The Rigor of Grace

Grace is opposed to merit, but it is not opposed to effort.

—Bradley Nassif, professor of biblical and theological studies at North Park University ...

Earning a Free Gift

Editor David Neff writes:

This morning I received the latest promotional e-mail from a clothing provider I really like to patronize: L. L. Bean. I read ...

No Fishing Out Hotel Windows

Haddon Robinson writes about something the apostle Paul could certainly identify with, namely, the tendency of the law to put ideas in our heads:

The law ...

Author Harry Blamires on Self-Help

In the Christian life, nothing, nothing at all, can be purchased at the do-it-yourself shop.

—Author Harry Blamires

The Problem of Justice

"Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice." —H. L. Mencken

Bob Newhart Experiences Legalistic Accounting

I took a job as an accountant in downtown Chicago. As your basic 9-to-5 bookkeeper, my duties included managing the petty cash. Salesmen would come in ...

Monk Runs Seven Years for Enlightenment

It's amazing what some people will do to be spiritual. On September 18, 2003, Genshin Fujinami, 44, a Buddhist priest nicknamed the "Marathon ...

Escaped Prisoner Meets Judge

Ben Rogozensky was already in big trouble. He was waiting with his lawyer for a court hearing in an empty room at the DeKalb County Courthouse near Atlanta. ...

Prisoner Frightened by Freedom

In the film The Shawshank Redemption, Ellis "Red" Redding has spent his prime wasting away in prison because of a reckless act of violence he ...

Substitutes for Transformation

Pastor John Ortberg reflects:

Conforming to boundary markers too often substitutes for authentic transformation.

The church I grew up in had its boundary ...