Articles

This article is part two of a two-part series. Read part one here . Marriage, History and Theology With magisterial grace, the Bible weds Christian theology to the male/female distinctions in God’s creation of marriage. Space permits only a brief consideration of this mysterious and intricate knot...

Perhaps one of the most pervasive spiritual problems in human history is solipsism : extreme preoccupation with one’s self. In philosophy, it is the theory that only the self exists. In both cases, the practical implication is that we seem bent on thinking that everything is about us, and if it’s...

Read Matthew 6:19-34 The heart is undeniably the controlling faculty in our life. In biblical theology the heart—not the mind, nor the body—is depicted as control central of the human being. Study the Psalms sometime to see how the heart stands for the sum of the whole person. Jesus says (Mt. 6:21...

It’s never going to end, you know—the construction on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Cranes will keep swinging, dump trucks dumping, drills drilling, backhoes clawing. By the time the roads are paved and painted, some other section will be weathered to disrepair, and the PENNDOT orchestra of metal and...

Read Matthew 6:19-24 These verses from Jesus’ Sermon are about a subject that haunts us all with its relevancy: The subject of Ambition. From the oldest to the youngest, we all have some ambition. Having addressed our private life in the first half of this chapter, in verses 19-34, he abruptly...

The songbirds always manage to get up before I do, so by the time I start my morning run they have already been carrying on their lyrical dialogues, mostly the robins, but the song sparrows and Carolina wrens fill in the background. Their songs seem to be so thickly spun through the morning air...

God has a Grand Plan Larger than life itself, Paul’s God is a big God. The God of the prophets and apostles, in fact, created life. Creator and Redeemer, he becomes the awesome Benefactor of new life. Words fall short of the splendor. To say God is great is to call Niagara Falls a quaint and serene...

Matthew 6:9-15 This great model prayer concludes by linking divine forgiveness and human forgiveness under the rubric of prayer. Even a first-time reader can observe Jesus teaching that those who are mighty in prayer necessarily know that God’s mercy is mighty. The title may have gotten your...

Read Matthew 6:11-15 Let’s look at the last three Petitions of Jesus’ prayer guide. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread . Our “daily bread” is the portion of bread needed for this one day. We are to pray for provisions like daily bread. Bread used to be baked daily in kilns because of no refrigeration...

Head of the Church Jesus is Head of the Church. He is Head of his Church. This we believe. This we confess. And yet how quickly this we dismiss! Honestly, how significantly does Jesus’ lordship over the Church shape our thinking, our lives, and our priorities? How seriously do we take his throne,...