Totalitarianism in the shadow of decadence
‘What concerns me about Friday’s [28 February] shameful display in the Oval Office, what concerns me about the choice to pardon insurrectionists and hirers of hit men, what concerns me about a cozying up toward totalitarians is not that I think America will soon collapse into totalitarianism of the sort that exists in Russia. It is that the spirit of our nation, enervated by decades of bureaucracy-as-democracy, would be further drawn away from the virtues and duties that both democratic life and ordinary love of neighbor demand of us.’
Three key principles for biblical interpretation
‘There’s one thing you can do as a Christian that’s more important than anything else. Study the Bible. But sometimes it can feel overwhelming. With so many different authors, genres, and cultural contexts, how can we be sure we’re interpreting it correctly? That’s where hermeneutics comes in—a fancy word that simply means the method of interpreting the Bible properly. Here are three key principles of interpretation to help you study the Bible with confidence.’
Before You Cut Off Your Parents: 3 Principles to Consider
‘While our culture presents cutting off your parents as a viable option for self-care, it isn’t the only option. What does the Bible say about challenging relationships with parents? What does it look like to apply biblical wisdom and gospel hope to our relationship with our first caretakers? Here are three biblical principles to consider before you cut off your parents.’
Brothers, We Are Not Political Pundits
You may not agree with absolutely everything in this one from Kevin DeYoung, but I think his fundamental point is reasonable: ‘Brothers, we can be pundits or we can be pastors, but we likely cannot be both.’ For another take on this, which I think levels some legit concerns, you can read this by Dave Williams.
The Christian Nationalism Debate Is a Debate about Means
If I could co-sign this one more than once, I would. I have been making these arguments, in almost exactly these terms, for some while now: ‘Baptists have traditionally affirmed that a healthy republic requires Christian faith and a virtuous populace while also resisting top-down efforts to Christianize [sic] America. Rejecting calls for a renewed Christendom hardly indicates compromise with secularism. I would argue, to the contrary, that many of the renewed Christian Nationalist visions need to be rejected specifically because they aren’t supernatural enough. Such calls effectually seek to Christianize [sic] culture apart from the Baptist insistence on spiritual regeneration.’
The view from the other side of the pew
Some of this is America specific. I, for example, definitely got paid more and had more holidays when I was a teacher than when I became a pastor! Perhaps American teachers get a worse deal than UK ones? However, I think the essential point is on the money whether pastoring in America or the UK: ‘Did the Apostles who died for their commitment to sharing the truth have it hard? Yes. Just a news flash, pastoring in the Bible belt isn’t the same thing. Dear pastor/professor: you’re not the Apostle Paul. Paul, the tent-builder who worked a trade to support his ministry, who was beaten and imprisoned, who died as a martyr, he had a tough job. That’s a severe understatement. To say pastoring in America is the hardest job in the world is a gross overstatement.’
From the archive: Sometimes there is nothing you can do
‘The church can’t necessarily fix everything and, more to the point, doesn’t exist to do so. Sometimes we have to acknowledge that there are limits to what we can, or even should, do. Then, instead of pointing people to the church as their saviour, we can point them to Jesus. That is, after all, what we’re there to do, isn’t it?’