Fellow of Theology @NewSaintAndrews | Associate Pastor @Christ_Kirk | First In, Last Out, Laughing Loudest
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Feb 28 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
I appreciate @jonharris1989 raising these issues and I know that a lot of people resonate with it. I certainly recognize my own history in it. But I’ve tried to resolve this tension from within Christian Hedonism itself. Let me explain.
Christian Hedonism (1.0) sought to resolve the tension between our biblical duty to do everything to the glory of God with our unavoidable desire to be happy. It did so in Piper’s famous phrase: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
Feb 19 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Per usual, Alastair makes a few decent points (“the sin of loyalty” has a nice ring to it; so does “the sin of respectability”). And I quote Alastair extensively in the chapter of my book dealing with feminism. I’ve appreciated Alastair’s work on the subject.
However, I’ve tackled this subject from multiple rhetorical angles. Yes, I’ve used “sin of empathy.” But I’ve criticized the same dynamics under “Dangerous Compassion” and “the passion of pity” (following Lewis). I’ve gotten specific by using the phrase “untethered empathy” (a variation of Alastair’s “disordered empathy.”)
Feb 19 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
It used to bother me when people would object to the language of “the sin of empathy.”
I thought they were confused, and so I labored to make myself clear by making distinctions (tethered vs untethered empathy).
I drew parallels to other passions (e.g. saying “the sin of anger” doesn’t imply that all anger is sinful) and quoted others who made similar arguments (like Lewis and Chesterton).
But it never seemed to work.
Feb 8 • 8 tweets • 5 min read
Anatomy of a Steer
The actions of @WheatonCollege over the last 24 hours offer a classic case study in how supposedly conservative Christian organizations are hijacked and steered by the Left. While many recognize the presence of emotional sabotage, it’s good to break down the key elements of a successful Steer.
Part 1: The Spark
Let’s begin with a simple social post congratulating @RussVought on his appointment as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
The post could have been made by an innocent intern who assumed that congratulating prominent alumni on their accomplishments is what social media is for. “Graduate from Wheaton and Oh the places you’ll go. Apply (or Donate) here.”
Or it could have been made by a beleaguered conservative who is trying to salvage the ship by communicating “There are still real Christians in this hollowed-out husk of an institution.”
Key: The Spark is not the origin of the conflict, but its occasion. It doesn’t cause the problem so much as reveal it. And the Spark could quite literally be anything, because, like California forests under progressive governments, there is a lot of tinder and dry brush just ready to burn.
Dec 5, 2023 • 13 tweets • 2 min read
Quick thread on the New Testament teaching on divorce, and its relevance for contemporary discussions of political philosophy.
Christ's conflict with the Pharisees over divorce was essentially this: God, through Moses, had permitted divorce, due to the hardness of people's hearts. God accommodated human sinfulness in order to mitigate certain evils.
Nov 8, 2023 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Some thoughts on the disappointing results for the pro-life cause last night.
The success of abortion at the ballot box is owing to: 1) The cultural conviction that "sex must not have consequences." Suzy's dreams must not be derailed by a baby. Ambition, thy name is Molech.
2) 50 years of cultural instruction by Roe. Law teaches, and wicked custom suppresses the light of the moral law written on the heart. Recovering from the lies of the Roe regime will take time and Spirit-wrought effort, especially to overcome...
Apr 5, 2022 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
🧵 A missing piece from this comparison: unlike Jesus’s day, today we are dealing with *Sexual Pharisees*—those who combine sexual immorality with high-handed pride and self-righteousness.
Put another way, today’s Sexual Pharisees would put forward the woman caught in adultery, not to condemn her, but to applaud her bravery in defying traditional marital norms (and demand that others bake her a cake in celebration).
Mar 23, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
“When does equal protection of the laws attach to a human being?”
"I don't know."
"What is a woman?"
"I don't know."
Anthropology is the defining issue of the 21st century.
What's more, she does know.
And they know.
We ALL know.
But the consequences of idolatry and ingratitude are the Dark Exchanges: truth for a lie; divine glory for creaturely substitutes; natural, complementary relations for unnatural, grotesque ones.
Aug 24, 2021 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
While it’s typically not my practice or preference to address claims regarding private conversations with church members on Twitter, under the present circumstances, it seems necessary to do so.
I’m referring to claims made in this tweet thread:
This claim—that I believe that it would be lawful for me (or anyone) to own another human being today, provided I (or we) treated slaves the way Paul commanded—is false. I don’t believe that, nor did I say that, nor is it an accurate summary or paraphrase of what I did say.
Jul 22, 2021 • 22 tweets • 5 min read
So it seems that a number of you liked Orange Crush: A Wiffle Ball Story. And if that’s you, I’ve got good news: there’s more.
Like I said before, the coaches feel like we lived through a movie. But it wasn't just because of the storyline; it was because of the 12 goofy kids we had in the dugout. They're what makes the whole thing so amazing.
