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David’s Sins in David’s Sons
Is it hard to lead others when we lack integrity ourselves? You bet it is. We see this in the life of King David. In 2 Samuel 14, we start to see David’s kingdom unraveling—and it all started with the loose thread of his sexual lust. His unbridled passions are copied by his son Amnon,…
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We Judge Others Strictly. Ourselves? Not So Much.
We are usually better judges of others than of ourselves. In fact, it is probably impossible to have an unbiased evaluation of the person whose teeth you brush, whose bills you pay, whose car you drive, whose body you inhabit—your own self. We are simply too heavily vested in ourselves to be impartial judges of our…
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Sick of My Dissertation Topic?
People have asked me whether I ever got sick of my dissertation topic, as someone might ask a person who had vowed to eat only lasagna for breakfast for several months. Actually, the opposite happened. As I neared the end of my dissertation, I became increasingly fascinated with the topic, especially as it intersected with…
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How Important Is a Theological Belief?
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Every believer is assigned at least one guardian angel. Both statements above express a theological belief. But clearly, they are different in importance. The first statement I would stake my soul on. The second I wouldn’t stake a sandwich on (of course, I believe angels exist, but I…
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The Gospel According to Ecclesiastes
Seeing Christ in the Old Testament is like looking at a stereogram. When you stare at the picture just the right way, the 3D image pops up. You realize that 3D image was there all along. It was put there on purpose. It is the true subject of the picture. Likewise, Christ is the true…
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How I Prepared for My Doctoral Comps
Doctoral. Comprehensive. Examinations. Cue the late-night studying, caffeine addiction, panic sessions and ulcers. Well, not the ulcers. But just about everything else. The short story is: I passed! And the long story—for anyone interested in finding out—is how I prepared. Obviously, doctoral comps are going to differ widely, depending on your field of study, area…
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Fallen Kings
Mathematician and Christian apologist Blaise Pascal compares the human condition to the misery of a fallen king. If he had never been a king, he would not think that his now-humble life is miserable. (For a helpful explanation of this idea, see Douglas Groothuis’s article here). This analogy resonates with the Bible’s teaching that 1)…
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Absurdity or Purpose?
Albert Camus (1913-1960), author, journalist, and philosopher wrote: “Basically, at the very bottom of life, which seduces us all, there is only absurdity, and more absurdity. And maybe that’s what gives us our joy for living, because the only thing that can defeat absurdity is lucidity.” These words come close to expressing the theme we…
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God Will Bring Everything Into Judgment
The aim of Solomon’s quest—to find that comprehensive, personally-satisfying, perspective from which life will make complete sense—could never be achieved. And because eternity is “in our heart,” we can’t stop searching. This is why Solomon calls this search a “sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith” (1:13; also…
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Reading the Book of Ecclesiastes
The journey toward completing my dissertation on the apologetic approach of Blaise Pascal has often reminded me of the book of Ecclesiastes. There are so many similarities between Pascal’s apologetics and Solomon’s reflection on the vanity of life without God. Both reflect on our bewildering sinful human nature. Both compellingly urge us to turn to…
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Jonathan M. Threlfall 