Prophetic Idiom, Perspective and Isaiah 65

Isaiah 65 is a problematic passage for many and yet their struggles with it are actually rooted in fundamental misunderstandings of how prophecy is to be read. For chiliasts of both the pre- and post-millennial variety the 'New Heavens and New Earth' passage necessarily refers to age longevity in that 'the child shall die an hundred years old' suggesting a lifespan far in excess of our present 70-80 years.

A Study in Fools: Veneers and Big Questions

https://www.npr.org/2018/06/16/618217795/teaching-children-to-ask-the-big-questions-without-religion

This NPR story caught my attention the other day and I had to dig up the link and transcript and have another look. It's about parents that want to wrestle with the 'big questions'... apart from religion.

They want to discuss love and compassion and yet not restrict these ideas to a religious framework or one that approaches such questions with a degree of certainty.

Sasse: A Danger and Disgrace to Protestant Testimony

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sen-ben-sasse-calls-putin-murderer-trump-meet/story?id=56612481

If you're a Conservative or Evangelical Christian and you haven't heard of Ben Sasse, then you're probably in the minority. He's young, popular and part of a crop of politicians that has grown up and been 'properly educated' in so-called Worldview teaching. In many ways he's the candidate the Christian Right has been looking for. George W. Bush may have been the 'every-man' Evangelical, the omnibus candidate that could appeal to the wealthy and the working class but by all accounts he was an intellectual lightweight. His heart expressed the sentiments that resonated with the Christian Right but his tongue was unable to articulate the ideas. Time will tell if Sasse is able to have that kind of broad appeal but in terms of not just the lingo but the actual ideas, he's the one their looking for. He's the politician that can truly express the theology and social visions of intellectuals from Abraham Kuyper and Francis Schaeffer to RJ Rushdoony and even figures like Cornelius Van Til.

Disquiet in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)

I've recommended Jeff Riddle's work in the past. He's a Reformed or confessionally Calvinistic Baptist pastor out of Virginia.

By way of clarification I personally am an ex- or more probably post- Reformed Christian and most definitely not a Baptist in any sense, but there are some in those circles I can appreciate. I think Riddle demonstrates some wisdom when it comes to discussing certain topics but most of all I appreciate his work defending the traditional text and concepts like providential preservation as opposed to the pseudo-conservative position of inerrancy and its embrace of the Critical Text.

I listen to his Word Magazine podcasts and while at first I wasn't that interested in this particular topic, it pulled me in. He and a guest (Clevenger) are talking about developments within the Southern Baptist Convention, both of them are apparently ex-members.

Risen, Mueller and the False Exposé

I am consistently amazed by people like the former New York Times reporter James Risen. After all they've experienced, after all they've seen and been exposed to, they still harbour a fundamental faith in the system. Are they naive? If they are it's concerning human nature. I am immediately suspicious of anyone who has spent a career in journalism, especially reporting on politics, military and the security state and yet still believes that people are fundamentally good or that apart from a few bad apples... the state apparatus is inhabited for the most part by good, honest folks possessing honour and integrity.

Depictions of Christ (Part 2)

Is the problem with pictures of Christ a question of devotion? Is it because people will 'worship' the picture? And thus the question implies that if it's non-devotional in nature, is it then permissible?

Depictions of Christ (Part 1)

Should Christ be depicted? For many this question is confused by debates over whether or not such depictions are appropriate for 'church' or whether they should be restricted to the arts. Some believe such depictions are appropriate for a children's Bible book while others would forbid even this. Can Christ be depicted in the movies?