Mark Galli (HT: Alex Webster) has an interesting story in CT Online about the power of religious euphoria. He likens the attraction to, indeed the addiction to euphoria to attraction and addiction to a drug. Galli writes: We disdain faith that is . . . Continue reading →
She once of her own accord spake of her unsuccessfulness, in that she could not find God, or to that purpose. But on Thursday, the last day of July, about the middle of the day, the child being in the closet, where . . . Continue reading →
Ryan at Sola Gratia raises a question that many first-semester seminary students ask. In essence the question is this: Before I came to seminary I had an active devotional life and a vital, immediate, experience of God and now things have changed. . . . Continue reading →
On a recent trip I began James D. Bratt’s, terrific new biography of Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920), Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat. I knew (or thought I knew) the outlines of Kuyper’s life but there was an aspect that I did not . . . Continue reading →
Concern about dead formalism or ritualism is legitimate but we should not think that because a religious service is emotionally or psychologically satisfying or that because one has a certain kind of ecstasy that one has escaped dead formalism. There is a . . . Continue reading →
We like the idea of direct, special revelation that speaks to our particular circumstances. Most of us don’t relish the idea of struggling in prayer, of dealing with doubt, of making a decision in the midst of uncertainty. God could clear things . . . Continue reading →
Those who so cry up the Spirit as to cry down ordinances and the ministry do not have the Spirit of God. In the NT, when vision and inspiration were in use, the Spirit did not teach men immediately, but referred them . . . Continue reading →
James Oord summarizes a provocative passage from Eugene Peterson about worship: Peterson points out that experience-driven worship was the hallmark of Baalism, the religion of the Canaanites in the Old Testament era. Their entire worship structure was focused on catering to emotions. . . . Continue reading →
The revival was marked by what were said to be great manifestations of the work of the Holy Spirit—speaking in tongues, ecstatic prophecies, miraculous healings and even the claim that somewhere around thirty people had been raised from the dead. Just . . . Continue reading →
Darryl Hart writes: “The proponents of Edwards and the First Pretty Good Awakening (hereafter FPGA) are worried about nominal Christianity – that is, people who go through the motions of worship or Christian practice. Although this is an understandable concern – who . . . Continue reading →
“The Religious Affections is an important book, but in my view it would be unwise to take its teaching on what true religion consists in very seriously. It is a book about the importance of emotion, expressed in a public, visible way, . . . Continue reading →
What follows is from the latest issue of Tabletalk, which contains a series of letters from “Legion” to his young assistant, the style of C. S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters. Dear Pithius, Our dear boy, you quite misunderstand the problem. So long as Christians . . . Continue reading →
After reading (devouring) Carl Trueman’s excellent book on historiography I took his advice and got (I had to drive to La Jolla during rush hour) and quite enjoyed John Cornwell’s, Newman’s Unquiet Grave: The Reluctant Saint. I knew the outlines of Newman’s . . . Continue reading →
Collin Hansen has a stimulating post at the Gospel Coalition this morning (Pacific) lamenting the apparently declining desire for a “revival.” Collin’s post raises some very important questions. Why would one begin to doubt the desire for revival, which I have described . . . Continue reading →
If I had written this someone would call it mean but since Andy wrote it, I’m sure it will be fine. What matters is that it’s true.
Can you say theologia gloriae? I can say, theologia crucis.
Mark Galli (HT: Alex Webster) has an interesting story in CT Online today about the power of religious euphoria. He likens the attraction to, indeed the addiction to euphoria to attraction and addiction to a drug. Galli writes: We disdain faith that . . . Continue reading →
Wonder what QIRE is? Check out these cats. (HT: Martin Downes)
Darryl has a great post at Old Life featuring a quote from Ken Myers on the limits of Scripture. A lot of non-confessional evangelicals and too many ostensibly confessional evangelicals misunderstand sola Scriptura.They think it means either that, if the Bible doesn’t . . . Continue reading →
If the heart of the Christian faith and life is the unmediated encounter with God, even divinization (theosis), then how does one prevent a synthesis of evangelical pietism and New Age spirituality if the latter offers such access? According to this piece . . . Continue reading →
