Posts Tagged ‘Standards’
The Fundamentals of Sanctification and Cultural Fundamentalism
Previously, I posted a piece called, “The Fundamentals of Sanctification.” The basic proposition of that article is that the Bible gives us a fundamental understanding of sanctification: sanctification means putting off the old man and putting on the new man, it means separating from the world and clinging to God, it means rejecting the old…
Read MoreRedeeming the Culture (Part 2)
Since posting part 1 of this discussion, I have had the opportunity to listen to others, dig deeply, and gather a bit more insight into the concept of “redeeming the culture.” I even stumbled across a website where a guy had posted recordings of a video game he was playing. At different points in the…
Read MoreRedeeming the Culture (Part 1)
I’ve had conversations with Christians, and heard missionaries or public speakers, who champion the idea of redeeming the culture. As best I understand, they mean that we as Christians can take elements of our culture that men created (or perverted) for evil purposes and transform them into tools for use in the service of Christ.…
Read MoreThe Real Reason Game of Thrones Will Disappoint
Eight years ago, I tried to watch Game of Thrones: Season 1. A few episodes in, I put the DVDs back in the case and returned them. I had seen enough. Besides being disturbed by the nihilistic violence and rape, I felt the story of Westeros wasn’t going anywhere meaningful, and I was right. Over…
Read MoreWhy are Christians STILL Watching Game of Thrones?
In case you missed it, HBO just broadcasted the eighth and final season of their show “Game of Thrones” which is based off George R.R. Martin’s books. This show (and the books) have now become a sort of cultural phenomenon. The show was the most expensive TV show produced in 2018 and promises to have…
Read MoreThe Name of God and the Movies
Kristopher Schaal Even secular culture cannot help but make moral judgments. Sometimes Christians can affirm the world’s ethic and sometimes we must challenge it. Sometimes the culture gets it right and sometimes it is wrong. One of the ways in which our society has failed drastically is in its assessment of the rightness or wrongness…
Read MoreSeparation versus Limited Participation: Is There A Difference?
Part I: The Basis for Prudential Limits on Association1 There are many issues determined by direct Biblical statement or clear biblical principle. In such matters, our obligation is loyalty to the Scriptures. Other issues are matters of preference. In these areas, we should defer to others in Christian love. I believe, however, that there are…
Read MoreMusic Choices – Objective Subjectivity
Making musical choices — how do you decide what’s right and what’s wrong? The subject is full of controversy. Everyone, it seems, has an opinion, and yours is wrong because you disagree with me. (At least, that’s what I’m told.) There is a lot of confusion on the issue, to be sure. I wrote something…
Read MoreConsidering Clothing
Another thought-provoking article popped up recently in the Theology section over at CT.1 The subject of this brief piece is clothing and its place in post-Fall human experience. The author, Robert Covolo, starts: Before becoming a PhD candidate at Fuller Theological Seminary, I served for 12 years at a church in Long Beach, California. A…
Read MoreTuning Out Television
Mark Herbster FrontLine • July/August 2008 Technological advances have brought new challenges into Christian families. Most families own at least one television set, and many Christians are struggling with a daily battle with television and its ungodly influences. Television has a great impact on our lives: it teaches our children; it trains our culture. Though…
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