Carl R. Trueman

Voices Contributor

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Feb 23, 2022
A society ashamed of shame
A sense of shame is nothing of which to be ashamed. Shame and modesty are not in principle oppressive. On the contrary, they are the means by which children learn to grow up, and to handle their emergence as sexual beings with responsibility.
Feb 12, 2022
Playboy makes perversion woke
The fate of Hefner’s reputation, like the success of his career, speaks eloquently about the state of America and perhaps the West as a whole. Self-indulgent to a tee, the only morality it knows is that which chimes with whatever the tastes of the moment happen to be, whatever works, whatever makes money.
Feb 7, 2022
Why preaching is central to priesthood
Preaching lays claim to that power of language but does so with the authority of God behind it. It is thus an assertion of reality, a reminder of God’s sovereignty and our dependence upon Him, a demonstration that He is great and we are but dust in the wind.
Jan 16, 2022
The strange fate of 'Hamilton' and 'Harry Potter'
Years ago, when teaching at seminary, I used to tell the students that moral relevance in the modern world was a cruel and fickle mistress. However much Christians accommodated themselves to her demands, sooner or later she would want more. Christian morality and the morality of the world simply could not be reconciled in the long term.
Dec 22, 2021
Linguistic violence
Once upon a time it was assumed that words reflected reality. At least, it was assumed that some words did, such as “man” and “woman.” That assumption in turn rested upon the notion that the world had a particular structure and shape. In our present age, both of these ideas are proving unpopular.
Dec 6, 2021
Blame it on Luther?
The above is not intended as a piece of Protestant triumphalism. Rather, it is a call for more self-awareness regarding the matter of the problems of our present age.
Nov 13, 2021
Lessons from the Reformation's pamphlet war
It is increasingly clear that social media, particularly in forms like Twitter, is the modern-day equivalent of Reformation pamphlets as produced by all sides. Two hundred and eighty characters are hardly enough to mount a coherent argument about anything.
Oct 28, 2021
The church among the deathworks
Long ago, Nietzsche’s Madman asked the rhetorical question, “What after all are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchers of God?” Sadly, it seems that too many of the gravediggers these days are members of the clergy.
Sep 28, 2021
Clinging to God and grammar
Human nature is real; we all share it; and that places moral responsibilities upon us. But when we decry pronouns that assume the reality of bodily sex, we are coming close to denying the universal truth that all humans are embodied beings.
Aug 30, 2021
What it would mean to overturn Roe
The Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a case that directly challenges our country's abortion regime, will have repercussions far beyond the confines of abortion law.