to... continue

Educator Allan Shedlin has recently conducted a series of 100 interviews documenting what fathers can learn from being fathers.  According to Shedlin, being a dad-- reminds fathers of what is really important, of what needs are fundamental;-- exposes them to... continue