In honor of Gordon Lightfoot’s passing on Monday night at 84 (a year older than my dad), I’m reposting this first part of a three-part series I wrote in 2020. My deepest sympathies to his family, fans, and friends. And I’m so grateful my son Tim and I got to see him live last year on April 5th in Phoenixville, … Read More
Concerns with Catechesis, Part 1 of 2
Not everyone is a fan of catechesis—or even intentional Scripture memorization—and in what follows, I’d like to address seven common concerns, four this week and three next, concluding with a personal confession and some practical guidance: “Catechesis is brainwashing”— British philosopher and author A. C. Grayling said that “Religions survive mainly because they brainwash the young.”[1] Is he right in … Read More
The Case for Catechesis
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes … Read More
Why Call God Father and Not Mother or Parent?
The answer to this question may be partly cultural and due to “Israel’s temptation to follow after fertility Gods.”[1] Missiologist and Fuller Theological Seminary professor Scott Sunquist also notes: “Why not Mother?” The simple answer is that we are not given “Mother” as a name for God. The deeper reason may be that “mother’ or “mother earth” were designations for … Read More
How Parenting Teaches Us About God’s Heart
To all the fathers out there, Happy Father’s Day! In the Bible, what is said about God often makes use of what theologians have traditionally called anthropomorphic language; that is, language that speaks of God in human terms. For example, we might talk about “the eyes of the Lord” or “the long arm of the Lord.” Other places in Scripture … Read More
Hero-dads are Inadequate to Provide for All of Their Kid’s Needs
It was the morning of July 19, 2014—the day after my oldest son’s wedding—and I was lost in thought. Just the night before, at the glorious end of a full day of celebration, Pam and I had watched as he, his beautiful bride, and many friends danced with all their hearts to Coldplay’s “Sky Full of Stars.” Standing there, watching … Read More
Hero-dads grow in competence to influence
Dads who come out of their caves learn to care about their communities. They are like the dad connected to the virtuous woman in Prov. 31: “Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land” (23, ESV). To sit by the city gates was to sit among the civic leaders: listening, discussing problems, … Read More
Hero-Dads Avoid Isolation
“I knew he loved me… but he would lock himself away.” I’ve heard many versions of this in my pastoral ministry over the years and it’s a real problem. Batman may do some of his best work in his cave, but hero-dads need to think through the healthy and unhealthy parts of isolation– including our legitimate need for solitude, quietness, … Read More
Snapshots of Father Involvement
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes … Read More
Cohabitation vs. Marriage in Historical Context
Although the primary culture shift that took dads out of the home dates back to 1760 and the Industrial Revolution, in North America, changes in attitudes toward marriage are more recent, dating back to the 1960s. During this time, our culture began to aggressively delink sex from marriage and parenting. Further, even the sacred ties between marriage and parenting began … Read More