These prayers for Independence Day are taken from the Book of Common Prayer.
What Does ‘Abba’ Really Mean?
When I’m in Jerusalem, I love watching gaggles of Jewish children walking alongside their fathers. And when I hear them call their daddy, my heart melts.
“Abba! Abba!”
At times I’m sure it sounds a lot like when my kids were little and needed my attention, calling out my second name incessantly until I responded: “Mom! Mom! Mom! Mooommm!”
But Abba? It’s different. [Read more…]
Remembering Francis I. Andersen: A Scholar and a Gentleman
This is not an obituary for Francis I. Andersen, Hebrew scholar and coauthor of the Andersen-Forbes syntax database of the Hebrew Bible, who passed away last month. If you’re unfamiliar with his life and achievements, the Christianity Today obit or his Wikipedia page has you covered. Better yet, read this tribute by his longtime collaborator, A. Dean Forbes. [Read more…]
Got a Question for N. T. Wright? Ask during Thursday’s Faithlife Live
If you could ask N. T. Wright one question about the state of the world today, what would it be? Bring it to the next Faithlife Live! [Read more…]
In Memoriam: Ravi Zacharias on Life, Death, Love, and More
| Tue, May 19, 2020 | Culture and Context
Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
This morning, the Christian world lost a beloved brother in Christ: Ravi Zacharias. If you haven’t heard of Ravi, let me introduce him.
Born in Madras, India, in 1946, Ravi spent most of his childhood in Delhi. He professed atheism until age 17 when he attempted suicide by poison. While recovering in the hospital, a local Christian worker gave him a Bible, instructing him to read John 14. Upon reading verse 19, “Because I live, you also will live,” his life was forever changed. [Read more…]
Logos Exists Because of One Mom—Here’s Why
| Sun, May 10, 2020 | Culture and Context
Image courtesy of Faithlife Media.
From Timothy (2 Tim 1:5) to Augustine to John and Charles Wesley and many, many more, God has used mothers to bring people to faith—and to set them afire for the gospel.
To that number, we’ll add Faithlife’s founder and CEO, Bob Pritchett. [Read more…]
National Day of Prayer: The King’s Love for Lowly Sinners
| Thu, May 7, 2020 | Culture and Context
What does it take to pray like a Puritan? And why would we want to?
For the Puritans, prayer was neither casual nor dull but a passionate affair.1 A cry for mercy. Unabashed praise for the Creator of all things. Vibrant expressions of deep Christian faith that are a shining example of holy living. [Read more…]
The Death Side of Life: Paul’s Scars and the Meaning of Good Friday
| Fri, April 10, 2020 | Culture and Context
Good Friday commemorates the day Jesus taught us how to die.
A caterpillar folds into a cocoon, dies, bursts forth as a butterfly. A seed falls to the ground, gets eaten by the soil, shoots up. A tree sheds its leaves, sprouts buds, dazzles the world with newborn flowers. [Read more…]
Had to Abandon Your Seminary Library? Here’s Free Help
| Tue, March 31, 2020 | Culture and Context
Seminaries across the country recently sent students home due to the coronavirus outbreak. Professors scrambled to get lectures and assignments online as students said goodbye and left their friends and classmates behind. [Read more…]
O Come, Let Us Worship Him: Liturgy in Plague Time
| Fri, March 20, 2020 | Culture and Context
I’ve been praying the sacred liturgy for 70-some years, but it never struck me before as it did this morning—the first Sunday since the coronavirus pandemic and its precautions have swept the nation.