Why Hell?

This may seem a strange time of year to be thinking about hell. But I stumbled upon this excellent article called "The Importance of Hell" by Tim Keller, and wanted to place a link here. I don't know how long this link will be good, so don't wait too long....

Something for a College Student in Your Life

I always look forward to Christmas and summer vacations. That's because college students come home. I don't get to know them the way I would like to--but I wish I could and did. And I enjoy seeing them.
In fact, I am reading a book that is intended for college students, and that I am finding an excellent read. It is written by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., who was once the president of Calvin College (his brother Alvin is one of America's premier philosophers, and an articulate defender of Christianity against its secular philosophical despisers). One of Cornelius's other excellent books you may have heard me mention--Not the Way It's Supposed to Be, which is a powerful book on sin.
So for the college student in your life--if it's too late for Christmas, get it for them for New Year's Day. It's available from http://www.wtsbooks.com/ (good discounts!), among other places.

The Real Tightwads

Many of you will appreciate the unexpected (?) findings by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof found here.

Incarnation

The divine Son became a Jew; the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, needed to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child…. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. (J.I. Packer)

Our Disinformed Electorate

During the last election cycle I, along with many others, appreciated the web site www.factcheck.org. They tried to sift through the competing claims of campaign advertisements, and find the truth (or lack thereof) therein. For you perusal, here is their post-partum report, titled Our Disinformed Electorate. A worthwhile read--particularly if you thought one side had all the truth and the other side all the falsehood.
I mention this becaue tomorrow we are going to look at Christ, the newborn king, in relation to the wise men from Persia, the wise men in Jerusalem, and the "King of the Jews" Herod. We long for King Jesus. At present his kingdom is spiritual, and we sojourn in earthly kingdoms (and republics, democracies, etc.). None of these earthly kingdoms and their aspiring rulers can deliver. That doesn't mean we should give up on them--they serve the common good at God's appointment (Romans 13:1-7), but we dare not put our ultimate hope in them (Psalm 146:3).

Real Harmony Amidst Apparent Contradiction

I'm studying the Magi in Matthew 2, and here is a marvelous quote from John Calvin about this account:
"A beautiful instance of real harmony, amidst apparent contradiction, is here exhibited. A star from heaven announces that he is a king, to whom a manger, intended for cattle, serves for a throne, because he is refused admittance among the lowest of the people. His majesty shines in the East, while in Judea it is so far from being acknowledged, that it is visited by many marks of dishonor. Why is this? The heavenly Father chose to appoint the star and the Magi as our guides, to lead directly to his Son: while he stripped him of all earthly splendor, for the purpose of informing us that his kingdom is spiritual. This history conveys profitable instruction, not only because God brought the Magi to his Son, as the first-fruits of the Gentiles, but also because he appointed the kingdom of his Son to receive their commendation, and that of the star, for the confirmation of our faith; that the wicked and malignant contempt of his nation might not render him less estimable in our eyes."

Redefine Christmas

In this Sunday's sermon I'm going to make reference to a newspaper ad to "redefine Christmas." Here is a link to an article (from 2007) about the "Redefine Christmas" ads, web site, etc. Here is a link to comments about it. Both are interesting reading. What do you think? And find out Sunday what it has to do with the visit of the Magi to see Jesus...

Jesus Made in America Redux

A few months ago I blogged enthusiatically about Stephen Nichols' book, Jesus: Made in America. Here is a video interview of Steve about that book, with Derek Thomas. Steve will be our speaker at our 2009 "Greater Reading Gathering of Reformed Evangelicals" (a meeting which, incidentally, needs a new name; I am open to suggestions!).