It’s been just about 15 years since I bought a new album that blew me away. It’s been more than a decade since I bought an album, and stopped listening to all other music just so I could just listen to it over an over. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed the lyrics of songs so much that I’ve had to google them so I could read them all at once. Mumford & Sons album, Sigh No More,…
For as long as I can remember living in Minnesota, my dad has had season tickets to the Gopher’s basketball games. I’ve cheered for the gophers for about two decades. Going to “The Barn,” the home court of the Gophers, is my favorite sports viewing activity. I love the intensity of college basketball. I love the passion of the crowd. It’s a fun experience and a great venue to watch the game. But it’s also been heart-breaking. Over the years,…
I just watched a couple of the promotional videos for the recently released ESV Study Bible. Everyone is raving about the book, and it looks to me like a lot of work has gone into this project. There are extensive notes, cross-references, maps, and other resources on almost every page. It is truly and impressive work of literature. I wonder if now, finally, Christians will understand the Bible enough to put what it says into practice? Will there be diagrams…
“In the night before his arrest, Jesus went into the garden of Gethsemance. He took three disciples with him and ‘began to be greatly distressed and troubled’, writes Mark (14.33). ‘He began to be sorrowful and fearful [troubled]’ writes Matthew….Then he throws himself on the ground in horror and fear (Mark 14.35). Earlier too, he had often withdrawn at nights to the solitariness of some mountain in order to be united with his Father in the prayer of his heart….
Self-hatred plagues our culture. So many people at our church, school, and even the elite in pop-culture exude a drive for perfection that betrays a deep-seeded self-loathing. After reading the paragraph quoted below, I think this self-hatred that I feel and I perceive in others is rooted in misguided self-love. A love that seeks repeated personal indulgences without regard for the well-being of others. “It is therefore of supreme importance that we consent to live not for ourselves but for…
I’m reminded that there is no part of my thinking that takes place outside of tradition; there is no reasoning that I do in an objective sense. The way that I engage in critical thinking is traditional–meaning, it is a method of critical thinking unique to the cultures in which I have been taught. I believe that some traditions of reason are better than others. I believe that individuals trained in the art of one reasoning tradition can effectively converse…