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What We Can Learn from “Vanity” in Ecclesiastes
When interpreting this “vanity of vanities” mantra, it is important to keep in mind both the scope of “vanity” (everything “under the sun”) as well as the final point of the whole book: “fear God and keep his commandments.” By relentlessly emphasizing that nothing in life will yield certain meaning or ultimate satisfaction (“all is vanity”),…
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Does God Hate the Sin but Love the Sinner?
D. A. Carson’s article on “love” in the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology contains this helpful discussion about the statement “God hates sin but loves sinners.” There is a small element of truth in this thesis. God always hates sin; he is invariably and implacably opposed to it. And it is true that God loves sinners: God ‘demonstrates his…
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Five Apps I Love and Use a Lot
It recently hit me that there are certain apps that have become part of my daily routine or that I often depend on. Here’s a list of the apps I currently love and use a lot. Hoopla I use this library service app nearly every day. You can connect it with your local library, and…
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God’s Omnibenevolence and the Problem of Evil
The doctrine of God’s omnibenevolence (God’s complete goodness) raises the problem of evil. The classic formulation of this problem is the apparent incompatibility of the three propositions: 1) God is wholly good, 2) God is all-powerful, and 3) evil exists. If God is wholly good, he would want to prevent gratuitous evil; and if he were…
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Can God Make a Stone So Heavy He Can’t Lift It?
Some questions aren’t worth answering. Not because the question is too hard to think through, but because if you try to answer it, you have just stepped into a world of nonsense and absurdity. For example, anyone who seriously tried to discuss the question, “How did George Washington like driving with a manual transmission?” is only…
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My Priorities During Seven Years of Youth Ministry
My wife Christa and I began serving at our current ministry on June 18, 2008. Shortly after we began, I wrote out five priorities that I believed should guide my ministry as youth pastor. I haven’t perfectly executed these priorities. There are many things I would have done differently or more diligently. But looking back on these priorities…
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The Power of Example
“Virtuous deeds,” wrote Plutarch, “implant in those who search them out a great and zealous eagerness which leads to imitation” (Life of Pericles 1.4). Although he was by no means a Christian, Plutarch’s words resonate with the words of Scripture, particularly the cry of the psalmist in the opening verses of Psalm 119: “Blessed are those…
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Saving Group Discussions from Disaster
I have found that group discussions are one of the most difficult kinds of communication to do effectively. The challenge of group discussion lies partially in the fact that the leader has less direct control over how it goes. If you are leading a group discussion, it’s not enough for you to know your material well: you must…
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That Annoying Piece of Evidence Called the Universe
Recently I’ve been listening to The Universe (audio book) by John Brockman of Edge.org, a collection of essays from some incredibly smart scientists. The book is fascinating in its own right, but I was especially interested by how close cosmology gets to theology. In trying to peer into the origins of the universe, these brilliant scientists…
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Never Stop Learning: Five Ideas to Deepen and Expand Your Knowledge
“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel” (Socrates). “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance” (Solomon, Proverbs 1:5). Learn or Stagnate I believe in the importance of constantly learning. The moment I become satisfied with my current level of understanding is the…
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Jonathan M. Threlfall 