Such is the assertion posed in a recent essay published on The Gospel Coalition (TGC) website. Before we address the claim, it is important to note the trajectory of the writer’s essay. She clearly believes there is a slippery slope between progressive Christianity and atheism. She does qualify much of what she writes, noting she is speaking of “some” progressive Christians and that correlation is not causation. However, it’s not hard to miss where she is heading; it’s clear what... Read more
Since the mid-terms are over, we probably won’t hear much more about the caravan of non-white people headed north from Central America. But we still need to address their treatment as pawns by a morally challenged President, who used them to inflame the worst angels of his supporters’ nature. Instead, to counter, let us consider a Christian view of their plight. First, as to this talk of borders and walls, there is an ignorant meme out there claiming heaven has... Read more
The dilemma moderate evangelical pastors/leaders find themselves facing is, well, the other evangelicals. The majority. Or, more specifically, the, “81%.” While evangelical pastors and leaders are almost evenly split regarding their approval of the sitting president’s job performance, their congregants, their people, are much more supportive. What to do? These moderate evangelical pastors and leaders are learning that their people are being discipled and formed, not by them, but by Fox News, conservative social media, and other right-wing sources. One... Read more
Too much ink has already been spilled and key strokes manipulated regarding the Kavanaugh appointment, for me to add to that din. I’ve frankly been a little shell-shocked the past couple of weeks (years?). How to keep up? What are we to make of this rolling, flaming, spectacle? That people who despised Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, for all their supposed failures of either morality or policy, are now eager to back a president whose failures in both areas make... Read more
Being, “counter-cultural” is a buzz-word thrown around in fundamentalist/evangelical circles–many circles in fact. Or, it was when I was growing up in that world. Be different. Don’t follow the crowd. Lead. There was almost a militancy to the idea. “Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross…” You get the picture. In American culture, we love the idea of the rebel. Think American Revolution and down the road a bit, a “Johnny Rebel.” Also, think James Dean... Read more
As I’ve written before, I like and respect the President of Gateway Seminary, Dr. Jeff Iorg. However, I was struck again by something he wrote recently and felt it needed to be addressed. Unless one has been living under a rock, she is aware of the controversy surrounding NFL players kneeling while the national anthem is being played. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the player who started it off as a way to protest, not the national anthem, or America, or... Read more
There is no other gospel, but a social justice gospel. Any other type would be truncated, partial, a mere sliver or shadow of what the good news encompasses. The gospel, the good news, is a cosmic, comprehensive, reality–that cannot be separated from aspects of justice or its relation to the community of all things (creation), their interconnection and participation. Any other type is woefully inadequate to the teachings and understandings of the very best theologians and scholars of any Christian... Read more
What if, as Christians, we decided to listen first, rather than respond immediately with, “But the Bible says…,” when we encounter views, with which, we disagree. Especially since, “but the Bible says” is just code for- this is my interpretation or what I’ve been taught. What if, as Christians, we decided to act more like Jesus before we enacted any more methods and strategies for how we should give others information about Jesus. What if, as Christians, we were as vocal... Read more
I’m not a Catholic in the sense of what most mean by that descriptor, but I am a Christian (albeit, a very poor one). I was raised in the Protestant tradition but am much closer to Eastern Orthodoxy at this point of the journey. I do, however, believe in, “one holy catholic and apostolic church.” I’m certainly catholic in that sense. I point this out only to say I can’t comment much on the inner or institutional life of the... Read more
The Maginot Line was a series of fortifications built by the French after World War I. Its purpose was to prevent or slow down another attack and invasion by Germany. We all know how that turned out. Rather than come directly at these fortifications, which probably were impregnable and almost indestructible, the Germans simply went around them. The Maginot Line was constructed to fight the last war, to address past strategies and threats. I think the belief in an inerrant... Read more
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