1. God’s goodness spoke a promise of peace and mercy to the bewildered, a promise that rings out to this day.
  2. At the heart of The Idiot is Dostoevsky's confession of faith and the confession of all Christians.
  3. Faith is like a horse with blinders because it only beholds God’s promise. It is obsessed with what God has already said.
  4. Sometimes I think we should be more tempted to laugh at the gospel than we are, not in derision but in sheer surprise and awe.
  5. With Christ as the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, the future is secure already. It’s solid right now, even when the cords seem to be fraying.
  6. History is the painful realization that we aren’t the ones who can save the world but, rather, we’re the ones who get saved.
  7. Christian mercy should not seek its own. It must be round, and open its eyes and look at all alike, friend and foe, as our heavenly Father does.
  8. The undercurrent of Scripture is the sheer fact that Jehovah God is a God of his word.
  9. The world hates Jesus because he comes to lead us to love and forgive all, including our enemies.
  10. The worship service is less like servants entering the throne room to wait on the king’s needs and more like a father joining his family around the dining room table.
  11. FLAME uses Scripture and church history to argue that baptism is a gospel gift, not our work.
  12. The Trinity is a handy shorthand for all that God has done to justify sinners.