Lenten Parables
“Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” Luke 9:54 In the passage above, Jesus has just
Chris Jacobsen
April 10, 2019
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“Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” Luke 9:54 In the passage above, Jesus has just
I’ve been thinking lately about fear. There are books already written – and probably a library’s worth on the way – about the way that
Those of us in this little Reformed tribe: Do we, or do we not count ourselves as Evangelicals? Since the rise of the current American
On a hot, humid summer afternoon, my sons, then 4 and 7, came rushing, breathless, to ask me to watch the praying mantis they caught
On Oct. 1, 2017, the wider body of believers celebrated the Eucharist through our annual World Communion Sunday. This is a wonderful tradition that deepens
I know half of you just saw that title and are ready to take me to task. Learning a lesson on building political coalitions from
Pardon the length of this piece, but we really need to talk. It’s become inevitable that I’ll get a call or email once or twice
I sat in a room recently with moms and dads who learned about how they can prepare their families in the event of an Immigration
“He was not of an age, but for all time!” – Ben Jonson Shakespeare indeed was a man of his age. Ask anyone sitting down
I am in the Black Hills of South Dakota, alone and in the dark, waiting for the sunrise. In the twilight before the bright ball
“I learned a lot of things in medical school, but mortality wasn’t one of them.” So begins the bestselling 2014 book by surgeon and Harvard
The mutability of gender and identity causes consternation for many Americans. Christians in the United States have also wrestled with understanding correct gender roles. For
“Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of
When I was in graduate school, one of my professors had the habit of referring to that present time (the mid to late 70s) as
Lately I’ve noticed that even the way I waste time is less refreshing than it was before the internet and social media. I used to
Being theologically Reformed is tremendously important to me. I’m a convert, and it’s always the converts that you have to watch! Those of us who
Anthropologist Paul Hiebert wrote an article in 1979 titled “Sets and Structures: A Study in Church Patterns.” Catchy title, isn’t it? Fortunately, his essay is
Let me begin by warmly thanking Matthew Tuininga, who has become my good friend, for the generous spirit of his response to the talk I
What can I say after the U.S. election? So many people are already saying so many things, which makes me hesitant to add to the
My mother-in-law has a fondness for American peanut butter. It used to be hard to find in France. When she came to the United States
Life is difficult. Faith in God helps. Keeping the faith, even faith the size of a mustard seed, also is difficult. The dimly burning wick
A few years ago one of my granddaughters was told by her Christian school teacher that Christians voted Republican. Walking out of the classroom, one
Let’s start with a disclaimer. I’m a historian, and as such I have no particular skills when it comes to prognostication. Case in point: At
In Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, David uses the evocative phrase “reading as if for life” to describe his comfort in certain books during a tragic
“In the afterglow of #PopeFrancis’ Apostolic Visit to America, what are your thoughts on the #PopeInUS?” activist and theologian Peter Heltzel, who is also my
Tales of the moon’s creation abound in myth, legend, history and science. Given its conspicuous brightness and nearness, we should not be surprised that the
A 2015 Pew Research poll indicates that 59 percent of Americans believe that science and faith are “often in conflict.” Sadly, an even larger percentage
For most of my life, I have been a carefree young-earth creationist. Because I had no reason to believe otherwise, I assumed the creation of
We hear a lot these days about the impending demise of print media. Isn’t it remarkable that in such a difficult market, Perspectives keeps chugging
Today is not just the first day of teaching in a new semester for me; it also marks the beginning of my 25th year in
When our sons were young, we put up the tree each Thanksgiving weekend, hanging the flotsam and jetsam of our growing history. It wasn’t gorgeous,
by Kristin Kobes Du Mez This year marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of Mary Stewart van Leeuwen’s book Gender and Grace: Love, Work
Twenty years ago, I was a college student attending a Christian college in the Reformed tradition. (Dordt College, in case you’re curious). It was my
The essays in this issue of Perspectives tackle a topic that might seem strange to readers habituated in the Reformed tradition. The word “deification,” if
When I was 18, I had about two hundred grandmothers, give or take fifty. By the time I was a senior in high school, I’d
Most readers of Perspectives will know very little about Dale Brown, my friend and colleague whose life is the focus of a clutch of pieces
I didn’t grow up celebrating Lent. I came to it later in life. My first Ash Wednesday came late winter, only months after burying our
“‘Wow! This is Perspectives?’ That’s how we hope you react as you pick up this issue.” We began a From the Editors with that line
The question of this guest-edited issue of Perspectives can be asked in two ways. First, we are asking a broad question: How does Christian theology
I was born and bred to loathe waiting. My father, with his background in the FBI and law enforcement, is an efficient and effective man
The May 1999 issue of Perspectives contained an essay by Lewis Smedes, “Like the Wideness of the Sea?” that was among the most significant articles
MAY/JUNE 2014: AS WE SEE IT by Jason Lief “So who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl?” All week it was the same
MAY/JUNE 2014: AS WE SEE IT by George Brown Jr. What caught my attention that afternoon was the word “Rogue”: someone dishonest, a nonconformist or
Gayle Boss This morning, stepping outside, I noticed my first tulips beside the front door. Or rather, their absence. Yesterday morning I thought that after
Gayle Boss This fading picture is of my mother and her three sons, from about 1966. It was in the boxes of my mom’s papers
Dawn Boelkins I’ve never understood the point of Fantasy Football. Why go to the trouble of investigating all the professional football teams, disassembling them, and
Howard Schaap When I was in my early teens, my dad announced rather formally that he would no longer be praying before our family meals.