Canada may be unique as a nation that has two official national anthems. I was too lazy to do the legwork to find if there are any other nations with two, but I suspect there are not. To add to the strangeness, both of Canada’s anthems are entitled “O Canada.” Many people erroneously spell “O”…
“It’s A Fact, Eh?” is a new occasional series I am beginning today. In this series I will introduce various interesting and factual aspects of Canadian life and culture (and yes, both exist in this nation). “And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of…
As a way of supporting the growing costs of this site, I am now offering web hosting through an affiliate program with the company that hosts my sites. Prices for a feature-laden hosting package begin as low as $6.95 per month! But to make the deal all that much sweeter, I am offering a $20…
I have just begun reading The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll. Mark is known as being on the Conservative fringe of the Emerging Church. He must at least somewhat orthodox because he invited John Piper to deliver several messages at the 2004 “Radical Reformission Conference.” Don Elbourne listened to the audio and wrote, “John Piper,…
Most people know that when they set foot in a grocery store they are being manipulated. Grocery store merchandising has become something of a science. The stores know exactly what you need and how to convince you that what you came to purchase is not enough. They know how to encourage you to leave a…
Earlier this week I posted an article about Christians and movie-watching. The article garnered a fair amount of attention and there were plenty of comments and trackbacks. I was surprised to see that most people who commented actually agreed with me. A few took the other side. One called me a neo-puritan. I kind of…
I have been reflecting this week on the Apostle’s admonition to “avoid evil.” Heady stuff for a vacation, I admit! My need to more fully understand this concept arose as I wrote about movies and the Christian obsession with watching and enjoying them regardless of their content. It took me some time, but I realized…
I began my postsecondary education by concentrating on the study of English and history at McMaster University. After only a few months, I found myself increasingly frustrated with the English courses. It seemed to me that the courses were based primarily on what, in theology, we would refer to eisogesis. We would study an assigned…
One more reason to hate spammers. I get vast quantities of trackback spam. I have installed a couple of tools to try to deal with it, which is especially important with the links I now have in the sidebar. It seems my measures are either too loose or too tight – I can’t quite seem…
Mark was determined to die. And in retrospect there was nothing anyone could have done to stop him. His first attempt came when he was 18 and it left him with scars running the length of his arms. His sister found him sitting calmly in the bathtub, a razor blade lying in the pool of…
I recently finished reading Talking About Good and Bad Without Getting Ugly, written by Paul Chamberlain, a professor at Trinity Western University (Langley, British Columbia) and director of the Institute of Christian Apologetics. This book discusses ways Christians can talk about difficult issues – abortion, homosexual marriage, euthanasia – in our pluralistic society. It was…
As you may have noticed, unless you’re on of those people who only reads the site via RSS, I have done a fairly major revision to the layout of the site. While leaving the design much the same (if it ain’t broke…) I added a new sidebar which contains all sorts of good information. Most…
Ron Gleason, (pastor, doctor of something or the other, and all-around nice guy) who posts in the Community Blog has begun a series called “The Death Knell for the Emergent Church Movement.” The first article in the series has been posted and the other parts will follow in coming days. Ron begins by saying, “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…
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…
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!
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…
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 am going to pose a question and ask you to think for a minute or two before answering. Stop for a moment before you continue reading this article and answer this simple question. Who is the worst sinner you know? Chances are that you know hundreds of people. Perhaps a thousand. Think of all…