Erskine and MacDonald

Thomas Erskine (1788-1870) and George MacDonald (1823-1905) were two Scottish theologians whose forgotten legacy is one of the tragedies of Western Christianity. Erskine was a Scottish lord and lay theologian. MacDonald was a Scottish Protestant minister and fantasy novelist. Erskine influenced MacDonald, and MacDonald influenced C. S. Lewis and J…. Continue reading

Psalm 23 “The Lord is My Shepherd” (Part Two)

1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; 2 he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of… Continue reading

Psalm 23, Matthew 6:24-33 “The Lord is My Shepherd” (Part One)

Read the Scripture Passages As a child, when I heard the word “lint” (pronounced the same as the word “Lent”), I thought of those little specks of whatever people would get on their clothes. I remember every Sunday morning my father using the lint brush to brush off specks on… Continue reading

“Bread, Bread, and Bread” Luke 4:1-13; 11:1-4

(Read the biblical passages.) We harbor the notion that the closer one is to God, the freer one is from temptation. But Scripture throws us a curve. “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where for forty days… Continue reading

The Cross as a Mnemonic Device for Ash Wednesday

The observance of Ash Wednesday in many churches includes the placing of ashes on the foreheads of worshipers in the form of a cross. As this is done, the priest or minster says the following words: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” These words come… Continue reading

Philippians 2:1-11 Albert Schweitzer and “Third Class”

One of the giants of the 20th century was Albert Schweitzer. In his first 30 years he accomplished more in several fields than most people can pull off in a lifetime. He wrote one book in theology, The Quest of the Historical Jesus, which changed the whole course of biblical… Continue reading

Luke 4:1-13 “Good Looking Devil”

In the popular movie Broadcast News, we are humorously introduced to a temptation faced by today’s network news. On one hand we have Aaron who is a brilliant reporter, passionate about his vocation, and committed to the highest professional standards. He believes the news should be fair, accurate, and informative…. Continue reading