I was talking recently with a friend about his frustrations with an older child’s reckless behavior. “We did it by the book, Tim.  We were the perfect parents – what happened?” I wouldn’t argue with him.  He and his wife are wonderful people and great parents.  His comments call to mind one of the mystifying […]

From James K. A. Smith’s introduction to Daniel Bell’s new book, The Economy of Desire.  It looks brilliant and I’m eager to jump in! This world is “postmodern” not because it signals some romantic escape from the modern or some jarring break with modernity but because it is one completely saturated and dominated by the […]

I’m not sure how we got here so fast, but Sarah and I find ourselves the parents of three teenagers.  Maddie is 18, Jake is 16, and Riley is nearly 14. Life has taken a weird form for us.  We negotiate multiple schedules, wade through the daily deluge of mail from colleges for the older […]

Thanks to a friend who gave it to me, I’m blazing through Andre Agassi’s fascinating autobiography, Open.  I may have some more to say about it down the road, since Agassi is a thoughtful person who reflects on so many different aspects of relationships and sports. He opens with a quote from Vincent van Gogh […]

I’m reading Walter Wink’s Naming the Powers again, in preparation for an upcoming project.  I’m going to quibble with his identification of the powers, but I find his articulation of the social and institutional manifestations of the powers at times simply masterful. On the need of the church to resist adopting the power strategies of […]

We had an interesting discussion last night about Paul’s question in Galatians 5:7, where he asks, “who hindered you from obeying the truth?” It seems likely that Paul knows the identity of the Jewish-Christian missionaries.  Those who brought a report to Paul may have given him their names, though we don’t that for sure.  But […]

A while ago I posted a bit on Romans, arguing that Paul’s letter is not a theological treatise but a pastoral letter. Most commentaries contain a similar reminder.  “Let’s remember,” they begin, “that it’s not as though Paul is a professional theologian writing his magnum opus or a systematic theological treatise.  He’s a missionary and […]

After posting about a particular genius of evil, I enjoyed a great talk with a friend over a wonderfully sloppy burrito that furthered some personal reflections on this dynamic in ministry settings. We talked about the temptation to respond sinfully when a ministry partner, for whatever reason, repeatedly takes verbal shots at us in public […]

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord […]

Evil has many dimensions, aspects, and components, but I’ve been struck lately by a particular genius of evil.  Evil has a multiplying effect in that sin tends to provoke sin. That is, when we are sinned against, we are so provoked that we can only imagine responding by sinning.  And when we encounter outrageous evil, […]