I discovered the high beauty of the Lord of the Rings later than most. For the longest time I associated it with dudes who wore Iron Maiden T-shirts and played Dungeons and Dragons in their mom’s basement. I assumed it belonged to the pop fantasy genre rife in the 1980’s, evoked now in my mind’s […]

Anselm is an old friend. But if you’re not a part of that odd clan of theology and philosophy geeks, he’s probably a stranger. Most folks usually remember him as that medieval refusing blind credulity for a faith seeking understanding (fides quaerens intellectum), and as the Archbishop who gave the “Dark Ages” its theory of […]

Writers, or artists of any kind, know that inspiration is like the Spirit. It blows where it wishes, and no one knows where it comes from or where it goes (John 3:8). Inspiration’s wind can’t be tamed. The Muse remains mysterious and free of our control. It often strikes suddenly and without warning, like lightening […]

It’s easy to forget the imaginative world of our childhood. We often abandon it early, seeking our way in the “real world.” As a result, we quickly lose the path and its threshold disappears behind the vines of time. But passing through doors can have monumental consequences, just ask Dante and Bunyan. And so, retracing […]

Catholics hail Francis de Sales as the patron saint of writers. But for me, C. S. Lewis claims that undisputed, if unofficial title. That’s why when I saw Corey Latta’s book C. S. Lewis and the Art of Writing, I had to get it! After skimming the book and reading the first chapter, I’d say […]

Calling God “Father” remains problematic for many. A high percentage of people grow up without fathers, or wish their abusive fathers were absent! Others see the exclusive use of male names for God as driving oppressive patriarchy and sexism. These very real problems impact the way people think about God and so deserve serious reflection. […]

Why take these ancient words on our lips week after week?  At bottom, reciting the Creed with others profoundly shapes the way we view the world and our place within its unfolding story. Confessing the Creed reminds us that we are called to live into something bigger than ourselves, and that we share this “something […]

What is it that causes a Baptist of forty years, particularly a Southern Baptist, to switch communions? Simply put, there’s no simple answer, easy proof text, or sole theological argument. For me, it’s the coalescence of a web of convictions and life experiences. Even so, I don’t think my transition comes from a misunderstanding, or […]

As soon as we encounter the variety of ways people cite the Bible to establish their views, we see the need to think more carefully about interpretive authority. After all, when we observe readings as diverse as that between, say, John Macarthur Jr. and Joel Osteen, Pope Francis and Lewis Farrakhan, and between groups like […]

Evangelicals often see the doctrine of the Trinity as an abstract intellectual problem better left to the musings of theologians. Although officially affirming the doctrine as a matter of orthodoxy, we wonder, “Is the Trinity really significant at the street-level of our Christian life? Fred Sanders, professor of theology at Biola University, answers a resounding “Yes” in […]