Revisiting the Sabbath
We need Sabbath. Peter Scazzero remarked, “Without the Sabbath, we easily find ourselves lost and unsure of the larger picture of God in our lives.”[1] Our human nature prioritizes tasks over relationships, activity over rest. It favors constant stimulation through electronics and an overall rejection of the rhythm God ordained for human flourishing. Scazzero continues his vivid description of the human need for Sabbath, saying,...
Teaching Apologetically
I have written a fair amount over the years on the importance not only of teaching theology but also of teaching (and living) theologically in relation to youth ministry. I want to encourage youth pastors (and all pastors) always to have a mind toward the theological truth behind what they are teaching. How does one teach in a form that effectively respects and represents the important content they are communicating? It is this...
Blessing the Nations: Biblical Nationalism II
Earlier this year, I offered a short reflection on God’s creation of nations as recorded in Genesis 10 and 11. In that post we found that God created nations with distinct characteristics, such as a shared language, kinship, common territory, culture, and laws. Since God created these distinctive categories for our benefit, we cannot blame them for the existence of human conflict. Nor should we attempt to eliminate them in favor of...
HSF Conversations: Dr. J. Matthew Pinson
In this episode of HSF Conversations, we talk with Dr. Matthew Pinson about his newest book 40 Questions About Arminianism, published earlier this year with Kregel Academic. HSF contributor, Jesse Owens, asks Pinson why Arminius should be considered a Reformed theologian and how the definition of what it means to be Reformed changed after the Synod of Dort. Pinson also explains how he, like Arminius, believes it necessary to put...
Curating Children’s Media: Television in the Early Years
Talking about kids and screen time can immediately produce feelings of guilt or defensiveness for parents. Guilt, because we know how bad screens are for kids—especially when they take the place (as they always do) of more meaningful activities, like outside play, family time, or boredom. Defensiveness, because screens are very difficult to avoid and resist for our little ones; and everyone else is doing it! The discussion of limiting...
Review of God in Eternity and Time: A New Case for Human Freedom by Robert E. Picirilli
In this succinct yet erudite work, Robert E. Picirilli brings a fresh perspective to the age-old debate regarding divine sovereignty and human freedom. That debate, as Picirilli views it, is often predicated “on the concept of God as formulated in metaphysical philosophy rather than on God as he reveals himself in the biblical narrative, mutually influencing and being influenced by the race of human beings he made to bear, or be, his...
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