This year, Verna and I read through Jayber Crow together for the first time. Wendell Berry’s fascinating and riveting—if somewhat rambling—fictional story about a small town in Kentucky from the early to late 20th century has stuck in my mind, making me process America’s recent history from the lens of … Read More
Adam didn’t have much life experience. God had just recently breathed life into him and placed him in the newly-planted garden of Eden. After giving him one simple rule, and a dire warning of the consequences for breaking it, God stated a simple but shocking fact about Adam’s personhood: “It … Read More
Over the years, I’ve hesitated to tell people that reading fiction is essential to a well-rounded worldview. I don’t like to push my opinions on anyone, because what works for me might not work for them, and vice versa. I also find it hard to articulate exactly why I find … Read More
There have been too many stories of “deconstruction” lately. The pattern is simple: a young, conservative Christian zealously promotes the faith, only to hit a crisis of doubt that leads to an end of faith. The most famous example of this is Joshua Harris, the prominent purity culture figure who … Read More
Tim Keller’s passing (May 19, 2023) hit me pretty hard. Though I didn’t know him personally, he was one of the people I most respected. I’m fortunate that I did get to hear him preach in person multiple times—both at conferences and at his church, Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan. Back … Read More
As Christians, we believe in God. We believe Jesus came to earth, died, and rose again for our salvation, that he is seated at the right hand of the Father and is coming again. We do not believe the resurrection is just a story; we believe it is a historical … Read More
This is my third and final post in a series on the Holy Spirit—a subject too often either ignored or misunderstood. The first two posts looked at the Spirit’s role in creation and new creation and as God’s temple presence within believers, respectively. In this post I want to shift … Read More
I’m convinced that people don’t think enough. Bad thinking permeates every sphere of our society—the church is certainly not immune. Pursuing a more vibrant understanding of truth is a worthwhile cause and something that needs to be emphasized more in our churches. Naturally, we can’t pursue truth—whether it’s knowledge about … Read More
There is a struggle inherent in Christianity that I do not think is discussed enough at its deepest level. Although we experience this struggle to no end, we do not sufficiently discuss why the struggle continues and where it comes from. Those will be the keys which will give us … Read More