We had a total of three current and former Things Above Us authors at the Wokeness and the Gospel conference this past weekend. It was truly a joy meeting new people, catching up with old friends, and digging into some solid teaching! I plan to have more later concerning the conference itself. For now, please be in […]
Culture
Manga Messiah (children’s book review)
Manga Messiah is the first to be published in a series of manga books that covers the narrative biblical canon. Manga Messiah in particular is a harmonization of the Gospels, starting with the birth story in Luke and ending with Acts 1:8, John 20:30; 21:25. The other books in the series are Manga Mutiny, Manga Melech (“king” […]
Soul (movie review)
Though originally intended for theatrical release, Disney/Pixar’s Soul was released on Disney+ on Christmas last year given the present pandemic. Christians may rightly already be skeptical just by virtue of the film’s title and its dealing with souls. Weird metaphysics are to be expected, but there’s also a skewed sense of justice that’s worth examining […]
Everything Egalitarianism and Then Some
Do you miss the days not too long ago when the hot social media topics were egalitarianism and social justice instead of virtual church? No? Regardless, here’s everything we’ve written on complementarianism and egalitarianism (so far) in one convenient list. Commentaries Beth Moore the Broken Clock I suppose I should be thankful for God’s use […]
Everything You Need To Understand the Culture
Our practice at ThingsAbove.Us is to write about whatever we want always with an end goal toward our mission and to have some fun too. Sometimes that’s verse-by-verse exegesis. Other times, that means critiquing pro sports. Once in a while, we write articles that help you think through current events such as political or social […]
Rightly Dividing the Popular Culture: TGC Fumbles Frozen II
Once upon a tyme, in the cold, dark for’sts of New York and Quebec, a pair of well-respected Reformed theologians did found a Coalition to advocate for and restore trust in the biblical Gospel. ‘Twas to be “a fellowshipe of evangelical churches in the Reformed tradition deeply committed to renewing our faith in the gospel […]
When Should We Officially Ditch a Christian Content Creator?
The change of scenery is nice, I’ll admit, but going on “vacation” with four kids under 7 is not really a vacation per se. Zombie Town When most people imagine vacations, they think of relaxing on the beach, going to Disney World, or camping. What we experienced recently was more like an elongated school field […]
The Trojan Mouse (book review)
I’ll admit from the outset that I was never a huge Disney fan as a child. In fact, I rather disliked nearly everything on Disney Channel, and I can’t recall ever visiting a theater to watch a movie from Disney proper (as opposed to Pixar or other Disney subsidiaries). Forgive me; I much preferred the […]
Why We Should Have Seeker Sensitive Churches
I can’t really document the dates so well, but I think most will generally agree that at the turn of the century the “Seeker Sensitive” movement was in full gear. This movement’s mantra is, essentially, that churches should be designed for seekers. In my own state of Arkansas, I hear a lot of talk about […]
From the Mailbag: “Judge Not”
A woman contacted us through our contact us form and expressed some concerns with an article Justin wrote about The Send. I believe her assertions and my responses could be helpful to you, so here they are. For the sake of the post, I’ll call her Holly. Hi, Hope you’re well. God loves you just […]
Polyamory and a Jealous God
One of the ways we proclaim our great Savior to the world is through the institution of marriage. Marriage is a picture of Christ and His Bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:32). We reflect God’s faithfulness, mercy, and love when we love our spouse the way He has commanded us. A natural question proceeds from our […]
God Hears Your Prayers: STTA!
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The first verse of the Bible as well as basic reasoning each point to God as the creator of the world. Nothing exists without Him. He is all-powerful. There is no being greater than He is. No being can be greater than He […]
Careful With Your Mocking: STTA!
Something To Think About! There is no excuse for mocking someone’s God-given looks, disabilities or impediments, or incidental things like the name their parents’ gave them. It is not only ungodly behavior, but it is ineffective even from a pragmatic point of view. It sends the wrong message to anyone we are trying to convince […]
Should You Attend a Catholic Wedding or Funeral?
It’s a question which many Christians face: Should I attend my friend or family member’s Catholic wedding or funeral? Is that the same as being unequally yoked with non-believers? What if someone there gets the wrong idea about what I believe? Does my presence there validate the religion? Here’s my opinion, and I promise, it’s […]
Kindly Let People Ask If Mary Knew
“Mary, Did You Know?” is a Christmas song with lyrics written by Mark Lowry and music written by Buddy Greene. It was originally recorded by Christian recording artist Michael English on his self-titled debut solo album in 1991 (English and Lowry were both members of the Gaither Vocal Band at the time). It reached No. […]
Are We Against Santa or For Truth?
“Do you know what your daughter did?” my in-laws asked me. They were clearly quite concerned and disappointed in her. Knowing my daughter’s behavioral issues, I readied myself for the worst. “She told her cousins Santa Claus isn’t real,” they said. Phew! I breathed a sigh of relief. My daughter hadn’t done anything wrong. In […]
Isaac’s Dilemma
“I’m homosexual,” Isaac told me, “and I don’t think I could give up the happiness it brings me and deny who I am — for something I am not certain about.” This was Isaac’s response to a question I asked him. What preceded and what followed the above response is the story I want to tell. […]
Little Women — Movie Review
Little Women, a modern adaptation of the classic Louisa May Alcott story opens in theaters, Friday, September 28. I believe I was quite privileged to receive a pre-view of this film and recommend that you see it also, with a few caveats. A Story Brilliant storytelling is not easy. In the history of the world, […]
You Have Dealt Well with Your Servant (Psalm 119:65-72)
This week’s pSaturday Psalm comes from Psalm 119:65-72. Psalm 119 is a wonderful psalm that is really a “love poem,” so to speak, about God’s word! It is the longest chapter in the Bible — composed of 22 8 verse stanzas where the first letter of each line in a stanza begins with the same […]
The Flag is Not About Us Veterans
With Colin Kaepernick trending once again — along with my just having figured out that there’s an ‘e’ in his name — many are attempting to counter the claim of Kaepernick’s “sacrifice” by raising the sacrifice of military veterans. This response is nothing new. As Kaepernick began sitting and then kneeling for the national anthem […]