Our most popular posts of last year dealt with relationships (or the absence thereof), the visions of Zechariah, the importance of thought flow in expository preaching, and the practical implications of Reformed theology. If that seems a mixed bag to you, welcome to ComingUntrue, where we try to come up with a little something for everyone … or possibly you just get stuck with whatever random subject is rattling around in our heads on any given day.
Without further ado, let’s count ’em down!
10. Fighting Dead Dragons (May 7)
The title comes from a longer quote from Joel Webbon: “Fighting dead dragons will always be easier than fighting living ones.” In this case, the dead dragon is misogyny. Webbon has turned out to be a more controversial figure than I was aware of when I quoted him, but his observations about sex-related teaching imbalances within the evangelical community were spot on.
By Tom
9. Ruminations on the Original Sin (April 14)
Speaking of problems in the home, Doug Wilson observes that men who should know better will often put up with absurdities from their wives. He attributes the problem to “untethered empathy”. I suggest it’s actually fear and lack of faith, the product of a fundamentally selfish, short-sighted outlook in which the man prioritizes his own desire for peace and the illusion of harmony in his home over the long-term spiritual good of his wife.
By Tom
8. To Die a Virgin (March 5)
A book review. Ed Shaw is attracted to men. Out of love for Jesus Christ, he never acts on those impulses. He hopes and expects to die a virgin. That gives him enormous credibility as the author of 2015’s The Plausibility Problem: The Church and Same-Sex Attraction, in which Shaw affirms the scriptural basis for the orthodox Christian position on homosexuality. In doing so, Shaw has a challenge for the church.
By Tom
7. Mining the Minors: Zechariah (7) (March 2)
Zechariah’s remarkable prophecy contains eight visions. This post deals with visions five and six: the golden lampstand and the two olive trees. One is a perpetual motion machine that illustrates deep spiritual truths; the other prefigures the great tribulation witnesses of Revelation 11.
By Tom
6. Sighing and Groaning (April 2)
Christian Nationalism is a big deal in the Reformed camp these days. Young, energetic dispensationalists may be forgiven if they feel a little left out of all the excitement as they eavesdrop on their activist contemporaries and can’t help contrasting them with their own parents’ generation, sighing and groaning like the devout Jews in Jerusalem just before the Babylonian exile. Personally, I think sighing and groaning are not so bad, and I make that case in this post.
By Tom
5. Vows and Consequences (March 26)
When were you officially married? Biblical marriage requires a one-flesh union, but not every one-flesh union is a marriage. Every noun and verb in Genesis 2:24 matters, and I unpack them a little before considering the marriage covenant: is it really just a contractual arrangement, or something very different and far more solemn?
By Tom
4. Mining the Minors: Zechariah (9) (March 16)
There’s no getting around the fact that the Bible’s pictures of wickedness are frequently female. Zechariah’s visions proved popular this year, and this post considers the prophet’s seventh vision of a woman in a basket. Are we seeing the beginnings of mystery Babylon?
By Tom
3. Thought Flow in 1 Corinthians 1-4 (February 11)
Understanding a writer’s thought flow is key to correctly interpreting the scriptures, and following the apostle Paul’s is sometimes like chasing a rabbit. Even Peter acknowledged Paul wrote some things “hard to understand”. Still, the first four chapters of 1 Corinthians are full of important subject matter, notwithstanding being some of the least-obeyed passages in the New Testament.
By Tom
2. Too Hot to Handle: Thinking God’s Thoughts After Him (February 2)
A discussion on the importance of thought flow in expositing scripture, and the necessity of rightly dividing the word of truth — quite literally.
By Tom and Immanuel Can
1. Egyptian Allies and Righteous Judgment (April 24)
An “Egyptian ally” is a faithless wingman, a backup plan that stabs you in the back. Most of us have had the experience of trusting somebody we shouldn’t who let us down hard, and if we haven’t, we probably will. This post is a reminder that the Righteous Judge misses nothing. The “broken reeds” of the world will get theirs in due course.
By Tom
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