Category: Culture

Where God Dwells: Understanding Temple (Part 4)

At last, one comes who claims to be the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. He is not merely a new Solomon or Ezra, come to embark on a new building project. He himself is the prophesied temple.

“Why do bad things happen to good people?” How to Answer the Most Common Question in Ministry

I am not the most qualified person in the world to answer this question. Neither are you. And yet we’re all asked it—and asking it ourselves. So how can we address the hardest question we’re all asking in a way that comforts and connects us?

Human Dignity

According to the God of the Bible, dignity isn’t something you earn based on your wealth or merit—it’s something you’re given. By your very existence, the mere fact that you are a human means that you are an image-bearer of God and have dignity. You have intrinsic value and worth.

Where God Dwells: Understanding Temple (Part 3)

Redemptive history progresses with a series of “false peaks,” showing partial fulfillment of the expectation of restored sanctuary but never complete and always fleeting. Is the vision of temple dwindling? Or is it perhaps focusing?

Where God Dwells: Understanding Temple (Part 2)

The whole world was created to be a temple, and in the center of his temple God places his own image: humanity. Man and woman were meant to be the image of God in the world—not lifeless idols made of stone reflecting dead pagan gods, but living breathing humans reflecting the living God.

Where God Dwells: Understanding Temple (Part 1)

Temples still sit at the center of our cities and call us to a different kind of worship than what we offer at church. Though they look different than their ancient counterparts, they largely serve the same role—and even house the same gods. How can this be? What is a temple in the first place? And what exactly is it we’re all worshiping?

An Open Letter on Self-Love

Stop trying to prove to yourself whether or not you’re lovable if that’s what you’re doing. If you’re anything like me, you’ll never find a reason within yourself. Instead, search the heart of God and listen to Him say to you “I love you.” 

Does God Sleep Through Oppression?

The beauty of the gospel recognizes that if we are united to Christ, we have already been delivered from all oppression—both the oppression we inflict and the oppression we suffer.

Scientism, Metanarrative, and the Power of “Elfland”

“My first and last philosophy, that which I believe in with unbroken certainty, I learnt in the nursery. I generally learnt it from a nurse; that is, from the solemn and star-appointed priestess at once of democracy and tradition. The things I believed most then, the things I believe most now, are the things called

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