Christ the Cornerstone aptly names this collection of essays by John Stott. It partially fits because these articles are drawn primarily from Stott’s monthly “Cornerstone” column in Christianity Today written between 1977 and 1981. But far more importantly, especially to Stott, the column title itself reflects one of the ways the New Testament designates Jesus
Read more
Finding Jesus in His Prayer
When I boarded a bus to make the trip from Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee several years ago, one of the books I brought along with me was George Hunsinger’s slim volume on the Beatitudes. I knew I would soon be standing on the Mount of the Beatitudes, the place where tradition says Jesus
Read more
Is Money Evil?
Money, in the first century, was still a relatively new technology, so they were still working out its morality. We are now debating the ethics of mobiles: should we read a text message in church, or during a conversation? In the same way, people in Jesus’ day were wondering if money was good and when
Read more
As Lost as Will Byers: How Stranger Things Communicates Loss and Brokenness
The very first episode of Stranger Things is entitled, “The Vanishing of Will Byers.” It’s a perfect beginning. The cryptic circumstances of Will’s abduction reveal just enough to let us know that something otherworldly is its cause. We’ll learn that Will is “here but not here,” trapped in a parallel universe, an unnatural world that
Read more
How God Alone Makes Sense of Ethics
Ethics is also part of philosophy. The first Greek philosophers, like Thales, were mainly interested in the material composition of the world. But with Heraclitus, and especially with Plato and Aristotle, people tried to learn from philosophers how to live. Philosophers have typically offered one of three general theories of ethics, sometimes coordinating two of
Read more
Samuel Pearce and Holy Love
In the history of God’s people, there have been a number of individuals who seem to have packed decades of spiritual maturity into a few short years of life. There is a spiritual intensity about such men and women that make them utterly unforgettable to their contemporaries. Such, for example were: David Brainerd (1718–1747) Ann
Read more
Living Out Abraham Kuyper’s Theology
When Christians imagine what it means to engage the world or bear witness to Christ, we often think first of personal piety and relational evangelism. These are good and necessary, but is there more? North American culture is increasingly secular, especially at the elite levels of society. As a result, Christian faith is becoming more
Read more
Christianity and Pluralism
It’s a perennial dialogue: how do the various religions interrelate? Was Jesus merely a Jewish rabbi, a forerunner of Muhammad, a Hindu avatar, a Buddhist bodhisattva, a crypto-gnostic, or a Sufi in disguise? Or are Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religious traditions all diverse paths to a similar goal? These questions tend
Read more
What Does Stranger Things Have in Common with the Bible?
A lot about the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, and its middle school reminds me of growing up. When I watch the show I can see old neighborhoods and the store where we bought baseball cards, the kind that came with chewing gum that was essentially sliced granite. I relive the bike rides to
Read more
What?s the Difference Between Transgender and Transsexual? Understanding Gender Vocabulary
A missionary crosses boundaries to preach the good news of Jesus. This often means learning another language as well as the history and culture of the target people group. The fact is that all Christians are missionaries, since Jesus commissions his disciples to take the gospel to everyone (Matt 28:19-20; Acts 1:6-8). According to J.
Read more