It seems contemporary appreciation of the Festival of Chanukah is largely limited to its proximity to Christmas. Ask somebody what Chanukah is and you might hear “It’s a Jewish sort of mini-Christmas where the Jewish people put lights in their windows and exchange gifts.” It seems very few Jews, and virtually no Gentiles, can today … [Read more…]
I went to Shul tonight. I’m happy I did. Since I’m a Calvinist, I suppose it’s incumbent upon me to deliver three reasons for that happiness. OK. On second thought, let me give three reasons for the joy while taking a stab at explaining how so much misery made its way into the mix. It’s … [Read more…]
The men who have deeply influenced my thinking have been several, and I’d gladly list them if asked, telling particular ways each has contributed to my understanding of Scripture and life. Those who influenced my preaching, however, are fewer (which may partly account for its deficiencies). Few or many, the influence of Marcus Dods upon … [Read more…]
Beloved People of God, Certain teachings hold the promise of opening vistas of understanding, enabling us to truly make awful sense even out of what we see today. So I thought it might be well to give a brief treatment of something which ought to be as familiar to thinking Christians as rice is to … [Read more…]