Louis Berkhof on the origin of religion

Posted on February 26, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

Particular attention was devoted during the last fifty years to the problem of the origin of religion. Repeated attempts were made to give a natural explanation of it, but without success. Some spoke of it as an invention of cunning and deceptive priests, who regarded it as an easy source of revenue; but this explanation […]

Wholesomely non-conformist

Maybe it has been a problem in every age, but it is certainly a temptation in ours to look back to previous decades or centuries wishing that those conditions could be repeated now. We see religion in general and the Christian church in particular under attack in our culture. We see values that would not […]

On the Command to Keep the Sabbath

A Christian understanding of keeping the Sabbath should involve rest, assembling together for worship and instruction and doing good works for the benefit of others.

On the pursuit of relevance

So while I think there is nothing inherently wrong with wailing guitar solos and smoke machines as part of the worship experience, perhaps we should pump the brakes on the drive to make worship like a rock concert and the sermon like a motivational seminar.

On the ropes . . . intentionally

Our family went to the Poconos to take on the challenge of a ropes course. I didn’t know what I was in for but it was fun. Is the ropes challenge a fitting metaphor for life?

Love, duty and honor

When a pump tries to put out more water than it takes in, it experiences a condition called cavitation. The end result is that the internal turbulence caused by the cavitation tears up the pump and eventually renders the pump useless. The pump only works well when it takes in as much as it tries […]

On the difference between a hireling and a shepherd

In John 10:12–13 Jesus is quoted as saying the following about the difference between a hired hand and a shepherd: “The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The […]