phronew houtws

Joel Willitts on Christian Cynics

2012-01-09T09:53:00.002-05:00

Joel Willitts has an interesting discussion here on cynicism in the evangelical church today. His discussion interacts with a new book by Andrew Byers entitled Faith Without Illusions. Willitts argues that cynicism, when turned into constructive critique rather than criticism alone, will be a positive factor in the shaping of the evangelical church in its hope for recovering from "

Wright on the Christian Worldview

2011-04-23T21:09:00.003-04:00

"It is ironic that many people in the modern world have regarded Christianity as a private worldview, a set of private stories. Some Christians have actually played right into this trap. But in principle the whole point of Christianity is that it offers a story which is the story of the whole world. It is public truth. Otherwise it collapses into some version of Gnosticism." N. T. Wright, The New

N.T. Wright and Logos

2011-02-25T14:42:00.005-05:00

Here's a wonderful quote from an insightful interview with N.T. Wright by Logos Bible Software."American Christianity needs to grow up... and see this more holistic vision which will then produce a necessary humility... [to] a bigger, global vision."N.T. WrightIn an Interview with Logos Bible SoftwareSee the full interview here.

The Gospel

2010-12-15T12:10:00.003-05:00

A great truth from Mounce's NAC volume on Romans."Christ crucified (if no more were said) is not the gospel. The church needs a renewed awareness of Christ as victorious over death and the grave. It is the resurrection that makes the news good news" (Robert H Mounce. Romans. The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001), 152).I would agree wholeheartedly and add

[Mis]Understanding the Bible

2010-11-28T16:48:00.003-05:00

Below is a very valuable thought from Craig Broyles in his commentary on the Psalter. I have generalized his statement to expand its force, which is nonetheless true for all of the Bible and not just the particular passage under examination."Modern readers are bound to look at [the Bible] as prescientific naivete. But this reaction, in fact, reflects on our own naivete regarding ancient imagery."

The Stewardship of Gifts

2010-10-01T10:59:00.002-04:00

"Man's relatedness to others means that every human being should not view his or her gifts and talents as an avenue for personal aggrandizement, but as a means whereby he or she can enrich the lives of others." Anthony A. Hoekema, Created in God's Image, p. 78.

Niebuhr on the Gospel

2010-09-12T18:26:00.001-04:00

"The good news of the gospel is that God takes the sinfulness of man into Himself; and overcomes in His own heart what cannot be overcome in human life, since human life remains within the vicious circle of sinful self-glorification on every level of moral advance." Reinhold Niebuhr, The Nature and Destiny of Man, 142.

The Dream...

2010-08-30T10:38:00.001-04:00

Powerful words..."I am expert at playing the game. Exceptional at over-consuming. My image is spotless (or so I think). Self-control is something I only read about. I'm blinded by moralism and entertainment. Safe is my middle name. I'm blessed because I have stuff, not because I'm persecuted. I can talk the talk. I sit beside you in church every Sunday. Do you know me?...I'm an American Christian

Bock on the Church

2010-05-12T13:25:00.002-04:00

"The church is called to be a place where an authentic preview of what God will do is seen. This mission and testimony comes in terms of worship, encourages healthy relationship with God, genuinely transforms lives and community, and creates works of compassion and testimony to the needy, especially to the marginalized of our world." Darrel Bock, In Three Central Issues in Contemporary

Theological Patterns

2010-02-24T20:08:00.003-05:00

An interesting thought came to mind tonight which has been developing for a little while now. In his The Drama of Doctrine, Kevin Vanhoozer discusses what he terms as "Theo-Drama," the recognition of revelation as the speech and act, or speech-act, of God which is dramatically participated in by his people through a reading and response to the canon (i.e. canonical-linguistic).What stimulated my

Barth on Man the Creature

2010-02-08T22:44:00.003-05:00

"Not without his body, but as soul and not as body, man is the subject of his own decision... not without his soul, but as body and not as soul, man must execute his decisions." Barth, Church Dogmatics, XV, 49, p. 398.Classic Karl.

