Ben Zornes

Living and Dying to Show the Preciousness of Christ

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Exegesis or ExeJesus

Exegesis or ExeJesus

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Exegesis is a big word that, in evangelical circles gets thrown around like a frisbee on a college campus. Some of you may not even know what exegesis is. Well, to put it simply, it means explaining what a text–or in Christian circles, Scripture–means. There. I just exegeted exegesis. Words, sentences, paragraphs and books carry meaning; and though our postmodern friends would like to deconstruct language to remove all meaning, the fact remains: language carries meaning!

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A Great Mountain, and a Crumbling Statue

A Great Mountain, and a Crumbling Statue

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Limp-wrists are all the rage. Our modern Christian culture, with its skinny-jean clad worship leaders, hawaiian-shirted Pastors, and Great Mountaincigar-smoking small groups has become proficient in the art of ineffectuality. We have bought the bait that tolerance and acceptance is the most important expression of Christian love. We love by accommodating, cow-towing, and placating the culture. I remember hearing about a church that sent out surveys to their community asking: “What sort of church do you want?” Well, what’ll you know, they wanted a church that gets out in time for the game, allows dad to export his fatherly responsibility to a 28 year old youth pastor with a cool haircut, sermons that include clips from a movie about two dumb guys (one dumber than the other), and a great worship band–pyrotechnics and all.  [Read more…] about A Great Mountain, and a Crumbling Statue

A Glad Gravitas

A Glad Gravitas

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If Christ be not risen, life is miserable for a Christian. That about sums it up.Garden Sun If Jesus is not alive right now, then of all the people of the earth, Christians are the most to be pitied, and are living a miserable life. The Apostle Paul makes this same argument in 1 Corinthians 15, and how right he is. For the Christian, the resurrection of Jesus ought to be more than a reason to hide candy laden eggs for children. The resurrection is a line of demarcation that separates the grumpy from the glad. The resurrection is a reason to daily rejoice and celebrate like kids at the end of a school year.

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Beware Erasmus

Beware Erasmus

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Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (27 October 1466 – 12 July 1536)

Beware Erasmus.
In a recent foray through David Daniell’s meticulous biography of William Tyndale, I have been stirred more than once by this simple warning: “Beware Erasmus.” It has become a slogan I have begun to frequently whisper to my soul, (for reasons that shall soon become clear) to provoke me to stay on guard against the enchanting fumes of pride. We recognize the perceived deadness of the previous generation and we refuse to follow in that path; we, instead, want a robust and living spirituality. I’ve seen my peers pursue this healthy desire in two very unhealthy ways.
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Waving Magic Wands

Waving Magic Wands

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This world is a messy place (in case your name is Rip Van Winkle and you’re just now waking up).  Humans have endeavored to wave magic wands over the problems that face us and then claim, “voilà, it’s all better!” Band aids do little good for corpses. Elections fail to change human nature. Airbags don’t prevent drunk drivers from careening wildly down the highway the wrong way. Immunizations, GMO-free foods, anti-bacterial hand sanitizer, and electric cars do not change the fact that you and I will, sooner or later, die. [Read more…] about Waving Magic Wands

The Horsepower of Olive Oil

The Horsepower of Olive Oil

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David’s words from the 20th Psalm speak just as forcefully today as they did all those long centuries ago: “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses.” The ancient empires often measured their greatness and power in horses and chariots. Horses and chariots equated to strength in battle, mobility, and superiority of resource and wealth. Thus, it is no wonder that the Psalmist points out that some place their confidence in their horsepower; we haven’t come very far have we?

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Ben Zornes