CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

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Time To Put Jesus on the Couch

Mar 28, 2011

The more nonsense I see emanating from so-called evangelical Christians, the more I despair. On a daily basis we see the faith once delivered by the saints being ripped to pieces by trendy upstarts. And so much of this is

When Elijah Comes To Town

Mar 16, 2011

I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that if any of the Old Testament prophets – or any of the New Testament disciples for that matter – came to our churches today, in most cases they would quickly

On Hell

Mar 11, 2011

One topic which is rarely discussed today – even by Christians – is that of hell. Yet it is a topic which should often be on our lips for the simple reason that the Christ we claim to follow spoke

Remaining Clear On What Is Clear: On Rob Bell Again

Mar 10, 2011

One frustrating thing – of many – about the emerging church folks is their deliberate use of ambiguous, unclear, and equivocal writing. They seem to delight in being obscure, vague and all over the place. Thus it is often quite

Imperatives and Exhortation

Mar 9, 2011

With a title like this, I have probably attracted about two or three readers. That is because the first term would send many folks racing to a dictionary, while the second term would strike many as being judgmental or intolerant.

A review of The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love. By Jonathan Leeman.

Apr 11, 2010

Crossway, 2010. (Available in Australia at Koorong books)

When is the last time you read a book on church discipline? Worse yet, when is the last time you saw church discipline in operation? The concept and the practice have both

McLaren and Obama: Not So Strange Bedfellows

Oct 27, 2009

Generally speaking, those with liberal theological views tend to also have liberal political views. Conversely, those with conservative theological views tend to have conservative political views. Not always, but in most cases. So religious liberals can usually be counted on

Sorry, But I am Not Buying Into Chrislam

Sep 16, 2009

Chrislam, as the name suggests, is a growing movement wherein some Christians are seeking to find common ground with Muslims. Indeed, it actually seeks to combine Christianity with Islam. It is a syncretistic movement that speaks about “spirituality without boundaries”.

A review of The Truth War. By John MacArthur.

Mar 19, 2009

Thomas Nelson, 2007. (Available in Australia at Koorong Books)

That the Bible puts a very high premium on truth is indisputable. But sadly, the church today has largely downplayed and abandoned truth, content to follow the spirit of the age.

In Praise of Doctrine

Mar 7, 2009

In his newest book Christless Christianity, Michael Horton makes this intriguing claim: “Secularism cannot be blamed on the secularists, many of whom were raised in the church. We are the problem.” Just what does he mean by that? He

A review of Death By Love. By Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears.

Feb 26, 2009

Crossway, 2008. (Available in Australia at Koorong Books)

Generally speaking the phrase ‘emerging church’ is not usually found in the same sentence containing such words as ‘conservative’, ‘traditional’, and ‘orthodox’. That is because so many of the emerging church leaders

Jesus, Law and Relationship

Nov 1, 2008

Law does not get a very good rap in today’s culture. For law is associated with such things as right and wrong, truth and falsehood – all of which are under attack in our postmodern times. And it is not

On Creed and Conduct (and Emergents)

Oct 31, 2008

There are two areas which the believer is constantly encouraged to excel in. These two areas can be developed for the glory of God, or they can be ignored or negated, resulting in apostasy and judgment. I refer to creed

On Emergents and False Dilemmas

Jun 27, 2008

One thing a believer quickly discovers when reading or listening to the emerging church leaders is their love of dichotomies, or dualities. They are keenly intent on setting out a whole bunch of polarities or antitheses. They claim that believers

A review of Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be). By Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck.

Apr 24, 2008

Moody, 2008. (Available in Australia from Koorong Books)

These two young guys are sceptical about megachurches, how-to-sermons, legalism, the effects of modernity, marketing gimmicks, and overly aligning faith with politics. They know that Christianity is not just doctrine, and they

A review of The Shack. By William Young. Part Two.

Apr 11, 2008

Windblown Media, 2007. (Available in Australia from Koorong Books)

I have offered my general (and positive) assessments of The Shack in part one of this review. Here I wish to address a few areas of concern I had with

A review of The Shack. By William Young. Part One.

Apr 11, 2008

Windblown Media, 2007. (Available in Australia from Koorong Books)

The two mega-themes of this novel are the love of God and human suffering. Those are about the two biggest topics around. As such, this book is an attempt at

A review of Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. By Rob Bell.

Sep 7, 2006

Zondervan, 2005.

It is an unfortunate but oft-repeated habit that trends and fads in the world tend to be slavishly picked up and replicated by the church, even if a few years down the track. Instead of setting the pace,

A review of Truth and the New Kind of Christian. By R. Scott Smith.

May 4, 2006

Crossway, 2005.

It has always been a temptation for the Christian church to slavishly copy the latest trends of the day. While there is a place to present an unchanging message in new forms and expressions, it is decidedly unwise

About CultureWatch

We live in an age where we see evidence of cultural decline, the erosion of values, the decline of civility, the denial of truth and the elevation of unreason. Many people are asking, “Where is our culture heading?” This website is devoted to exploring the major cultural, social and political issues of the day. It offers reflection and commentary drawing upon the wealth of wisdom found in the Judeo-Christian tradition. It offers reflective and incisive commentary on a wide range of issues, helping to sort through the maze of competing opinions, worldviews, ideologies and value systems. It will discuss critically and soberly where our culture is heading. Happy reading!

Bill Muehlenberg

CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

Time To Put Jesus on the Couch

When Elijah Comes To Town

On Hell

Remaining Clear On What Is Clear: On Rob Bell Again

Imperatives and Exhortation

A review of The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love. By Jonathan Leeman.

McLaren and Obama: Not So Strange Bedfellows

Sorry, But I am Not Buying Into Chrislam

A review of The Truth War. By John MacArthur.

In Praise of Doctrine

A review of Death By Love. By Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears.

Jesus, Law and Relationship

On Creed and Conduct (and Emergents)

On Emergents and False Dilemmas

A review of Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be). By Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck.

A review of The Shack. By William Young. Part Two.

A review of The Shack. By William Young. Part One.

A review of Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. By Rob Bell.

A review of Truth and the New Kind of Christian. By R. Scott Smith.

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