Resolution Reflections

2009-12-09T12:59:00.004-05:00

Well, since I made some resolutions last year, I figured I may as well see how the year went.- Read through the Bible in a year (I made it about 90% last year, hoping for 100% in 2009).- Start working out again and shed the pounds put on during the holidays- Read more books for fun- Complete 5 more seminars towards my PhD- Be a better husband- Cherish time spent with family and friends and be

Dusty blog...

2009-11-01T19:42:00.001-05:00

Well it looks like I haven't blogged in almost 2 months now... wow. That is a good indication that things have been very busy for me lately!!!I'm hoping to get back to writing some later this month, so stay tuned...

Garland of Grace

2009-09-14T21:05:00.002-04:00

I ran across some lyrics from one of my favorite artists in high school, Smalltown Poets. I always found their songwriting very meaningful. This is from their song entitled "Garland of Grace," taken (I'm assuming) from Proverb 4.Won't you be a good boyListen closely and enjoyAll the benefits that getting wisdom bringsGive her esteemShe is priceless and supremeShe will crown your head with more

Blessing and Obedience

2009-08-04T22:07:00.003-04:00

I was reflecting tonight on lineage in Genesis, and find it quite humbling to reflect on the fact that God did not typically bless those in the lineage of Adam based upon their pedigree (i.e. being firstborn, which was the cultural "norm"), but rather upon their faithfulness.Examples include Seth, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Manasseh and Ephraim. A good lesson to keep in mind when we feel entitled.

The Humility of Augustine

2009-06-27T16:23:00.003-04:00

I was especially struck by Augustine's humility today in a passage of his de Trinitate (The Trinity). Translation care of Edmund Hill (1991)."But take a man who has been roused by the warmth of the Holy Spirit and has already woken up to God; and in loving him he has become cheap in his own estimation; and being eager yet unable to go in to him, he has taken a look at himself in God's light, and

The Loss of Community

2009-06-26T22:56:00.003-04:00

Work, studies, teaching, etc. has kept me away from the blog quite a bit recently. I did have one thought I wanted to get off my chest before I forgot, so thus the late night posting. :)With all the news of divorces and affairs on the mainstream media lately, I can't help but notice a common thread among all of the public "confessions" that have been broadcast, most of which seem to be coming

Confessions, I.4

2009-05-24T21:36:00.002-04:00

"What are you, then, my God? What are you, I ask, but the Lord God? For who else is lord except the Lord, or who is god if not our God? You are most high, excellent, most powerful, omnipotent, supremely merciful and supremely just, most hidden, yet intimately present, infinitely beautiful and infinitely strong, steadfast yet elusive, unchanging yourself though you control the change in all things

Self-Titled Ministry

2009-05-21T11:56:00.003-04:00

Wow, two blogs in one day. That's rare for me, but I had to get this one off my chest.There is something that really bugs me when people name their "ministry" or outreach after themselves, such as the (fake name for sake of not insulting someone directly) John Boy Williams Ministries, or The Joe Bob Jenkins Youth Ministry Center.I have much more tolerance for for when someone else name something

Inspiration Analogy

2009-05-21T08:41:00.004-04:00

I've been thinking more about inspiration since my Bibliology seminar in the Spring. While reading a blog recently (http://blog.beliefnet.com/jesuscreed/2009/05/the-bible-and-knowledge-5---i.html) on the subject, a good (at least I think so) analogy came to mind.In my first ever "faculty interview" for a part-time position teaching Greek, the question was posed to me in regards to how effective I

Worldviews. . .

2009-05-12T09:45:00.004-04:00

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about how much our worldview influences how we think and act. The challenge with any field of study is to admit one's predispositions while reviewing evidences and ideas in order to give them a fair review before making a conclusion. Some hard it's quite hard to get around our preconceived ideas in order to allow this to happen. There's no real solution for

Quote from Daniel Wallace...

2009-04-22T08:36:00.002-04:00

Great quote from Daniel Wallace. His context is the textual criticism debate, care of Ehrman's newest book."What I tell my students every year is that it is imperative that they pursue truth rather than protect their presuppositions."The quote can be seen in its context here:http://kentbrandenburg.blogspot.com/2009/04/erroneous-epistemology-of-multiple_21.html

When was the last time you died?

2009-04-14T09:12:00.004-04:00