In the book of Daniel, four men are taken from homes where they have been taught to worship God and transplanted to...
Throughout Isaiah 45, the Lord has proclaimed his uniqueness: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” The God who revealed...
Sam Van Eman has a very funny post online about Christian merchandise that clearly steals its ideas from popular cultural images and products. ...
Yesterday I began reflecting upon Isaiah 45:9, noting how tempting it is for us to become the “arguing clay” when God isn’t acting in ways we understand or appreciate. Today I want to...
Several times throughout Isaiah 45, the Lord asserts that he alone is God, and that there is no other. The false gods of the nations, the idols they have made with their own...
A few weeks ago, I read Andy Crouch's book Culture Making (from IVP) . This book is simply amazing and the website...
As we read along in Isaiah, the last verse of chapter 44 surprises us by mentioning Cyrus, the king of Persia. In 44:28, God refers to Cyrus as “my shepherd.” Then, in the next verse (45:1), Cyrus...
The prophecies of Isaiah often convey the Lord’s displeasure with his people. Because of their persistent rebellion against him, God will finally allow them to reap the sour fruit of their sin. But...
We Christians have the idea that God will "call" us to service. There are things that need doing in this world, and we expect God will call us to do some of them...
In Isaiah 44, God speaks through the prophet to highlight his divine uniqueness. Though there are many other “gods,” they are mere idols, formed by human hands from material elements. For example,...
During presidential election cycles, a field of ambitious, talented candidates vies for attention. They travel endlessly, deliver countless stump speeches, give interviews, raise money, and engage...
Though, in the past, God had done marvelous things for his people, most of all delivering them from Egypt (43:16-17), he wasn’t finished. In fact, he was beginning through the prophecies of Isaiah...
Faith has surely been on display in this election cycle. The front-runners for both parties have all been people of demonstrable faith, all articulate about how faith shapes them in the public...
Isaiah 42:24 acknowledges that the Lord himself “allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt.” The original Hebrew of this verse speaks of God as “giving up” Jacob to the looter and Israel to the...
In Isaiah, the Servant of God will open blind eyes, free the captives, and release the prisoners. These tasks were part of...
Tod Bolsinger has a post up at It Takes a Church... called Is the Head the Problem or the Problem the Head? It's heart-wrenching in its honesty. But it is also a great...
Too many books, too little time. ...
Karl Edwards has been blogging and recording his podcast, Working Matters, for several years now. After spending some time studying at Fuller...
As the children of Israel were buffeted about by the more powerful nations of the Ancient Near East, no doubt they sometimes felt like “a lowly worm.” This image conjures up a sense...
Tony Jones has been the national coordinator of Emergent Village (www.emergentvillage.org). He is currently theologian-in-residence at Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis and a...
