Deep in the earth, brilliant clusters of quartz crystals lie hidden in fissures and crevices—”pyramid-tipped spires huddled together like a miniature city, cracking the light into a thousand rainbow shards…salted with pinpoints of iron pyrite, glittering like tiny stars.” But such treasures can only be found in fractured, unstable, dangerous earth—places miners simply call “bad…
This morning I received an email from Rick Warren. Yup. Rick took time out of his Sunday morning, which I assume is quite busy, to send me an email. I would have thought he’d be busy putting the final touches on his sermon or perhaps praying, but no, he emailed me to ask if I…
The most enduring memories I have of my grandfather involve sitting with him at the Legion Hall while he and I at a big plate of brown beans and he recounted some of his memories of the war. He was always so proud to take me along and show me off to the other Veterans…
I suddenly find myself in a most strange position. After years of trying to provide rational discourse on Rick Warren and his Purpose Driven teachings; after posting discerning reviews of his books and even going through The Purpose Driven Life day-by-day; after expressing concerns with 40 Days of Purpose and 40 Days of Community; after…
Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason responds to Richard Abanes. Richard Abanes, in an interview at A-Team blog, said, “And people who have made such false accusations need to be held accountable, especially the more influential critics of Warren such as John MacArthur, Todd Wilken, and Greg Koukl—three men whose ministries have done a great…
Justin Taylor points the way to RSSxl. Justin Taylor points the way to RSSxl. I had never heard of this service before but it looks excellent. Bookmark it for when you just need to receive an update when a page changes. This is just one more good use for RSS!
A reminder about the League of Reformed Bloggers. Just a reminder that I am one of the moderators for the League of Reformed Bloggers. If you are Reformed and own a blog, you may want to consider joining. You can read about the requirements right here.
It’s four in the afternoon and I am only just getting to the Friday Frivolity. My most profuse apologies go to everyone, but Amy in particular. This is completely non-frivolous but some have asked me about the heart issues I was having a couple of weeks ago. I finally got the call-back from the doctor…
This is the first interview in the Challies Dot Com Summer Interview Series. The series will feature interviews with authors, musicians and other Christian personalities. The first interview in this series is with Richard Abanes. Richard is known around these parts as author of the newly-released book Rick Warren and the Purpose That Drives Him…
I feel completely disorganized. My usual workweek involves sitting at my desk for the full 40 hours. From Monday to Friday I sit at my desk from 9 AM to 5 PM with very few exceptions. I have developed a nice little routine. The past two days I have spent very little time at my…
As you may well know if you spend much time around these parts, I read a lot. A whole lot. In my reading I have noticed a disturbing trend in the way authors use the Bible to prooftext their books. This concern has led me to write this article in which I will suggest some…
In 1943, Levi Mullet escapes his farm, his father, and his Amish heritage. He leaves behind family, scandal and beliefs in order to set out on his own. Defying his pacifist upbringing he enlists and fights in the Second World War. After the war he marries and settles down with his family. But even when…
Last week I bookmarked an article I found on FoxNews. The article, entitled “”Til Death Do Us Part’ Is Dying Out” says that “‘Til death do us part” is going the way of “to honor and obey.” That is to say, of course, that it is going the way of the dinosaur. It’s dying out.…
I wanted to make you aware of a new blog that you may just want to make part of your regular reading. Reformation21, the online magazine of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, has recently added a blog to their site. It will feature writing by such notables as Ligon Duncan (Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church),…
For many believers, and especially those who are conservative in their theology, contemporary worship music has become nearly synonymous with theologically-shallow, emotion-filled content. These Christians may look to the great hymns of the past and see in them a depth of content that escapes most modern music. Much of the music that does exist is…
Time Magazine recently listed the “The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America.” Predictably, topping that list was Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Saddleback Valley, California, and author of the bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life. The Purpose Driven Life is a phenomenon that defies comparison. In two years it sold over 22 million…
Hang on to your hats, because I am about to spiritualize (and very possibly trivialize) one of the great laws of physics. Newton’s Third Law of Motion states, in its simplest form, that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Take a look around and you will see this law in action…
I have had the mixed blessing of reading several of the titles in the LifeChange series. Some have been good, some have been awful. But I guess that is to be expected when the authors represented range from C.J. Mahaney to Pat Robertson; from John Piper to Bill Gothard. Of the titles I have read,…
It is a tragic fact that many, and perhaps even the majority of students who proclaim to be Christians when they begin college, no longer make such a claim when they have finished. Four years of college, four years of being away from the presence of parents and church, leads many to abandon the faith…
Hook Line and Sinker is a book based on what the author, Michael Bresciani, calls “refutation preaching.” “Refutation preaching as its name implies serves to refute some doctrine or teaching that has previously been established and generally accepted. Often these previously established teachings have been based on the scriptures themselves. Still other teachings have gained…