We often use the word “faith” to describe the core of someone’s beliefs—but people of differing religions use the term in very different ways. This has challenged me to more carefully probe the distinctive features of the word “faith” from the perspective of historical Christianity. Faith is much more profound than simply recounting our personal conversion story. Rather, Christian faith…
This might sound morbid to some people, but I’ve always been fascinated by the subject of death. As a youth, I found funerals much more interesting than weddings. And growing up in the Roman Catholic tradition, I thought Catholic funerals were particularly remarkable ceremonies. I can still remember the unique smell of incense filling the church at the first funeral…
One of [the Apostle] Paul’s strongest emphases is that no one can earn eternal life by his or her good deeds. — Anthony Hoekema, Saved By Grace (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 165.
The Scriptures teach that God saves us not as puppets but as persons, and that we must therefore be active in our salvation. The Bible, in a way which is deeply mysterious, combines God’s sovereignty with our responsibility in the process of our salvation. But we can only love him because he first loved us. To him therefore must be all the praise.
— Anthony Hoekema, Saved By Grace (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), xi.
God rest ye merry, gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay, Remember Christ our Savior Was born on Christmas day, To save us all from Satan’s pow’r When we were gone astray; O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy. — “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” a traditional English carol
In addition to blog posts, I also address Christian worldview issues and critical thinking on a couple of RTB podcasts. Straight Thinking, my primary podcast, highlights the importance of the life of the Christian mind. I also make appearances with my fellow RTB scholars on I Didn’t Know That!, where we offer unscripted answers to listener questions. Here are some…
What is a “good death”? What does it mean to “die well”? In part nine of this series I raised the question concerning the meaning of a “good death” within the context of the historic Christian faith.
Reflections 