Mike Wittmer

What I think. What I know. What I think I know.

  • things that matter much more than they should

    This is for Pete Scribner, who will probably learn today that Albert Pujols has signed with the Miami Marlins. I know a little about what you are going through, Pete (except the part where my star wins a championship before leaving town). Keep your chin up, because as this article attests, it gets better. Update:  apparently the…

  • God’s relation to sin

    Conceptualizing God’s relation to sin is one of the deep mysteries of theology. Why would a good and sovereign God will to allow sin? How does sin even exist in his world? Karl Barth powerfully attempts to explain in his Church Dogmatics IV/1: “Sin has no positive basis in God, no place in His being, no positive…

  • intellectual mecca

    Calvin College has posted an interesting interview with Alvin Plantinga about his return to Grand Rapids. In the last couple of years, Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, and George Marsden have all retired back to their homes in GR. Do you know what this means? In 15-20 years the greatest liberal arts education in the world will be found in…

  • pluralism

    It’s been awhile since I’ve floated one of these Our Daily Journey devotionals. I’m trying to talk about pluralism in a positive, non-combative way. As always, any suggestions are appreciated. read > Isaiah 43:1-13 “I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no other Savior” (v. 11).          My friend was telling me about…

  • cars

    Two weeks ago my car died. No, not my 1990 Honda Civic CRX, the hatchback that I bought used 18 years ago this Christmas–that car is the St. Louis Cardinals of cars. It refuses to die. A month ago I was driving home on a Sunday afternoon when I heard a loud wham from the back.…

  • intergenerational warfare

    I don’t agree with everything in this Washington Post essay, but it aptly depicts the frustration of young people with their parents’ generation. Others reported last week that the median net worth of retirees is $173,000, while people in their twenties have only about $3,000 to their name. It’s unlikely that these underemployed young people…

  • exclusivism

    Our shrinking global village is often cited as a major reason for the rise of universalism, pluralism, and inclusivism in the evangelical church. Technology and transportation have made us more aware of other people and other religions, and so we’re less inclined to think that believing in Jesus is the only way to salvation. This argument sounds plausible,…

  • voting on heresy

    This article explains how the Episcopalian Diocese of Atlanta planned to vote on whether to exonerate Pelagius and admit his ideas as potentially instructive for the church. The vote was planned for November 4, and I have not heard how it turned out. But considering that they even considered having a referendum, the outlook does not seem…

  • replacement is not resurrection

    I haven’t yet dug into What is the Mission of the Church?, the new book by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert. It looks promising, and I plan to read it carefully soon. I did read their section on the continuity and discontinuity of the new earth (p. 213-19), and thought I could make a few…

  • forgive me

    My classes have been interacting with Chris Brauns’ careful and thorough guide, Unpacking Forgiveness. Forgiveness is a rabbit hole topic, for sometimes the more you think about it the more confusing it gets. Must the person repent before you can forgive them? What if their repentance is not sincere? If you suspect they aren’t sincere,…