When the church does not provide a “safe place” for the hurting and confused, it effectively eliminates itself as a source of counsel and wisdom, not to mention a place of sanctuary and healing. But “safe places” and a shame-based discipline system are incompatible with each other. My History with Shame For all of my […]
Safe Places and Untouchables Read More »
The COVID epidemic has clearly exposed a number of contradictions in the thought process and the actions of many American Christians. The very group that is the most vocal about stopping abortion, preventing euthanasia, and denying “my body, my choice” is also the group agitating the loudest against masking and vaccination and activity restrictions. Isaiah 1 has some strong words for God’s people in the face of their failure to look out for the vulnerable among them.
COVID Contradictions Read More »
Last year, quite a bit of the discussion in my own church, and what I saw in many other church discussions online, was about how the Lord was using COVID to shake up His Church, and bring it to new places, new thinking, new awareness, new methods and modes. Early in COVID, despite much frustration
For 45 years I’ve been taught some version of “Hebrews 10:25 says don’t skip Sunday church services.” I’m certainly not the first to exegete Hebrews 10:25, and I won’t be the last, and I don’t claim this is definitive, but I have some observations. In context, Hebrews 10 says “23Let us hold fast the confession
Forsake Not… Go Beyond Sunday Read More »
Intellectual honesty is important, and I’m seeing shockingly little of it in recent right-leaning Christian dialog. As a conservative at heart, I’m feeling betrayed by my fellow conservatives. In an Epoch Times article that I was sent today, the headline read “NIH Director Admits School Mask Mandates Are Not Based on Data of COVID-19’s Effect
How to Lie while Telling the Truth Read More »
Reading news stories about what’s wrong with America is like eating spicy food. It hurts so good. We’ll keep returning to that pepper just to get another adrenaline hit.
One of the responses I hear most often to things like CRT, or welfare, or Black Lives Matter, is that they will lead to socialism or Marxism in America. Fear is increasingly being used as a political tactic by both parties. In this case, it’s being used by both the Republican party and the evangelical
How to Cause a Revolution Read More »
My pastor sent me a paper to read about racism in the church. It is not short but I believe is worth your time (it took me under an hour to read). It states with scholarly approach, careful clarity, and supporting data some of the problems that I’ve been struggling to verbalize in various conversations
Critical Evangelical Theory Read More »
Probably every Christian with any history of reading the Bible has heard the story of the woman at the well. And most Christians have also heard the phrase “the fields are white” (or ripe) “unto harvest.” That story and that phrase are intimately linked in a surprising way.
I was having trouble sleeping last night because my arm kept falling asleep; I was trying to find a position where the tingling in my arm wasn’t bothering my brain, and I heard the Lord say to me “That’s my point, listen to it.“ I then heard Him tell me: In order to truly be
