Virtue and Experience

Last updated on: April 21, 2022 at 10:06 am By C. Don Jones

Experience is a great teacher. This quality has come under scrutiny among many conservative Wesleyans. I do not understand these attacks. They are attempts to wrest authority away from a person or a group of people’s means of understanding truth. Ben Witherington makes the mistake of equating experience with emotion or “feelings” in his blogpost “Jonathan Edwards and The Ongoing Crisis in the Methodist Church.” While I agree too many people make that mistake, I believe the critics are ready... Read more

Crucifying Jesus On Easter

Last updated on: April 18, 2022 at 11:08 am By C. Don Jones

It happened yesterday. I did not see it. But some pastor or church somewhere crucified Jesus for Easter. The claim ‘Christ is Risen’ was buried under “Jesus died for your sins.” Preachers are tempted by the size of the audiences on Easter Sunday to throw in the rest of Holy Week. There is an assumption that visitors on Easter need “to hear the Gospel preached.” Pastors then do exactly the thing that makes people avoid church the rest of the... Read more

Highway Out of Hell

Last updated on: April 16, 2022 at 9:07 am By C. Don Jones

What was Jesus doing on Holy Saturday? Was he really in or spiritually out of the tomb? Among all the legends surrounding Jesus, my favorite is the Harrowing of Hell. Jesus is busy for the time in the tomb. He is bringing people out of Hell. Many enigmatic passages in the New Testament give credence to an early belief in this story. The atonement theory of Christus Victor is based in the belief. Even though it is not a completely coherent... Read more

Just To Give You An Idea

Last updated on: April 11, 2022 at 11:00 am By C. Don Jones

The guide said it over and over again. “Just to give you an idea.” An idea is definitely not an experience. It is impossible to hand over one’s own experience to another person. Our guide was a former inmate in the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. It once housed James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. It was a maximum security facility. The former prison is now a museum and distillery. Tourists like me show up and learn... Read more

Translation of a Recently Discovered Fragment

Last updated on: April 7, 2022 at 7:58 am By C. Don Jones

The controversy over the so-called “Bethany gospel” is not going away anytime soon. I decided on a bet with my cousin Indy that I could make a translation of it quicker than him. Here is my offering My Translation [He] arrived just before the Passover. The spectacle was embarrassing. I thought about how far we had fallen. There was a time when we Jews had some dignity about us. When Alexander of Macedonia rode into Jerusalem. The crowds cheered him... Read more

Mass Graves And Biblical Authority

Last updated on: April 4, 2022 at 10:40 am By C. Don Jones

Recent reports of mass graves of civilian casualties once again raise the ire of observers. The only continent with no mass graves is Antarctica. The majority may be in Europe. And these observations say more about human beings and civilization than I care to know. While some mass graves have been necessities due to natural disasters, most are the result of genocidal rage, resentment, conspiracy theories, and the desire to destroy. 21st Century Americans will consider mass executions immoral acts.... Read more

Alcoholic Grace

Last updated on: March 31, 2022 at 12:06 pm By C. Don Jones

Psychiatry no longer says I am an alcoholic. The modern term is “alcohol abuse disorder.” People in Alcoholics Anonymous continue to use the term “alcoholism.” The condition is a disease. The word disorder just does not sound right. My psychiatrist uses both terms. “Relapse is part of the disease,” she says. AA says, “Relapse is not a requirement of the disease.” The discussion makes me think about how grace is involved in healing the addicted person. If an addict relapses,... Read more

A Slap Heard Around The World

Last updated on: March 28, 2022 at 2:13 pm By C. Don Jones

Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock is the event of the present media cycle. It was a doozy too. The people are divided. Mine friends who have done stand up comedy look down on Smith. Other friends believe it was a gallant defense of the honor of his wife. Are you Team Rock or Team Smith? The Slap Case Mr. Smith’s action has the appearance of an heroic move. His wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, is insulted by Mr. Rock. Mr.... Read more

Running For School Board: A Pastoral Perspective

Last updated on: March 24, 2022 at 1:58 pm By C. Don Jones

I once claimed the only thing you would see me running for is the state line. I do not know where I heard. But I adopted it for my own selfish purposes. Now I am running for the city School Board. So what on earth would I want to do that for? Running For I now serve a church in my hometown. And I love it. It is weird to consider that my generation has become the leaders. Kurt Vonnegut... Read more

Denying Grace In Lent

Last updated on: March 21, 2022 at 10:24 am By C. Don Jones

Denying ourselves some simple pleasures for forty day is not easy. Pleasures are important to happiness. Having them and making use of them are part of our lives. They are also part of our routine. Many of us approach Lent with some concerns. Am I say my prayers correctly. I did not read my Devotional today. Did I fail Lent? It is a surprising thought for many of us to consider. Am I denying grace during Lent? Denying Self Obviously,... Read more