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Attention Students: Christian Orthodoxy Has Buts
Christian Orthodoxy: Brought to You in Part by the Word BUT Students, I have made a discovery. An important discovery. Potentially the sort of discovery upon which distinguished academic careers are built, reputations established, endowed chairs offered and small bronze plaques eventually affixed to library walls. For some time, your good doctor has attempted to… Continue reading
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Fearfully and Wonderfully Made; Intimately Known and Loved
Years ago, knowing how much I enjoy poking around dusty old Bibles and theological books, my sister Diann gave me a treasure she discovered in a used bookstore. It is called Reflections on the Works of God in Nature, written by Christoph Christian Sturm and originally published in German in the 1770s. My English-language copy was… Continue reading
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But Even the Dogs …
An excerpt from Chapter 15. A Mother’s Faith The next scene is one of the most surprising—and, at first glance, one of the most uncomfortable—in all of Jesus’ ministry. A woman approaches Jesus crying, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Her daughter is suffering terribly under the oppression of a demon. Picture the scene.… Continue reading
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Planted
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.”—Psalm 1:1–2 I should probably begin with a confession. Plants come… Continue reading
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Proverbial But O’ the Week: Teachable
He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, BUT whoever heeds correction is honored. (Proverbs 13:18) Correction rarely feels like a gift when it arrives. Our first instinct may be to defend ourselves, explain ourselves, or quietly dismiss the person offering it. But Proverbs reminds us that wisdom isn’t found in never being wrong; it’s found in being… Continue reading
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The Pivot: But You Will Not Cross Over
Sometimes our role is simply to look ahead with joy, prepare the ground, and beautifully pass the torch to the generation coming up behind us. Moses stood on Mount Nebo and saw the land toward which he had spent forty years leading Israel. He could see the promise ahead, but he would not cross over into… Continue reading
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Choose Again
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”—Joshua 24:15 Some choices are so small we barely notice making them. What to wear. What to eat. Which way to drive. Whether to answer… Continue reading
Darin Michael Shaw
In addition to being the world’s foremost expert on the conjunction but, author and freelance writer Darin Michael Shaw (he/him/his) identifies as a post-evangelical, free-range Jesus Freak, taking Jesus seriously when he says, “Follow me,” while inviting others to come and see for yourself.
Big Buts of the Bible 