C.S. Lewis reminds us of our “blindspots” and why it is unhelpful to only read books from our day. The latest are not always the greatest. Here’s an excerpt from his foreword to an English translation of Athanasius’ On the Incarnation. (Find more about Athanasius, the “Father of Orthodoxy.” In this book Athanasius demonstrates the utter uniqueness of the God-Man Jesus.) Lewis gives a good reminder to read good, old books, giving a needed place to the historic voices that speak beyond their day: … Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the...

The Nicene Creed was officially adopted May 22nd, in AD 325: We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. … (read on) … Read the Creed…...

"In moments of clarity, we are reminded that Jesus possessed little, yet He never complained. And if we find ourselves in circumstances of greater difficulty than the normal ups and downs of daily life, we deal with these difficulties through the filter of our vision of Christ on the cross. What He suffered for our benefit outweighs almost anything we must deal with. We face challenges and difficulties as part of God’s plans and purposes for our life, knowing that in the midst of difficulty, He is there. We have confidence that even though we might not understand everything that...

Our beloved home state turns 150 years young today. Happy birthday Oregon ! More on Oregon’s 150th from The Oregonian Visit Oregon150.org SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Happy birthday, Oregon!", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2009/02/14/happy-birthday-oregon/" });

I may be the only man ever to receive for a wedding present from his new bride the complete works of Henry Scougal. I read the book on our honeymoon, and have been greatly impacted by the short earthly life and long-lasting passion of this godly man. The Scottish Scougal (1650-1678) (whom I’ve mentioned before) died of tuberculosis at 28 years old, yet his enduring legacy through from his most well-known book: The Life of God in the Soul of Man. The book is a description of Christianity to a friend with additional spiritual counsel for daily life. The title alone — that God’s...

I’ve been returning to some of my roots, reading the Nicene Creed a lot lately. In preparation to teach on the life of Athanasius — to our high school group, in a series called INSPIRED — I’ve been contemplating the first official church creed (AD 325). Here’s the modern wording of the Nicene Creed (edited again in 381 at Constantinople and of course translated into English, after the Reformation): We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally...

1938 years ago today (in AD 70), following a six-month siege, Jerusalem surrendered to the 60,000 troops of Titus’ Roman army. Over a million Jewish citizens were killed in the this decisive event of the First Jewish-Roman War and, following the city’s capture, another 97,000 were sold into slavery. (Read more .) Today there is no Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount (see Matthew 24 ), although there are two Muslim mosques. — Also today, in 1636, Harvard College (now Univ.) was founded by Puritans to train future pastors, the first of its kind in America. Think I’ll wear my...

"All of us get completely covered, from head to toe to teeth, in the dust of the cradle of civilization." - First Lieutenant Ted Janis, platoon leader of 3rd Platoon, Angel Company, 3rd Battalion, 187 Infantry Regiment of 3rd Brigade Rakkasans, 101st Airborne Division One of the best sports stories I’ve ever read: Infantry Hoops In Iraq Remember our troops and happy Memorial Day SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Hoops in the cradle of civilization", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/05/26/hoops-in-the-cradle-of-civilization/" });

Last year at this time Matt Perman of Desiring God gave a short list of various readings related to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, those two coming together as one in “The Greatest Event in History.” I agree. Furthermore, I don’t think I would be breathing right now if Christ hadn’t tasted death and risen again. And would have no hope, eternal or temporal. God did not spare His own Son but intentionally and freely gave Him up for the salvation of His people. He bids us come and experience His love. This weekend, may more people trust in Christ and experience God as...

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1/15/1929 – 1/4/1968) was a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, and one of the most revolutionary icons of the last century. MLK had a dream — the realize the end of segregation and racial discrimination in our world. On August 28, 1963 he delivered the keynote address of the Civil Rights era at the March on Washington. That day he gave one of the most famous speeches in the history of our country — only 16 minutes long and about 1,600 words. The “I have a dream” section starts about 12 minutes in… SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Do you...