Postmodernity and Politics: Moving Beyond “Jesus Is Neither a Democrat nor a Republican”
Well, the political season is upon us again. And it’s time for all sorts of Christian stock phrases about politics to be used and reused. One of my favorite is the phrase, “Jesus is neither a Democrat nor a Republican.” This is one of those phrases that is used so frequently that no one really bothers to ask what it means; nor does anyone bother to ask whether it is really true. But, I want to take a moment to analyze this phrase as we head into this political season. What does it really mean? Here are some possibilities:
1. The phrase could simply mean that the Bible doesn’t speak … Continue reading...
The Key Element of Successful Fishing (for Fish or Men): Optimism
I just recently returned from a vacation at the beach here in North Carolina (which explains my long blog silence). One of the most enjoyable aspects of the trip was getting an opportunity to go fishing almost every day. We fished from the boat, from shore, from docks, and basically from anywhere we could reach water. As I have reflected on this week of fishing, I was reminded again of Luke 5:1-11 where Jesus not only calls his disciples while they are fishing, but describes their future ministries as one that will be filled with fishing—fishing for men. And the parallels between evangelism and fishing have been well-noted over the … Continue reading...
Is the Church Over the Bible, or the Bible Over the Church?
The perennial question in the debate over sola Scriptura is whether the church is over the Bible or the Bible is over the church. If you take the latter position, then you are (generally speaking) a Protestant who believes the Scriptures, and the Scriptures alone, are the only infallible rule and therefore the supreme authority over the church. But, here is the irony: Roman Catholics also claim to be “under” the authority of the Bible.
The Roman Catholic church insists that the Scripture is always superior to the Magisterium. Dei Verbum declares, “This teaching office is not above the Word of God, but serves it” (2.10), and the Catholic Catechism … Continue reading...
Veggie Tales, Moralism, and Modern Preaching
A number of years ago, my kids were into Veggie Tales. And, truthfully, so was I. It was actually quite enjoyable to watch these charming videos, cataloging the journeys of Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, et al. Indeed, I could probably recite the opening song word for word.
On this note, it was interesting to learn this week that in an interview with World Magazine the creator of Veggie Tales, Phil Vischer, has expressed regret over the “moralism” of Veggie Tales:
…I looked back at the previous 10 years and realized I had spent 10 years trying to convince kids to behave Christianly without actually teaching them Christianity.
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Sola Scriptura and a New Book by Carl Trueman
It was the conviction that the Scriptures alone are the Word of God and therefore the only infallible rule for life and doctrine—known as sola Scriptura—that provided the necessary fuel for the Reformation to ignite. Indeed, it was regarded as the “formal cause” of the Reformation (whereas sola fide was regarded as the “material cause”). The sentiments of this doctrine are embodied in Luther’s famous speech at the Diet of Worms (1521) when he was asked to recant his teachings:
…Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it
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