Lauded for his scientific discoveries and inventions (e.g., the first mechanical calculator, the syringe, and various geometric and mathematical discoveries), Blaise Pascal struggled to find satisfying answers to the riddle of the human experience. Most crushing to his scientific mind was the lack of certitude attendant to both religion and speculative sciences. Late in the …
“Kuyperians were pluralists before pluralism was cool,” writes James K. A. Smith.[1] Indeed, neo-Calvinists in the tradition of Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920) display a marked fondness for stressing the possibility and imperative of shared cultural labor between Christians and non-Christians in society. Christians can work alongside non-Christians to create God-glorifying artifacts of culture, such as art or music, …
Abraham Kuyper’s and Klaas Schilder’s Visions of Culture Read More »
What’s a pastor to do? It’s a simple question, but it’s surprising how different pastors answer it. Some say they’re here to shepherd. Others say they’re here to teach. None would say they’re here to entertain, but a steady diet of their teaching leaves the listener wondering. I once saw a pastor begin his service …
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on …
Holy Scripture is the cognitive principle of theology, the supreme source from which the treasures of divine wisdom are drawn and the supreme norm by which our grasp of those treasures is measured. To borrow a metaphor from Matthew 13:44, Holy Scripture is the “field” in which the “treasures” that theology seeks to acquire are …
Reformer Martin Luther’s “Preface to the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans” was written in 1522 for inclusion in his German translation of the Bible. The preface summarizes key words in Romans, such as “justification,” “faith,” “sin,” and “law.” It then outlines the meaning of each chapter of the epistle. Describing faith, Luther counters accusations that …
Faith: Living, Busy, Active, Mighty—Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) Read More »