Author: Kyle Rapinchuk

Book Blurbs, Kyle Rapinchuk

Christians and Culture (Book Blurbs)

Below are brief recommendations for several excellent books on Christian engagement with culture and social issues of our day. Volf provides an excellent primer on Christianity and its role in the public arena. He lays out his argument for Christianity as a prophetic religion that works towards human flourishing while not being coercive. Along the way he critiques several flawed approaches in a helpful and … Continue reading Christians and Culture (Book Blurbs)

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Book Reviews, Kyle Rapinchuk

A Review of The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther

Review by Kyle Rapinchuk In honor of the 500th anniversary of the 95 Theses, I decided to post an old review I wrote of Luther’s classic work, The Bondage of the Will. Looking back on this, I would probably spend more time exploring the issue of God’s foreknowledge and human freedom, especially since my views on this topic have changed since the time I initially … Continue reading A Review of The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther

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Kyle Rapinchuk, Monday Musings

Monday Musings (October 30, 2017): Education, the Path to True Humanity?

“Education is our path to true humanity and wisdom”[1] ~Stratford Caldecott, Beauty for Truth’s Sake, 11 One of the more difficult challenges with classical Christian education is clarifying our end goal. I wrote on this recently in my post “Is Repairing the Ruins our Goal?”, and I suggested that we have the two-fold goal of excellent education and Christian discipleship. In Beauty for Truth’s Sake, … Continue reading Monday Musings (October 30, 2017): Education, the Path to True Humanity?

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Kyle Rapinchuk, Monday Musings

Monday Musings (October 23, 2017): Education, the Church, and the Old Testament

 I recently participated in a conference at fbcBranson entitled “Christianity and the Death of the Old Testament.” You can check out the excellent presentations here. As part of this conference, I was giving a presentation on how the Old Testament is dying. I relied heavily on the work of Brent Strawn in his book, The Old Testament is Dying, in which he argues that the … Continue reading Monday Musings (October 23, 2017): Education, the Church, and the Old Testament

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Kyle Rapinchuk

“I’m Bored” vs. the Cultivation of Wonder

“I’m bored!” The words have barely left the lips of my seven year old son and I’m already lecturing him against such profanity. I’m by no means a legalistic parent, but those words are anathema to me, and I have specifically forbidden them from our home. I loathe this treacherous phrase, believing it to be a destructive deception of the Evil One. In my position … Continue reading “I’m Bored” vs. the Cultivation of Wonder

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Book Blurbs, Kyle Rapinchuk

On the Shoulders of Hobbits (Book Blurbs)

Louis Markos is an excellent writer (perhaps an even better speaker if you get the chance to hear him) and has fantastic insight into both Tolkien and Lewis. The structure of the book is easy to follow and is centered around the four cardinal and three theological virtues. For each virtue, Markos demonstrates with examples from Tolkien and Lewis’s stories how each writer develops these … Continue reading On the Shoulders of Hobbits (Book Blurbs)

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Kyle Rapinchuk, Monday Musings

Monday Musings (October 16, 2017): Start Searching Today

This year I have begun occasionally giving my students writing prompts before class begins and allowing the first 5-6 minutes of class to be a time of reflection. I have found that in the midst of busy lives, loads of work, and everything else with which the teenage mind is occupied, it is absolutely necessary to remind them frequently why we do what we do. … Continue reading Monday Musings (October 16, 2017): Start Searching Today

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Kyle Rapinchuk, Monday Musings

Is Repairing the Ruins Our Goal?

Back in the spring I had an excellent conversation with another classical Christian educator who asked whether we were right to define our endeavors along the lines of John Milton’s idea that we were repairing the ruins of Adam and Eve so that we might love and imitate God. This educator proposed that, as Christians, although this was our goal in the Christian life, our … Continue reading Is Repairing the Ruins Our Goal?

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Book Blurbs, Kyle Rapinchuk

Eugene Peterson (Book Blurbs)

This is an insightful book on the goals and practice of reading Scripture. Using the vision of John’s revelation where he eats the scroll, Peterson argues that spiritual reading (lectio divina) must lead to not only reading but also living the text. Although some practices are less clearly outlined from a practical approach, Peterson’s overall framework and exhortation to practice spiritual reading are helpful and … Continue reading Eugene Peterson (Book Blurbs)

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Kyle Rapinchuk, Monday Musings

Monday Musings (October 2, 2017): Meditating on the Great Books—Some Practical Steps

The past several weeks I have been exploring the notion of meditation,[1] first upon Scripture, but then suggesting that this could apply to the Great Books as well, albeit with a different authority. One of the ways we can meditate on the Great Books is by recognizing that we are not passive recipients of the Great Books but actually active participants in the same story … Continue reading Monday Musings (October 2, 2017): Meditating on the Great Books—Some Practical Steps

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Book Blurbs, Kyle Rapinchuk

The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy (Book Blurbs)

After years of wanting to read the “and Philosophy” series I was not disappointed. Although some articles are less intriguing or convincing, the majority of the essays are thought-provoking, well-written, and genuinely insightful. Reading this book gives not only deeper insight into the brilliance of Rowling’s series, but it also provides a much needed refresher in philosophy and led to many occasions of thoughtful reflection … Continue reading The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy (Book Blurbs)

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Kyle Rapinchuk, Monday Musings

Monday Musings (September 25, 2017): Meditation as Participation

Last week I considered how we have tamed God’s Word instead of eating it. This week I continue the theme of meditating on the written word. One of the better insights of Eugene Peterson’s excellent book, Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading, is his proposal that spiritual reading is “participatory reading.”[1] He uses the illustration of a period of life … Continue reading Monday Musings (September 25, 2017): Meditation as Participation

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