Mike Wittmer

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

  • vanhoozer on wright

    I just bought my first ipod, so I’m not exactly an early adopter.  I generally try to stay one step behind the Amish, and now that Titus Miller has a cell phone, I think that God will understand if I have an ipod touch.  The first podcast I downloaded was Kevin Vanhoozer’s lecture on N.T.…

  • aha moments

    “Why does not the pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?  Ooohh.” Martin Luther, Thesis 86 (of 95) “But that would mean that Wall Street is nothing but a giant…

  • why worry?

    God’s job just got a little bit harder.

  • faith and regeneration: which comes first?

    My desk is temporarily clear of end of semester grading, so I’d like to share my heuristic take on an issue which recently came up in class.  Like any good Reformed theologian, I have always argued that regeneration precedes faith.  I cut my teeth on Ephesians 2:1-5, which states that “you were dead in your…

  • it’s only money

    I liked this story and decided to turn it into a devotional for Our Daily Journey.  It’s a good reminder for me. read > Luke 12:13-21 “Beware!  Guard against every kind of greed.  Life is not measured by how much you own” (v. 15). Grigory Perelman won the Millennium Prize from the Clay Mathematics Institute…

  • these golden years

    Life is tough right now in Michigan, but I heard some encouraging items over the weekend that remind us that life here is better than we think. 1. Alvin Plantinga will soon retire to Grand Rapids to teach part-time at Calvin College. Our fair city will then boast the retired Nicholas Wolterstorff, George Marsden, and…

  • the moody bump

    I just returned from two encouraging days with the men of Moody Bible Institute—I’m not aware of another place which has as much rich tradition and present vitality—and I left with the distinct impression that the church is going to be all right. After chapel this morning I was getting creamed in a game of…

  • smashing serpents

    Here is my latest entry for Our Daily Journey, where near the end I abandon the wisdom of my teachers and experiment with allegory. In my defense: 1) If you are going to experiment with allegorical interpretation, then a devotional seems to be the place to try it; 2) Technically I’m only reappropriating Jesus’ allegory–so…

  • who is your nemesis?

    I don’t remember how we got off track, but about a month ago one of my class discussions took a brief detour on the value of having a theological nemesis. Batman had the Joker, Superman had Lex Luthor, and Spiderman had the Green Goblin, and so we wondered if our pastoral skills might be sharpened…

  • reflections on THE resurrection

    I encountered two significant mistakes this Easter season that cheapen and distort the resurrection of our Lord beyond recognition. I list them here in the hope that I never hear them again. 1. Emphasizing the Principle of resurrection over the historical Person who arose. Here’s the quote: “We are stuck with Jesus, and he won’t…