Today (November 29) is the birthday of C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), the professor of English who just wanted to be left alone with his books and his handful of bookish friends. But he turned out to have a headful of exactly what the world needed: Christian faith that ran deep, that embraced the whole world of thought, and that talked ordinary language.
It's remarkable how much ...
Read More...
Today (November 28) is the birthday of John Bunyan (1628-1688). Most famous for his Pilgrim's Progress, Bunyan also authored a number of theological and devotional works of lasting value.
They all have that Bunyan charm: The fluency with Scripture, the lightning-quick associative leaps, the natural vigor, the homespun power of the English language. If you haven't read Pilg...
Read More...
(Special guest post by Torrey prof Joe Henderson, Old Testament scholar who wrote the book, or at least the dissertation, or at least a big part of a dissertation, on Lowth!)
Robert Lowth (1710-1787) was born this day, November 27: Happy 300th birthday Bishop Lowth!
Lowth (his name rhymes with south) was Bishop of Oxford and later London. He was best known his works on Bi...
Read More...
Today (November 26) is the birthday of English hymn writer William Cowper (1731 - 1800), who collaborated with John Newton on the collection called Olney Hymns.
The most famous of the Olney Hymns is of course Newton's Amazing Grace. Newton also wrote the lion's share of the hymns in the collection. Newton could out-produce, out-promote, out-preach, and out-perform Cowper i...
Read More...
There's an attitude of gratitude at the pumpkin diner, as the meals-with-friends-and-family part of the holiday kicks in. You can either be grumbly and hateful, or humbly grateful, so which is it gonna be?
Today's special speshle is turkey ham, according to the little bird who posts the menu.
This detail is a good example of the compositional technique used by Phoebe Ag...
Read More...
Here's another set of reviews, responses, and reactions to my recent book The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything.
Aaron Armstrong at Blogging Theologically says in his review that "we don’t have to settle for a shallow picture of God," because God "wants us to experience all of Him—Father, Son and Spirit." He outlines the book helpfully:
As he e...
Read More...
The day a man reads his last new Sherlock Holmes mystery is a sad one. The stories decline in quality, but to the very last retain some echo of what made the early tales classics of the detective genre.
The best Holmes can be reread, but still a man likes to have something new to read during his free reading time. Finding Freeman Austin is Doyle fan-fiction from Doyle's own ...
Read More...
This Thursday I'll be talking about Why the Trinity Matters at a special event at Crabapple Baptist Church in Atlanta. I'm down south for the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, and am thrilled that I get to escape for a while to a local church to talk Trinity.
The event is free, starting at 6:30pm on Thursday, Nov. 18. I'll be showing pictures, yes, pict...
Read More...
The Book of Proverbs says I should look after my flocks, because if I do my goats will take care of me in an economic time of trouble.
Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathe...
Read More...
The fourth Psalm, in graphic form by renowned interpreter Freddy Age Nine:
Following a medieval tradition, Freddy Age Nine has taken the first letter of the Psalm (A is for "Answer me when I call") and made it the architectural center of the composition. The A is not only the largest shape on the page, but also includes the largest fields of solid orange (in the serifs and c...
Read More...
"Rock of Ages" is a great hymn, one of the best.
Here is the bad news: It was written out of spite, by a bitter and narrow-minded young man who couldn't keep his personal hatred from over-flowing into his prayers and songs.
Here is the good news: God rescued the hymn from the defects of its author and his worst intentions, and Rock of Ages is every bit as good as you t...
Read More...
Featured Essay
Pity the person who looks at the night sky and sees only hot glowing balls of gas. If he starts to speak, you are likely to get a great deal of hot air, but little romantic glow. Knowing the composition of a thing is good, but it is at least as good to know what a thing is to mankind.
Stars are more than the sum of their parts and those who do not understand this live in a w...
Read More...
