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“Now - here is my secret:
I tell it to you with an openness of heart
that I doubt I shall ever achieve again,
so I pray that you are in a quiet room as you hear these words.
My secret is that I need God –
that I am sick and can no longer make it alone.
I need God […]

I’m not a literature scholar, but I play one in the classroom several hours a week. That is, when I’m not teaching the Bible to kids from all over America and the world, I teach AP English. Mostly Shakespeare and poetry. The interaction of the two brings some stimulating questions to my mind from time […]

Also of interest on this topic: “Does the Story Matter?” (From December of 04)
Here’s my original review of Schaeffer’s book, and a later link to an interview with Schaeffer.
“My father sexually abused me.”
“Both of my parents are in prison on drug charges.”
“My dad had another wife and kids in another town, and we just found […]

UPDATE: Stan Gutherie surveys components of the Christian response to Atheism.
Some of my thoughts after reading The Atlantic Monthly’s feature story on The Golden Compass. Chataway cover’s the director’s response to the Atlantic Monthly’s article.

There is no more important single distinction in theology than the difference between being God-centered and man-centered. After years of listening […]

First, a letter from an IM reader, then some thoughts on humor.
Greetings.
First, let me say I have thoroughly enjoyed the last year or so since I came across your website. It has been a blessing for me. You’re probably thinking I’m setting you up for something. Not really. I do have an issue to kick […]

This post is really going to annoy a lot of you, but I want to remind you that this web site is about provocative thinking and writing to get you vitally connected to Jesus. Sometimes, the only way to HEAR something, to really HEAR IT, is to hear it in a way that offends you, […]

Studying Acts with my students, it’s freshly clear to me that the immediate struggle of the early Christians was not only, or even particularly, theological, but practical.
How do we live out, in the church, family, community and world, the significance of Jesus NOW?
What kind of behavior, actions and community appear in “”the Kingdom of God” […]

UPDATE: 4:37 p.m. As good as promised….even with the out.
Tomorrow is opening day in Cincinnati, in case you didn’t know. So here’s a baseball post.
Sometime tomorrow afternoon, I’m going to tear up at a baseball game. It’s a certainty.
I’m going to tear up because of a moment that is going to happen in Great American […]

The Unseen by Craig Wright, March 16, 2007, Actor’s Theater of Louisville, Humana Festival of New American Plays.
It will probably be a long time before you have the opportunity to see Craig Wright’s stunning short play, “The Unseen.” If you get the chance, it will probably be at a university theater performance where some student […]

I am continuing some of my pastoral reflections on forgiveness.
One of the most useful insights I ever received into the subject of forgiveness came from meditating on the commands, “Love, pray and do good for your enemies,” and “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Jesus forgave perfectly. Like his miracles, […]

A friend called me the other day for some pastoral advice. A co-worker was making the case that, as a Christian, he was not obligated to forgive a person who doesn’t repent. In other words, repentance is the condition on which we forgive those who have wronged us. And, of course, she had a verse.
Luke […]

That’s not Clay. Sorry.
I have a son who is showing signs of being a poet. He may be a teacher or a writer, but as of today, his most evident gifts are poetic. Everyone who has read or heard his work has been impressed. I’m not exactly unbiased, but I’ve found some of his poetic […]

UPDATE: Michael Medved regularly reminds me of the difference Jesus makes in how I look at a cultural issue and how a Jewish conservative looks at the same issue. Law by Moses. Grace and Truth by Jesus.
“You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don’t like gay people and I […]

UPDATE: If “inerrancy,” a term that doesn’t appear in any major confession or creed, equals “being a Christian” to you, then let me encourage you to stop worrying about the effect of this blog. I’m happy to have you here, but if a non-Biblical word is the essence of defining my relationship to God through […]

I love my Shakespeare, and I love relating what I teach to my students to the Gospel. Those of you who haven’t read Shakespeare will have to excuse me for indulging my passion for The Bard.
My AP English IV students just finished reading Shakespeare’s, “The Tempest.” The last few years, this play has risen in […]