Always Reforming

    Pop music of the last decade is not particularly known for its excellent songwriting.  Still, some of the lyrics that have graced our airwaves are especially appalling and revealing.  Take these lyrics from Nickelback's charting hit "Animals." No, we're not gonna quit, Ain't nothing wrong with it, Just acting like we're animals, No, no matter where we go, 'Cause everybody knows, We're just a couple animals. How profound!  The depth of meaning is outdone only by the potency of the rhymes.  Let's look at a similar song.  Take Maroon 5's super original song, "Animals." Baby, I'm preying on you tonight, Hunt you down eat you alive, Just like animals, animals, like animals-mals. This recapitulation of this oft-repeated theme at least features some repetition, which allowed it to become ubiquitous for longer than it deserved to be.  "Hungry Like The Wolf" (Maroon 5's "Animals" was

     As I look around at the present state of the world, I find the amount of time and money we pour into our appearances to be a little bit alarming.  It makes me think that maybe the Amish (and other similar groups, like the Quakers) had a couple of things right.  I can't help but to respect the practical simplicity of the Amish way of life.  The specific applications of the movement in modern day aside, their emphasis on simplicity and their aversion to vanity are admirable. Clothing, in their minds, should not be something that draws attention to oneself.  Now, drawing attention to ourselves should not be our ultimate goal anyway, but if people do find something about us attractive, it should be our character.  This is certainly a Biblical concept.  1 Peter 1:3-4 says: Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a

    The last few years have seen a proliferation of R-rated films featuring female leads and intended for female audiences.  Movies like Bad Moms  and Bridesmaids  have taken the box office by storm as millennial females flock to movies made for them.  From a religious standpoint this trend is disconcerting.  Now, allow me to preface this by saying, firstly, that I have watched R-rated films of which I am not proud and, secondly, that not all R-rated films are immoral.  Keeping those two things in mind, let me share the reasoning behind my concern.     R-rated films used to signal their own inherent box office limitation.  Even funny men like Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey were known primarily for their PG-13 work, and this as recently as the 90's. Sure, they would make an R-rated flick occasionally because, well, they could afford to do so, but the money was always better if that dreaded R rating was avoided.  Each has even done a handful of PG movies, which, no doubt, rank among t

    It seems to me that many of our problems here in America stem from our inability to move on to the next phase of life.  Adolescence.  Immaturity.  Nostalgia.  Call it what you will, but there is in us this innate apprehension from change.  Sometimes it even masks itself as a love of change, but the fact remains, it can be very difficult to let go of who you used to be.  Sometimes we lose tangible abilities: old people lose their vision and hearing; athletes lose a step, as the saying goes.  Sometimes we long for the personalities and attitudes we had when we were teenagers--we were carefree, funny, and charming (actually we were extremely obnoxious, but no one had the heart to tell us, or we were to self-absorbed to hear them). Sometimes we miss the freedom that we used to have.  We were free to do what we wanted, when we wanted, and with whom we wanted.  We look back through old pictures or old love notes and we miss the excitement.  We miss all those firsts.     There is an epi

   Many families spent last weekend doing their back-to-school shopping, not only because it was a nice weekend and school is coming up quickly, but also because it was the sales tax holiday .  This so-called holiday offered a reprieve from the state sales tax associated with purchasing most of the items we buy on a regular basis.  Many incorrectly thought that they could go buy things like TVs and other fun things, but the holiday was strictly limited to items associated with going back to school--clothes, school supplies, etc.  People jumped at the opportunity to buy things at a little bit of a discount, but few really thought through the implications of such an event.  Here are three: Taxation has been ingrained into our consciousness.  When we go to purchase items, we subconsciously add tax in our minds.  That means the government has us where they want us. Taxation of goods and services is something we now take for granted.  When I go to buy food, I'm surprised when the bi

Dear President Obama, You are the President of the United States of America, the "leader of the free world."  You are an authority figure who has been placed over this country by God, so I want to address you respectfully, yet frankly.  I'm not writing to air grievances or make accusations.  My goal here is simple.  I want to inform you that we (informed American citizens) don't believe in coincidences anymore.  You say that you gave Iran back their money and that it was not a ransom.  I guess we'll have to take your word for that.  You're technically correct, I guess, but it just seems a little too convenient.  Can you understand our suspicion?  It seems like one of those Washington cover stories that hide the back-door dealings of world leaders.  Some people may believe you.  After all, they'll believe anything you say!  There are plenty of others who simply don't pay any attention.  Those of us who pay attention, however, have officially stopped t

    I'm going to take a moment away from my political ranting to offer you a suggestion for some (late) summer reading.  I was looking to read through a Systematic Theology (hereafter ST) for the first time when I stumbled across an online interview with John Frame.  I had heard of Frame, but had not read any of his works.  I had heard that he was an outlier, occupying the fringe of the Reformed world.  The interview (the link to which I wish I could now find) was intriguing enough to evince from me a trip to Amazon to purchase a copy of Frame's ST .  After reading it through in its entirety, I'd like to offer offer a few thoughts.     First of all, Frame's reputation as an outlier is well-earned.  His approach to pretty much everything is rather unique (more on that later).  This appears immediately as he opens by telling his reader that he is not going to follow the traditional order or methodology one would expect to find in a Reformed ST.  His reluctance to affirm

    This election cycle seems to be leaving most people dissatisfied, to say the least.  It is difficult to find a voter who is excited about either the Republican or the Democrat candidate (hence the recent revealing statistics ).  Most have simply resigned themselves to the reality that one of the two will almost certainly be occupying the White House this time next year.  How did we get this far?  How did it come to this?  How did we get to the point where millions of people are at the mercy of the ruling-class elite?  I think America's government education system shoulders some of the blame.  Now, of course, there are numerous factors that have contributed to the joke that we call an election, but the education system has certainly played a role.  Here's a couple of reasons: 1) Government education has contributed to America's moral slide. We are choosing between a philanderer and a compulsive liar.  American's no longer believe that morality--even as an abstract,