For those of us who are somewhat familiar with the Gospels’ accounts of Jesus, we can end up feeling slightly underwhelmed by what we see in those accounts as we read. It’s been said that “familiarity breeds contempt”–and there is some truth in that. But the other thing that familiarity (or perceived familiarity!) might breed […]
So many Bible study books, with long chapters and multiplied “principles,” imply you need to master some specific content before you can feel confident that you could actually read the Bible. It’s not that there aren’t principles to be learned, but too often the approach taken is more than a bit intimidating to someone who […]
In her book Every Patient Tells a Story (New York: Broadway Books, 2009), Dr. Lisa Sanders addresses a number issues related to the “art of diagnosis”—exploring how doctors’ experience, training, and intuition aid them in rightly solving the most challenging of diagnostic problems. In one of the sections of her book, she shares multiple firsthand […]
We are in the season of Easter—the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. That truth, that reality, is central to the Christian message of “good news;” it is at the heart of the Gospel. (See how Paul underscored that in 1 Corinthians 15:12–19.) But have you ever contemplated: “Who raised Jesus from […]
In her book Every Patient Tells a Story (New York: Broadway Books, 2009), Dr. Lisa Sanders addresses a number issues related to the “art of diagnosis”—exploring how doctors’ experience, training, and intuition aid them in rightly solving the most challenging of diagnostic problems. In one of the sections of her book, she shares multiple firsthand […]
In his fascinating book The Glass Cage (NY: Norton, 2014), Nicholas Carr explores how automation and computer assistance across a variety of endeavors can leave users “de-skilled.” The idea? The more our tools do for us, the less attentive, the less thoughtful, the less skilled we can become in doing what we do. These tools–whether word processing […]
Sadly, I have caught myself doing it. When opening up the Bible and discussing a passage with someone I can find myself saying something like: What Jesus was trying to say . . .What God tried to communicate . . .What the Spirit was attempting to convey . . . And I have come to […]
You can’t escape it. Political ads on the radio and television. Broadcast debates and newspaper editorials. Discussions at work and home and disagreements between friends. America is in the midst of the election cycle. Even in church we can’t escape the subtle pressure and the questions: Will you vote? Who will you vote for? What are you looking for […]
It’s convenient. You see it everywhere. People aren’t reading print books; they are reading electronic books—looking at words on screens, whether on a cell phone, a tablet, or an e-reader. Should that raise a question for a Christian—for the person who believes that God inspired a book? In the late 1960s, Marshall McLuhan wrote Understanding […]
Augustine, in The Confessions, addresses a profound and simply prayer to God: “O God, command what you will, and give what you command.” I think what he captures in that short cry is becoming increasingly more important to my understanding of how God intends to draw us into a full and rich experience of intimate life. And I think […]
