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What can be learned from praying in a mosque? The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman is a landmark and, surprisingly in a land ruled by sharia, opens for visits by Christians and other non-Muslims. I visited on a Wednesday morning and was inspired by the grandeur. Completed in 2001, the Grand Mosque can accommodate 20,000 worshippers and features marble paneling, a Svarovski crystal chandelier that spans a length of 14 meters, and a hand-made Persian carpet consisting of…

Editor's Note: The following convocation address was delivered at the Institute for Christians Studies in Toronto on May 9, 2008, on the occasion of the Institute's 40th anniversary. Founded in 1967 as a distinctly Christian graduate school in the Reformed tradition, the Institute began granting first masters-level degrees and then by 1980 doctoral-level degrees in conjunction with the Free University of Amsterdam. The Institute is now affiliated with the Toronto School of Theology and continues to carry out its mission…

In the February issue, three Reformed theologians, George Hunsinger, Gabriel Fackre and Leanne Van Dyk, held a conversation about Christ's atoning work and current challenges and questions about it, "A Discussion of the Atonement: Abuse, Violence Sacrifice and the Cross." To keep the discussion going, here are five brief responses to that conversation.Too High a View of the Atonementby Thomas R. Thompson My compliments to professors Van Dyk, Hunsinger, and Fackre for their stimulating round-table discussion on a doctrinal topic…

As we consider the state of the church in our culture today, there is much nail-biting. Noting the long decline of membership in mainline churches and the many other problems the churches face today, some question the future of denominations such as the Reformed Church in America and others like it. But as is often the case, as we face the future, it is helpful to take a close look at the past. E. Brooks Holifield's book, God's Ambassadors: A…

Those who see the church as instituted by God take comfort in the ancient Latin dictum, Extra ecclesiam, nulla salus (Outside the church, there is no salvation). Indeed, prior to Vatican II (as I understand it), this was the official teaching of the Roman Catholic church, and continues to hold for those who have a high doctrine of the church. In his latest movie, Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood proclaims a kind of salvation that is decidedly outside the church--a salvation…

Pornography: "porn"--literally meaning prostitute, implying distorted or exploitive; "graphy"--writing, pictures. For a long time, pornography seemed more of a tawdry embarrassment, an ugly rash on the underbelly of society. With the rise of the internet, two lethal ingredients were added: easy access and privacy. Pornography has exploded. Pornography is a symptom of a larger illness. Not just a general coarsening of morality or a desensitization of sexuality, where we are bombarded by sexual images and innuendo everywhere, all the time,…