The parables of Jesus summon us to the edge of the world in order to imagine a world that can only be called “kingdom.” Parables are more than illustrations and more than stories making a point. Instead, they invite us into a storied world that has the power to transform the one who enters the storied world. Jesus invites us to imagine a world where forgiveness shapes relationships. (Read the parable after the jump.) Forgiveness, C.S. Lewis once observed, is... Read more
I give Roger Olson an applause for an accurate sketch of the American evangelical coalition, of the influx of a fundamentalist spirit that is taking over (and rob our freedom in Christ), and of the difficulty of the middle road. What I find grieving, too, is the lack of understanding on the part of many loud voices today of the history of 20th Century evangelicalism. What was clearly fundamentalism and what was “neo-evangelicalism,” which the former decried constantly as a... Read more
How to respond to enemies? How to respond to those with whom one is conflict? What to do? The psalms suggest going directly to God. Call on God, Psalm 28 informs us. David’s prayer weaves together his request from God to listen, for God to heed his plea, and for God to act in order to keep him from the fate of the wicked. Which leads David to a reflection — in his soulish wandering — on the fate of... Read more
Part 2 for today…. Here’s one of the most important observations that Steve Wilkens and Don Thorsen make in their new book, Everything You Know about Evangelicals Is Wrong (Well, Almost Everything): An Insider’s Look at Myths and Realities . Not all Evangelicals are Republicans. And in this chp the authors map the difference between Republicans and Democrats along four principles. Which of these is the most important in public debates today? How would you rank them in significance? 1. Governments are... Read more
Here’s one of the most important observations that Steve Wilkens and Don Thorsen make in their new book, Everything You Know about Evangelicals Is Wrong (Well, Almost Everything): An Insider’s Look at Myths and Realities . Not all Evangelicals are Republicans. But it is one of the most common assumptions made in the media and in pulpits. I begin with a simple experience that illustrates the issue: As a student at a well-known evangelical seminary in the late 70s and early 80s... Read more
David Kinnamon and the Barna Group has a new survey study …. Anne Rice is not alone. She shares a spiritual profile with nearly 60 million other adults nationwide. In the Barna study, the matter of faith switching was explored in several ways. First, respondents identified their childhood faith, if any, and then were asked to list their current faith allegiance. A comparison of the two answers showed that nearly one-quarter of adults (23%) had moved from one faith or... Read more
The second half of Psalm 27 (read vv. 7-14 after the jump) reveals the heart of David as he seeks to control his fear and actualize his own theology of God’s strength and protection. He wanders — soulish wandering — between his beliefs and his condition: Here’s a simple statement — a request for God to listen: 7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. Inside, this is what his heart is saying…... Read more
This has been a busy summer for me – much more so than usual – and it has taken me a while to work through John F. Haught’s book Making Sense of Evolution: Darwin, God, and the Drama of Life. I find this book something of a mixed bag. It is interesting and useful for the perspective Haught brings to thinking about a layered approach to meaning within creation, but it is lacking in the overall view of God and... Read more
Most of us have favorite authors, and it is not uncommon for us to fall heads over heels in love with the author only to meet the author or read about the author and to discover the author was a creep or a jerk or far less than we had hoped. We could broaden our vision here and say the same about professional athletes — I wouldn’t cross the street to meet Michael Jordan, for instance. We vary on this:... Read more
Tim Dalrymple, at Patheos, asks this set of questions, and the big one is one deserving serious discussion: Americans who stand outside these favored circles feel cheated and powerless. Worse still, it is not clear if either party possesses the vision and moral fortitude to navigate the nation through this storm. What if America has become ungovernable? What if the problems that beset us cannot be rectified by a new President, a new party, new policies? What if the problem... Read more
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