1. Over at Marginalia Thomas Millay reviews what looks to be a fantastic book on Søren Kierkegaard, by Sylvia Walsh. She provocatively contends that Kierkegaard believed humans were incapable of actually becoming virtuous. The virtues, for him, are the means to measure failure. The Christian life is not the progressive accumulation of successes, but continual […]
Magic Johnson’s Smile, John Calvin’s Selfless Christian Life, and God’s Grace
During the NBA season, you’ll see an extremely chipper analyst on ESPN: Earvin “Magic” Johnson. I’ve always had a great respect for Magic, not only for the way in which he played the sport he loves, but for the ways in which he has spoken about those he loves. I still remember watching old–and incredible–VHS […]
Sports and Fashion: NBA’s Preppy-Hipsters and Vain Baller Selfies
Fashion has always carried a lot of weight in the NBA. Think of “Pistol” Pete Maravich and Walt Frazier’s three-piece bell-bottomed suits in the ’70’s, Larry Bird’s impeccable mullet in the 80’s, Michael Jordan’s and his killer Armani’s, and Allen Iverson’s cornrows, chains and tattoos. That’s off the court, though. On the court, style is […]
Moral Failures, Half-Way Love, and the Wonder of Imputation
Heidelberg Catechism (1563) Question 60: How are you righteous before God? Only by true faith in Jesus Christ: that is, although my conscience accuses me, that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them, and am still prone always to all evil; yet God, without any […]
Even Lebron James Needs Help, or Heat Hate and the Offensiveness of the Gospel
God forgive me, I detest the Miami Heat. As I watched the Heat cap off another championship, I fumed with anger, and I don’t really even care about NBA basketball. The only times I turned on the NBA Playoffs was when it appeared that a team may take down the franchise that I despise more […]
Michael Jordan, Oscar Pistorius, and the Year of the Heroic Fall
“You ask for these special powers to achieve these heights, and now you got it and you want to give it back, but you can’t…I drove myself so much that I’m still living with some of those drives…I don’t know how to get rid of it.” These are the words of a 50-year-old Michael Jordan, […]
“If I Could Just Beat Mike:” Kobe Bryant, the Jordan Rules Pharisee
The law/demand to measure up to Michael Jordan (the Jordan Rules), as we mentioned in our post about LeBron James, is as incredibly pervasive and as it is inflexible. Like all laws, there’s no wiggle room (i.e. the “jot or tittle” of Matthew 5:18). The law wouldn’t be the law if it were any less rigid. […]
Michael Jordan is (Metaphorically) Killing His Sons
One of the lessons assigned in my church this past Sunday was a selection from Ephesians 4 and 5, wherein the writer implores the Ephesians to live a holy life, ultimately calling them to “be imitators of God” (Eph 5:1). This is, no doubt, a heavy burden, laid crushingly bare by Jesus in the Sermon […]
Another Week Ends: High-Fives, Underage Drinking, High Street Hymns, Stephen Colbert, Whitney Houston and The Beatles
1. A worthy editorial from David Brooks (ht JS and AZ) from Tuesday’s NY Times, entitled “High-Five Nation”, tracing an important change in national attitudes over the past 50 years: When you glimpse back on those days [immediately following World War II] you see a people — even the rich and famous celebrities — who […]
