Culture

Is Idolatry the New Sin? "Just talk about idolatry and you'll be fine." A mentor recently offered these words in my presence to a seminary student who was facing an assignment to preach on the topic of sin. The student's sermon may, indeed, have been "fine" if he followed that suggestion, but the...

Over the last few months, I have been asked in numerous contexts what I think about the young, restless and reformed (YRR) movement(s) described in Collin Hansen's book of the same name. I did do a quasi -review of this book some time ago, in which I argued that the existence of the movement seemed...

Over the last few months, I have been asked in numerous contexts what I think about the young, restless and reformed (YRR) movement(s) described in Collin Hansen's book of the same name. I did do a quasi -review of this book some time ago, in which I argued that the existence of the movement seemed...

I've been thinking recently about something television star Kelsey Grammer said. It's not because I saw a rerun of Cheers. Unfortunately, the context is tragic. Grammer has me thinking about well intentioned people who end up "packing unforgiveness." Where deep wounds are concerned, there are those...

Shakespeare's indebtedness to the Bible is a subject of neglect in mainstream Shakespeare scholarship. This is surprising, inasmuch as the relevant data has been compiled by a coterie of Shakespeare scholars, most notably Naseeb Shaheen in his book Biblical References in Shakespeare's Plays . [1]...

Shakespeare's indebtedness to the Bible is a subject of neglect in mainstream Shakespeare scholarship. This is surprising, inasmuch as the relevant data has been compiled by a coterie of Shakespeare scholars, most notably Naseeb Shaheen in his book Biblical References in Shakespeare's Plays . [1]...

Is Trueman a Marxist? Well, as that nice, loyal Mr Lieberman might say, `That's a good question!' And, as it now appears that it is not seeing class struggle but rather belief in graduated income tax that defines a Marxist, I guess I do stand in that long line of Marxists which -- ahem -- includes...

Is Trueman a Marxist? Well, as that nice, loyal Mr Lieberman might say, `That's a good question!' And, as it now appears that it is not seeing class struggle but rather belief in graduated income tax that defines a Marxist, I guess I do stand in that long line of Marxists which -- ahem -- includes...

Christians often strike me as the most Freudian of people. Say what you like, I have a sneaking suspicion that Freud, rather than Augustine, Luther, or Calvin, probably offers the best insights into the way that Christians really think and act. Let me explain with some examples. The other day I was...

As a historian who is paid to look at the past, I find myself frequently indulging in rants about how we live in an anti-historical age, where history is not taken seriously. Typically, of course, I am referring to those who are so absorbed in the perpetual cultural flux that is consumerism that...