Nevertheless, I am interested in what is going on in my city. Grand Rapids is a diverse urban center, but it is still part of “West Michigan” and all of its cultural idiosyncrasies. I had a general sense that Trump was never going to play well here.
Category: Reformed
The crux of the matter: bondage of the will
In his treatise, On the Bondage of the Will, Martin Luther stated that the dispute over “free choice” was the ultimate issue for the church.
Preparing for Reformation 500
Reformation Day 2016 will mark the 499th anniversary of the unofficial start of the Reformation. This upcoming year is sure to be filled with excellent scholarship, writing, and reflection. I hope that all Christians, but especially Reformed Christians, use this milestone as an impetus to assess the health of our churches and denominations.
“We Don’t Know”
How does one cope with the haunting truth of “We Don’t Know”? In the song, hope provides the antidote. This point is reinforced in the music video when the protagonist “Hope” defeats “Lord Doom.”
But, hope in itself is vacuous. Is it just a cheerful emotion? No, it must be connected to some objective reality or being. In what do we hope?
Christians can’t hedge
I’m not tempted to jettison my faith and replace it with the latest flavor of the month or total despair. That’s simply not an option. What tempts me, and I suspect you as well, is a nagging and persistent desire to hedge my bets.
More than flies of a summer: Connecting Smith and Kirk
Smith’s broad point about human nature—that we are what we love, not what we think—is related in part to Russell Kirk’s rejection of ideology. Both men assert that individuals and communities are shaped by our practices, habits, and loves.
