In a new IVP Academic book entitled Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to Inclusivism, editors Christopher W. Morgan (Associate Dean and Professor of theology at California Baptist University, and senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Barstow, CA) and Robert Peterson (Professor of systematic theology at Covenant Theological Seminary and a teaching elder in the PCA) offer a new spectrum for classifying responses to the important question, "Is there any basis for hope that those who do not hear of Christ in this life will be saved?" The traditional classification puts responses into three … [Read more...] about Faith Comes By Hearing
Gender Imbalance in Higher Education
Nancy Gibbs writes a short, provocative essay in Time Magazine on a troubling topic that many are reluctant to discuss: female college students are generally both more numerous and of a higher quality than their male counterparts. This leads to a widespread imbalance: Roughly 58% of undergraduates nationally are female, and the girl-boy ratio will probably tip past 60-40 in a few years. The divide is even worse for black males, who are outnumbered on campus by black females 2 to 1.The response? Lower standards for male applicants is not uncommon. U.S. News & World Report found that the … [Read more...] about Gender Imbalance in Higher Education
The Boundless Show
The Boundless Show is a weekly podcast that has now run its tenth program. Host Lisa Anderson leads a 45 minute (or so) discussion that consists of engaging segments relevant to young adults interspersed with catchy music. From a March 31 press release: The Young Adults team at Focus on the Family recently launched “The Boundless Show,” the audio companion to the already popular Boundless webzine and Boundless Line blog for singles and young adults. The first ten episodes are now available online. “The Boundless Show” is a magazine-format weekly podcast that releases a new episode each … [Read more...] about The Boundless Show
The Bible: One Meaning, Various Applications
Michael Patton initiates a discussion on the meaning(s?) of biblical texts by observing the dangers of subjective interpretation approaches: What does it mean to you? This, I believe, is the most destructive question that one can ask of the Scriptures. The implication is that the Scriptures can mean something to one person that it does not to another. “To me, it means that God is going to protect my children,” says one person. “Well, to me it means that God is going to help me get that new car,” says another. “Wonderful!” is the response to both. And so goes the conversation around the circle … [Read more...] about The Bible: One Meaning, Various Applications
Interview with Shelby Steele
I just posted a two-part review of Shelby Steele's latest book, A Bound Man. [Part I, Part II] Here's a great four-part interview with Dr. Steele about this book: … [Read more...] about Interview with Shelby Steele
Book Review – A Bound Man – Shelby Steele – II
[This is the conclusion of a two-part review of Dr. Shelby Steele's latest book, A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win. Part 1 can be found here.] Steele traces portions of Obama's history (as described in the latter's best-selling Dreams from My Father) that unpack how Obama has painfully come to terms with his identity as a bi-racial man who never knew his father. Firstly, Steele (himself bi-racial) explains that being racially mixed resulted in Obama experiencing a greater drive to connect with fellow African Americans. This was no doubt exacerbated by Obama … [Read more...] about Book Review – A Bound Man – Shelby Steele – II