Mitch Lewis

G. K. Chesterton writes in Chapter 2 of Orthodoxy (1908):

Modern masters of science are much impressed with the need of beginning all inquiry with a fact. The ancient maters of religion were quite equally impressed with that necessity. They began with the fact of sin - a fact as practical of potatoes. Whether or no man could be washed in miraculous waters, there was no doubt at any rate that he wanted washing. But certain religious leaders in London, not mere materialists, have begun in our day not to deny the highly disputable water, but to deny the indisputable dirt. Certain new theologians dispute original sin, which is the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved. . . .

The strongest saints and the strongest skeptics alike took positive evil as the starting-point of their argument. If it be true (as it certainly is) that a man can feel exquisite happiness in skinning a cat, then the religious philosopher can only draw one of two deductions. He must either deny the existence of God, as all atheists do; or he must deny the present union between God and man, as all Christians do. The new theologians seem to think it a highly rationalistic solution to deny the cat.

Or, to put it more succinctly, it is widely reported that when The Times asked Chesterton for an essay on the theme, "What's wrong with the world," Chesterson simply wrote back:

Dear Sirs,
I am.
Sincerely yours,
G. K. Chesterton

Sounds right, but Chesterton also wrote a substantially longer reflection on the same subject, which can be found here: What's Wrong with the World.

Peter Enns has a terrific series of posts at BioLogos on the book of Exodus' recapitulation of the book of Genesis' creation themes.

• Yahweh, Creation, and the Cosmic Battle
• Exodus, the Plagues, and the Cosmic Battle
• Exodus and the Cosmic Battle (Again)
• Exodus, Mt. Sinai and Creation
• Adam is Israel

Enns' observations make the Biblical authors' intention and artistry unmistakable. Read the whole series.

Enns is the author of Inspiration and Incarnation, a model for Old Testament hermeneutics and one of my "Best Theological Books" of the last decade.

Mark Galli writes in Christianity Today:  Are We Transformed Yet? Why the spiritually mature don't talk about how God has made them spiritually mature.

An excellent article, on where the focus of the church ought to be.

I first read Dietrich Bohnoeffer's writings when I was a high school student 38 years ago. My worn-out copy of Life Together (Gemeinsames Leben)  dates to 1978, my first year in seminary. Its words were foreign and almost incomprehensible to my Baptist ears, but even then I thought "wow." My appreciation of Bonhoeffer's words grows deeper every time I read this beautiful little text. Bonhoeffer's first chapter on "Community" starts with standard Reformation language regarding our righteousness in Christ. He proceeds to draw out from that, however, an understanding of the Christian life that turned my understanding of Christian piety upside down. The later chapters of Life Together describe what we might call spiritual disciplines that belong to Christian discipleship. You'll never understand what Bonhoeffer says about things like prayer, confession, communion, work and service, however, unless you first grasp the foundation that he lays in his chapter on community.

I revisited Bonhoeffer's chapter on "Community" in Life Together after writing this week's post on "Ordinary Christianity." It was obvious to me how much this little book has come to color not only my understanding of Christian community, but of Christian holiness as well.

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Who said this about love and perfection?

Moreover, this holiness of life is comprehended under the two heads above mentioned. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbour as thyself.” First, our mind must be completely filled with love to God, and then this love must forthwith flow out toward our neighbour. This the Apostle shows when he says, “The end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned,” (1 Tim. 1:5). . . . For complete perfection, nothing more can be required than is expressed in these passages of Moses and Paul.

John Wesley said there was but a hair's breadth difference between him and John Calvin in many things. Is this Wesley, or Calvin?

Here are two ads from the United Methodist Church, the denomination in which I am ordained as an elder and endorsed as a chaplain. The campaign is called "Rethink Church".

By way of contrast, here are also two ads from the Catholic Church's "Catholics Come Home" campaign that has resulted in 95,000 inactive Catholics returning to active congregational involvement.

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