Life

One Reason Men Don’t Read Women Authors

February 28, 2018 by wagraham 1 Comment

Over the past weeks, Christians have been discussing the question of why (many) men don’t read women authors. The spark that started the discussion ignited when Relevant magazine released an article called, “How Six Weeks of Reading Books By Women Affected My Thinking“ by Tyler Daswick.

In short, Daswick’s article was poorly received. So much so that Relevant has apparently removed the article from the site, and I only could produce the title of the article and define Daswick as the author because Jen Pollock Michel referred to the article here.

Despite the poorly received Relevant article, the discussion is important. I would like to contribute to the conversation by adding one possible reason for why men don’t read women authors.* But before doing that, here’s a brief survey of how two Christians have answered so far. [Read more…] about One Reason Men Don’t Read Women Authors

Four People You Should Listen to instead of Jordan Peterson

February 27, 2018 by wagraham 3 Comments

Jordan Peterson’s popularity is on the rise. His new book, 12 Rules for Life, tops the charts on Amazon. And he is appearing on numerous platforms, physical or digital. He also influences Christians. But should Christian listen to Peterson? I’ve given my answer in a previous article. But to sum it up, Christians should listen to Peterson critically because his message sometimes agrees and other times disagrees with the Christian faith.

Peterson is so interesting because he astutely understands the culture in which we live. And he (sometimes) speaks truth into it. But others, who might be less well-known than Peterson, are doing the same thing. Here are four people who you should listen to instead of (or along with) Peterson. [Read more…] about Four People You Should Listen to instead of Jordan Peterson

What Are The Essential Christian Disciplines?

February 22, 2018 by wagraham 2 Comments

To be a Christian is to be part of the “way” (Acts 19:23)* or to walk a certain path of life. But to walk this way does not require physical legs. It requires spiritual vision. It necessitates pursuing holiness without which we will not see the Lord.

Given these high stakes, we need to know how to walk the Way of Faith. So, here are three disciplines that will help you along the way. [Read more…] about What Are The Essential Christian Disciplines?

Why God’s Unchangeability Is So Important

February 21, 2018 by wagraham Leave a Comment

Christians confess God to be unchangeable. He does not change or mutate. He is immutable. For many today, however, this doctrine seems archaic and odd.

Archaic because the doctrine is called “the immutability of God” and odd because God seems to change. After all, he creates the world, is sometimes angry, and at other times generous. Most of all, God entered into the world of change when he became man, when he became incarnate. The apostle John asserts, “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14).

But despite our perception of God changing, God does not change. Instead, we change and God consistently (read: changelessly) expresses himself towards us. (I wrote on this here). Even if all this is persuasive, you might still think, “So What? Why Does it Matter?” Here’s my answer: a changing god is not perfectly compassionate, comforting, or (conceivably) faithful. In other words, a changing god is not God. [Read more…] about Why God’s Unchangeability Is So Important

Why Did Jesus Live (and not just Die on the Cross)?

February 20, 2018 by wagraham Leave a Comment

Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His death atones for our sins; his resurrection raises us to new life. In Christ, we’ve come from sin and death to righteousness and glory. And yet: in this paradigm, it almost seems as if Christ’s life (the years that he lived) only prepared him to die.

So, why didn’t he just come into the world and die? Why live for 33 years? Here’s why. [Read more…] about Why Did Jesus Live (and not just Die on the Cross)?

Did John Calvin Believe That Some Spiritual Gifts Ceased?

February 19, 2018 by wagraham 13 Comments

Protestants today find themselves polarized over the issue of the spiritual gifts. The charismatic movement has made inroads within the Protestant church, affirming that God pours out a full range of spiritual gifts that include speaking in tongues (a heavenly language), healing, and the offices of apostle and prophet.

Other Protestants have declined to believe that all spiritual gifts continue today, arguing that the spirit gave certain gifts during the early church to establish it (namely, apostles, prophets, tongues, and healing). Still others believe in the continuation of all gifts but in less potent forms.

So what should we think about these matters? Well, it’s impossible to provide a thorough discussion here. But I would like to highlight the argument of John Calvin, the sixteenth century genevan Reformer. [Read more…] about Did John Calvin Believe That Some Spiritual Gifts Ceased?