“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” -PLATO (428-348 BC) compare to… “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
We live in rigid and graceless times. “Cancel culture” is the new fundamentalism, and fire and brimstone is preached from many media outlets. … More New Fundamentalism and It’s Cure
“Who among us will celebrate Christmas correctly? Whoever finally lays down all power, honor, all reputation, all vanity, all arrogance, all individualism beside the manger; whoever remains lowly and lets God alone be high; whoever looks at the child in the manger and sees the glory of God precisely in his lowliness.” “Only the humble … More QUOTABLES: Bonhoeffer & the Lowly Manger
“When a preacher opens the Bible and interprets the Word of God, a mystery takes place, a miracle: the grace of God, who comes down from heaven into our midst and speaks to us, knocks on our door, asks questions, warns us, puts pressure on us, alarms us, and makes us joyful again and free … More QUOTABLES: Bonhoeffer on Preaching
“To candid, reasonable men I am not afraid to lay open what have been the inmost thoughts of my heart. I have thought: I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God; just hovering over the great … More QUOTABLES: Wesley on God’s Book!
“Ten years ago the USA had Steve Jobs, Bob Hope, and Johnny Cash. Now they have no Jobs, no Hope, and no Cash.”
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” -John Wesley
“Whenever a people are bound together in loyalty to a story that includes something as strange as the Sermon on the Mount, we are put at odds with the world.” – From Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony by Hauerwas & Willimon
“In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centered on the living Christ. Then the church move to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became and institution. Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. And, finally, it moved to America, where … More QUOTABLES: On Consumer Christianity
“The deepest crevasse of hell is reserved for theologians who love their theology more than they love Jesus.” -Karl Barth
Here’s a repost from last year worth sharing again. -JB It’s Valentine’s Day. The celebration heart-shaped candies that taste like chalk, and overpriced cards that tell our sweethearts what some Hallmark writer thinks — who, for all we know, has never even been on a date. It’s the day of chocolates, amor and perhaps some … More C.S. Lewis, Cupid & God’s Inescapable Love
“Why should I fear anything that cannot rob me of God, and why should I desire something that cannot give me possession of Him?” -Thomas Merton, “New Seeds of Contemplation” (p.157)
Clark Pinnock, a well-known theologian, has passed. As a young college kid majoring in Theology at Bethel, I attended the Evangelical Theological Society annual meeting in Colorado Springs in 2001. My friend Joe and I had the opportunity to tag along with a group of scholars going out for dinner one evening. We carpooled from … More QUOTABLES: Clark Pinnock’s Theological Pilgrimage
“It may make your blood boil. Your mind may not often be changed. But the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship.” – President Barrack Obama
“Most educated atheists are much more likely to be suddenly ambushed in the heart by poetry than they ever are likely to be converted by a reasoned argument. A lot of what is conveyed by Christianity has to be conveyed in this form because words, even the most beautiful words, can never convey them.” – … More QUOTABLES: Peter Hitchens
“Nothing is impossible for the man who will not listen to reason.” -John Belushi (in the film “Animal House”)
“We have short attention spans. Having been introduced to God, we soon lose interest in God and become preoccupied with ourselves. Self expands and soul atrophies. Psychology trumps theology. … [And this] usually adds up to a workable life … But — it is not the practice of resurrection, it is not growing up in … More QUOTABLES: Eugene Peterson
“Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.” – Opening sentences of Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
Are you a Calvinist? Are you an Arminian? Are you Pre-Trib? Post-Trib? Are you Catholic? Lutheran? Evangelical? Whichever labels you may claim or shame, we are wise to consider the following warning: I have long come to the conclusion that men may be more systematic in their statements than the Bible, and may be led … More QUOTABLES: J.C. Ryle
Jeremy L. Berg 