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Making a World of Difference
“What will it take to change the world – to really change it for the better?” Ron Sider asks that question in the Introduction to his book, Living Like Jesus. And his question resonates with me. It has for a long time – long before I heard Sider aksing it. I grow bored and frustrated…
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Prayer is…
Prayer…is a confessing of impotence and need, an acknowledging of helplessness and dependence, and an invoking of the mighty power of God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves… God means us… to recognize and confess our impotence, and to tell Him that we rely on Him alone, and to plead…
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Following Jesus in Different Directions?
I’ve been pondering the following assertion from Ron Sider‘s Living Like Jesus: “Still, the modern church prefers to accept only half of Jesus. They willingly accept him either as model or as mediator – but not both. Some urge us to follow his example of love and social concern, but they forget about the cross. Others…
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Antithesis Manifesto
Several years ago a now defunct web-based organization, Antithesis or ChristianCounterCulture.com, published a manifesto that prophetically challenges contemporary Evanglicalism. It resonated with me then and, with the exception of the dating in the opening paragraph, it remains timely. From time to time I re-read, what I call, the Antithesis Manifesto to refresh my thoughts. As I reflect…
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On My Reading Table: The Tangible Kingdom
Recent travel has made it difficult to get to a number of things – like posting on this blog. I have one more trip to make this week, then I should be settled in for the better part of the Summer. Posting on the blog is not the only thing that has been put on…
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Faith & Hope
The question occurs to us, What difference is there between faith and hope? We find it difficult to see any difference. Faith and hope are so closely linked that they cannot be separated. Still there is a difference between them. First, hope and faith differ in regard to their sources. Faith originates in the understanding,…
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I Want to Walk Free, But I Still Hear the Chains Rattling
As a pastor I frequently encourage people to embrace the Gospel. It is not just to unbelievers that I present that challenge, but to believers as well – even to some who have been Christians for decades. We all need to grow in grace, and live by grace day by day. But as easy as it…
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“Shack”-ed
I don’t know where I’ve been, but I’ve missed it. Apparently there is a self published book out there called The Shack that has become one of the most widely read works in country. It is in the process of becomming a major motion picture. And it is a book about theology! Well, it is a fictional story aimed…
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Scarlett Letter Today
Inspired by an analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlett Letter, on NPR’s All Things Considered, my friend Nathan Lewis probes beyond the literary and sociologic interests offered from the program. Nathan asks two striking questions: “Have we learned from Hawthorne’s scathing presentation of hypocrissy?” “Would Hester [Prynne] be welcome in our community of faith?” I want to…
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Pastors Near Pastures
The following words, along with Francis Schaeffer’s No Little People, were helpful to me when last year we accpted the opportunity to return to East Tennessee rather than pursue opportunities with churches in larger cities: “Few men have the courage to seek obscurity for the sake of its advantages, but there can be no doubt of…
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Emergent & Reformed Coming Together?
Sometimes listening in to others’ conversation is unavoidable – like when you are standing between two aquaintances at the Kroger’s check out line. But sometimes eavesdropping is highly informative – especially when a conversation is in print. Such an informative, though seemingly improbable, dialogue has been taking place at Christianity Today. Tony Jones, of Emergent Village, and Collin…
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The Mark of the Christian (part 6)
by Francis Schaeffer Love In Practice Let me give two beautiful examples of such observable love. One happened among the Brethren groups in Germany immediately after the last war. In order to control the church, Hitler commanded the union of all religious groups in Germany, drawing them together by law. The Brethren divided over this…
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Solitude
My friend, Seaton Garrett, has developed a great series called Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Disciplines. Here is an excerpt from part 6 on Solitude: To read the whole post click: Solitude Great series, Seaton.
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Building a House of Prayer
As the officers of our church and I work through our vision and philosophy of ministry process, there are two simple and fundamental truths that serve as a foundation and shape my thinking. First, Jesus says: “I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18) And the psalmist says: “Unless the Lord builds the house the laborers…
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The Mark of the Christian (part 5)
by Francis Schaeffer When Christians Disagree What happens, then, when we must differ with other brothers in Christ because of the need also to show forth God’s holiness either in doctrine or in life? In the matter of life, Paul clearly shows us the balance in I and II Corinthians. The same thing applies in…
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