And we know that all the creation together groans and together suffers birth pangs up to the present moment. –Romans 8:22 The creation is giving birth to us. She is our mother. Paul sets this remarkable image before the eyes of the Roman Christians. Or, better stated, he seeks to open their ears to the…

A Humble Petition (Canto IX) What better way to enter Purgatory than with an act of humility? This may seem obvious, but we’re prideful people who don’t generally even appreciate how prideful we are. Think about how easy it is to confess to a variety of Christian “struggles,” to go on missions trips or attend Christian…

In what do we place our hope? We Christians know to answer, reflexively, “In Christ!” But in some sense that is not to take the question literally. The Light Between Truth and Reason If I’m honest, when I say, “I put my hope in Christ,” I’m in part treating the question as aspirational or normative,…

Do you remember when you first realized that the Apostles were real people who kept sinning despite walking with Christ? Or when you read about Paul taking Peter to task? Johannes Brenz (1499–1570) was a German Lutheran theologian and pastor, overseeing reform in Schwäbisch-Hall, Württemberg, and Tübingen. Like many of his contemporaries, Brenz finds encouragement…

Reading Journal Home << Previous Entry Next entry >> Canto III 1. Death, Hope, Narrative, and Heroism The first time through Inferno, adapting to the meter and encountering its strangeness can distract from some of its real horrors. But if we recall the invitation from Canto II to participate with our imaginations in evoking images the poet…

For the past few months, I have been rather perplexed by the juxtaposition of two songs on one of my playlists. I downloaded the first because of how both its lyrics and musicality depict reality of pain in human relationships. I downloaded the second because of how it captures a sense of hope. While attending…

Location: Trinity International University (TEDS/TGS Chapel) Date: August 5, 1979 Scripture: John 1; 2Cor 4:6 In a world of economic and political turmoil, where comfort and stability are foreign concepts and escape from reality through drugs and permissiveness often seems to be the norm rather than the exception, Carl Henry resounds a call to remember…

Ryan Harding, MDiv student and Henry Center intern ***** One of the most profitable disciplines for me in seminary has been the study of church history. Hearing of the pastoral hearts of the early church fathers, the careful thought of the apologists, and the unflinching courage of the martyrs has been edifying, inspiring, and humbling….