He had been her doctor for over 25 years. He knew everything about her social history and her medical problems. In fact, he was not only her healthcare provider, but over the years, he had even become a friend. This is why it caught him completely off-guard when she answered “Yes” to his question. You see, he had just attended a medical training over the weekend about domestic violence. He had learned that it was much more prevalent than he’d actually realized. That week, he’d decided he would begin asking each and every one of his patients about their experience with domestic violence. “Are you in a relationship where you are being physically hurt by your partner?” “Yes,” she answered. Her husband of 30 years had been physically abusing her. He looked at her with surprise. “Darlene….why o...

“I get fed there” is one of the classic “Christianese” phrases that puzzle outsiders. “Are you referring to a buffet?” they might ask. For many who use this phrase, a rough translation typically means something like: “I get my spiritual energy boost every Sunday to help get me from Monday to Saturday.” Joining other believers each Sunday in singing, praying, and hearing teaching from God’s Word produces healthy spiritual nourishment. “As a deer pants for flowing streams,”writes the Psalmist, “so pants my soul for you, O God (Psalm 42:1).”We become spiritually parched and famished with the hardships of life in a fallen world, and the Word of God refreshes our souls. For the most part, however, I’ve heard this phrase used in ways that are unhealthy. I’ll ask someone how church is going, and ...

When people want to harp on the impractical nature of theology, there’s one “go to” analogy that shows up more than any other: the medieval debate about how many angels can dance on the point of a needle. After all, could there be a better example of theological time wasting? Who really cares? Even if we knew the answer, would it help us feed starving children? Would we be better prepared to share the gospel? Would it accomplish anything useful? I won’t debate that theologians are sometimes be guilty of wasting time on unimportant matters. But this question may not illustrate what we think. Rather than showing how impractical theology can be, it may be a better illustration of something I talked about in a related post. Theology seeks to help us understand a complex universe created by an ...

The resurrection of Jesus (alongside his crucifixion) is the central historical event in the Christian faith. Without the resurrection there would be no Christianity. “If Christ has not been raised,” wrote St. Paul, “then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). I am a Christian because I believe in the resurrection. I am convinced that after dying a violent death on a Roman cross on a Friday afternoon in 30 A.D., Jesus of Nazareth came back to life and emerged from the tomb on Sunday morning. This is not easy to believe. But if it is true, it is the most pivotal event in human history. Much has been written in defense of Jesus’ resurrection, the most thorough and convincing book being N. T. Wright’s massive 800-page volume, The Resurrection of the Son of ...