What I think. What I know. What I think I know.
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rejoicing in lament
I remember when I first heard that Todd Billings had incurable cancer. Before I led my class in prayer, I told them that besides being a wonderful man with a young family, Todd was one of the good ones, a blessing to the church that we could not afford to lose. We need him! Todd…
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going to heaven
Yesterday Kevin DeYoung wisely pushed back against Christians who so emphasize the new earth that they dismiss the benefits of going to heaven when they die. Dying saints may be encouraged by the renewal of all things, but they also want to know what happens the moment they leave this earth. Kevin is right that…
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support the troops
A week ago I reviewed the new film, Old-Fashioned. I mentioned that while the movie wasn’t perfect, it was provocative, deeply satisfying, and boasted high production values. I don’t see a lot of movies, but this one seemed as good, if not better, than most of what comes out of Hollywood today. So I was…
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I can’t get no satisfaction
Yesterday I received the new edition of Christian Scholar’s Review, and I immediately read the article by Scott Waalkes, “Rethinking Work as Vocation: From Protestant Advice to Gospel Corrective” (Winter, 2015, p. 135-53). I was interested because not only does Waalkes teach at Malone University, near my hometown, but his article promised to correct the…
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interview
Here is a written interview for Becoming Worldly Saints that Trevin Wax posted today. This Q/A explains why saints are inherently worldly, or they aren’t even saints.
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videos and study guide
Becoming Worldly Saints was published last Tuesday, and this Tuesday we are releasing free videos and Bible lessons for an eight week small group study. If you enjoy the book and think the content is worth passing on, these videos and study questions will lead your group into the Scriptures and some provocative conversations. I…
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Old Fashioned
In Culture-Making, Andy Crouch wrote that Christians should go beyond critiquing and copying culture and start creating some. Last night I viewed an excellent example of what he meant. Christians (and non-Christians too) should speak out against the violence against women in Fifty Shades of Gray, but wouldn’t it be great if we had an…
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fully God, fully humor?
Yesterday I did an interview that started with our need as “worldly saints” to enjoy the pleasures of earth, ran forward on the fact that Jesus is fully human, then spun sideways on whether or not Jesus has a sense of humor. The host was sure that he does. He said he could imagine Jesus…
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becoming worldly saints
Eleven years ago I published my first book, Heaven Is a Place on Earth. It didn’t move the needle quite as much as N. T. Wright’s, Surprised by Hope, which came out four years later, but it seemed to make some impact in the evangelical world and brought renewed interest in Belinda Carlisle. I proudly…
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sleepless in seattle
I still can’t believe the Seahawks lost that game. Belichek kept his timeouts in his pocket while the clock wound down, so the Patriots would have no time left after Marshawn Lynch picked up one yard in two or three tries. I’m not excusing it, but I understand why Seattle’s players started punching Patriots in…
Mike Wittmer 