Great news! I looked at my stats on Monday, and Sunday there were precisely ZERO views of my blog. They must have all been keeping Sabbath and avoiding the internet. Or maybe they were watching the Superbowl. Who knows? I have long taken Sunday as a day of rest. Back in college I figured that […]
Whadaya Know? (And Who and How?)
“Studying a sixteenth century document has nothing to do with real living faith!” The objection is close to the surface whenever I talk about using the Heidelberg Catechism in real life — say, to teach youth or adults what the Christian faith is about. This is followed by a second, corollary objection: “I can’t memorize anything!” […]
I’m dead! Now what do I do? (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 88)
My favorite scene in Les Miserables is also the most important scene: the interaction between Jean Valjean and Bishop Bienvenu. It is the scene where Victor Hugo sets in motion the driving issue of his great novel. It is a picture of redemption as both death and new life — a demanding, imperfect, complicated new […]
A Leap into the Light
What is faith, really? Some will tell you it is a leap into the dark — jumping into the unknown, off a proverbial cliff, and hoping that Someone will catch you. For Jesus that wasn’t faith; that was “tempting” or “testing” God, and he wouldn’t do it. Or when we need faith to pray effectively […]
What Christians Believe in 15 Seconds
You are talking with your co-worker from the next cubicle over coffee. She knows you are active in a church. She is in a season of searching. What is Christianity actually all about?” she asks. “I mean, what do you believe?” She really wants to know. You really want to tell her. Three problems: You […]