So allow me to present: #OrangeCrush: Tales from the Dugout
Jul 21, 2021 • 40 tweets • 8 min read
I don’t normally post family stuff on Twitter, but I thought I’d make an exception for a great little story that some of you may enjoy. Anyone who knows me knows I love baseball. I coach both of my older sons here in the Twin Cities. This is a story about my oldest son’s team.
He plays for the 11AAA Minneapolis Millers (my middle son plays for the 10AAA Millers). (Fun fact: my grandfather managed the Minneapolis Millers minor league team in 1955 before being called up to manage the NY Giants in 1956). Here’s a pic of him in a Millers uniform.
Mar 16, 2021 • 13 tweets • 4 min read
With a little help from @KSPrior, I’d like to try to bring a bit more clarity to the empathy/sympathy debate. I still think what I think, but finding other ways to express it has its important uses, and my thinking has been clarified through some of my interactions.
And to those who say, “Isn’t the fact that you’re still talking about this evidence that *you* were unclear?”, let me say, perhaps. It also might be that some people struggle to read carefully and charitably.
Mar 15, 2021 • 24 tweets • 7 min read
So a few quick items on these two response to the empathy/sympathy discussion from @JoelMcDurmon. lambsreign.com/blog/canceling…lambsreign.com/blog/the-dange…1) I appreciate Dr. McDurmon's attempt to substantively engage with arguments. As I've said before, after 2+ years, I couldn't point to a single public response to my work on empathy that actually engaged with my arguments and position (I have had fruitful private conversations).
Mar 12, 2021 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Since it seems like people are wanting to talk "empathy" today, I had one thought based on @RevKevDeYoung's recent article about 4 Approaches to Race, Gender, and Politics. thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-de…
In it, Kevin argues for four different "teams" based on different moods, instincts, and sensibilities. He uses a positive word that each team would likely accept to describe them:
Feb 9, 2021 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
So, every time this sort of dustup happens in response to my interviews & writings on empathy, I find that it's a real opportunity *for me* to do a couple of things:
1) It's an opportunity to obey Jesus by rejoicing when people slander and misrepresent you. 2) It's an opportunity to obey Jesus by praying for opponents and critics who willfully misrepresent you and attack strawman versions of your arguments.
Jan 11, 2021 • 31 tweets • 5 min read
Some reflections as things become clearer in the aftermath of last week (apologies for the length). Obviously the situation is still in process and I've not looked at everything. But the following (at this point) seems to me to be the case:
At the Capital we've got different groups:
1a) normal marchers, waving American flags & wearing MAGA hats (who went back to their hotels after the rally)
1b) Selfie-taking attention-seekers: those who were there to see a show & those who were there to put on a show (Viking man)
Jan 8, 2021 • 14 tweets • 2 min read
One more thread for the day. I want to talk about X. But it’s hard to talk about X these days. X is incredibly controversial, and when it is brought up, tempers quickly flare. People have very strong feelings about X. People who are concerned about X fall into a number of camps.
There are those who believe outlandish things about X despite evidence to the contrary. These people often react very strongly to attempts to point out that their beliefs about X don’t necessarily accord with reality. Even raising questions about their beliefs provokes a reaction
Jan 8, 2021 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
A thread in light of the present moment: We need to make a distinction between respectable nonsense (& evil) & despicable nonsense (& evil), with respectable meaning “engenders respect among mainstream society” & despicable meaning “provokes derision among mainstream society.”
I think many Bible-believing Christians want to speak truth, reject nonsense, and condemn evil wherever it occurs. But speaking truth about despicable nonsense is significantly easier, since our denunciations are cutting with the grain of mainstream, polite society.
Dec 8, 2020 • 15 tweets • 3 min read
We're currently preaching through Titus at @citieschurch. It's a remarkable and timely little book. A few notes, based on preaching one section and listening to my fellow pastors preach others.
1) Titus is a book about the church & its leadership. Paul exhorts Titus to establish & strengthen churches in Crete by appointing elders. And Titus is supposed to find these elders among Cretans who are "always liars, evil beasts, & lazy gluttons." That's what the gospel does.
Nov 9, 2020 • 15 tweets • 3 min read
Watching some Christians react to election news is a sober reminder of how easy it is to forget the unborn and the horrific evil and injustice that is legally done to them every day in this country.
Take this sentiment expressed by a Christian journalist, which is simultaneously ignorant, tacky, and completely callous to the horror of the murder of innocents.
Great post here from @scottrswain on important theological categories for thinking about sex identity (who and what we are as male and female). scottrswain.com/2020/05/14/mor…
Three additional thoughts: 1/1) An additional fact that Swain doesn’t directly highlight is that the “common” Adam starts off in the body of a single man. In other words, the common Adam is not de-sexed or de-gendered, but is in fact male. 2/
