As Christians, our devotional lives come first. But at the same time, when we prioritize the devotional the kingdom work naturally follows. This is because our relational encounters with God change us. Their natural effect is to sanctify us and to produce in us a desire to do kingdom work. Who has been the most profound relational influence on your life? Think of how much that person has impacted your decisions and behaviors. In the same way, the Scriptures teach... Read more

These days when people think of a theologian or philosopher they tend to imagine someone really old like Confucius or Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid. But contemporary Christian philosophy is a youthful movement. In fact in the last two decades it has been spreading rapidly to universities around the world. Its ambitious projects have been of enormous value to the church. One of the central concerns of contemporary Christian philosophers has been the knowledge of God. So their insights... Read more

Encountering the Bible ought to be more than just a matter of factual absorption. It is important sometimes to go deeper into the meaning and background of the Biblical stories. To imaginatively enter the events and parables of the Bible means to reflect on them in ways that transcend the mere written word. Doing so does not have to be a high-level philosophical exercise. Nor does it even have to focus on the text itself. It is sometimes just as... Read more

Not too long ago I read a blog post by my friend David Capes about how some prominent Christian leaders have been giving up on private Bible reading. As reasons they cite their lack of confidence in their interpretations of the Scriptures and also their (correct) belief that the Bible’s books were intended to be read publicly, not privately. Their goals seem to be that they (a) not misinterpret the Bible, and (b) not separate the Bible from its cultural context.... Read more

We’ve all been told that the regular reading of Scripture is essential for growing in faith learning about God. But another way of learning about God – a way that too frequently is undervalued by evangelicals – is to study the works of the great theologians and philosophers. Why are such studies important? Consider the life of Inigo Lopez de Loyola. Born in 1491 as the 13th child of a minor noble family in northern Spain, he grew up to be... Read more

Responsible Christians seek to learn things about God. There are no excuses or exceptions. If you are not making an effort to learn about God’s nature and person, then quite frankly it is not possible for you to lead a flourishing spiritual life. Regular Scripture reading is the most natural way for Christians to learn about God. The best advice I ever received on reading the Scriptures was this: just do it. Dive right in and do not wait for... Read more

There are two different ways to learn the material in my business ethics classes. In one sense, to pass my classes my students must be able to define illegal insider trading, know the nuts and bolts of the Sarbanes-Oxley law, and understand how to avoid marketing fraud. But no matter how great their propositional understanding of these ideas, they still have a choice of whether or not to become moral businesspersons. This is because there is a second, different way... Read more

A few days ago I was reading about the plans that are underway for the ‘Jeddah Tower’ in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. At 3307 feet, it will be a gateway to Mecca and the tallest building in the world. It will also be a testament to the might and prosperity of the Arabian Gulf. For its Arab proponents, such a tower heralds the arrival of a new and powerful civilization. New York’s Empire State Building was constructed in 1931 to mark... Read more

Right now, even as I write this, the next mass shooter is noticing the media attention being given to the current one. The wheels are turning in his mind as he sees how everyone is dissecting the current shooter’s motives and wondering how a crime so terrible could have happened. He is thinking to himself: “Huh. This guy sure got worldwide attention by killing all these people. He brought attention to his cause too. I bet if I killed a... Read more

Introspection is a skill that is undervalued these days. For the classical Christian philosophers, introspection was the ability to look within oneself, to meditate on one’s thoughts and feelings, and to separate one’s constructive and unconstructive reflections. To read their writings is immediately to encounter their impressive introspective powers. They had an astounding ability to conform their minds and behaviors to God’s will, down to the last cognitive detail. For many of them, introspection was a treasured skill that they... Read more