Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Read more
Schools opening in Haiti! Michael Spencer, the iMonk, passed away and I hope you visit his blog and read the comments. Karen reflects on her interview with Michael. We’re wondering here at the Jesus Creed blog if folks are listening to 24.7 and what they are thinking. Questions people are not asking. Questions people are not asking. Questions people are asking (in South Africa). Questions I asked that Bob is now asking. Questions we need to be asking more. Questions... Read more
Schools opening in Haiti! Michael Spencer, the iMonk, passed away and I hope you visit his blog and read the comments. Karen reflects on her interview with Michael. We’re wondering here at the Jesus Creed blog if folks are listening to 24.7 and what they are thinking. Questions people are not asking. Questions people are not asking. Questions people are asking (in South Africa). Questions I asked that Bob is now asking. Questions we need to be asking more. Questions... Read more
Here’s the question “On Faith” at the Washington Post, and I wonder what you think: A senior Vatican priest last week compared outrage at Pope Benedict’s handling of sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church to the persecution of the Jews. Church leaders disavowed the comments, but went on to complain about a “vile,” anti-Vatican media campaign aimed at weakening the papacy and its authority. Is the news media being fair to the pope? Is the media biased against the... Read more
What about abortion? Is there an atheist view on abortion? The seventh letter in Mary Eberstadt’s new book, The Loser Letters , examines this question among the new atheists, but it is chps 8 and 9 that pull this into a cohesive, searing story. Here’s the big picture. Chps 8 and 9 describe how it is that A.F. Christian (A Former Christian) made the official move from a Dull (Christian believer) to a Bright (Atheist). A.F. Christian is living with “leechosaurus” boyfriend, Lobo, in... Read more
I sketched how Brian understands the so-called “soul sort narrative” Wednesday, and today I want to offer one more thought: how the conventional narrative actually has framed those six elements (creation, fall, condemnation or life on earth, salvation and either heaven or hell). How do you describe the “conventional” narrative of Christianity? In brief: God, out of an explosion of love and desire to expand, created the world and made humans his Eikons. Those Eikons sinned and were banned from... Read more
A good article by a married priest in the RCC, Leonard Klein, a man who was formerly a Lutheran (and married) pastor: A married priesthood would increase the pool of available men who might otherwise suppress their sense of vocation, but to blame celibacy for the shortage of priests overlooks some possibly more significant and spiritually weighty causes. Where there is a passion for the faith and an assertive call to sacrifice there tend to be more vocations. If the... Read more
Sometimes our prayers combine talking to God and talking to others when those others aren’t even present. Psalm 4 [after the jump] does just this. The psalmist (David) talks to God (v. 1) and then to others (vv. 2-5) and then to God again (vv. 6-8). John Goldingay (Psalms, Vol. 1: Psalms 1-41 ) explores this prayer, and we enter now into vv. 2-8. You can read the whole psalm after the jump. Turning to speak to one’s enemies is common... Read more
This series is primarily a consideration of a book by David N. Livingstone, Adam’s Ancestors: Race, Religion, and the Politics of Human Origins, but the challenge of Adam extends much beyond this of course. The major conflict over Dr. Waltke’s video (Confronting the Data and A Mind for Truth?), as made apparent in his clarification, centers on Adam. This is not surprising on any level. Dr. Waltke’s clarification is consistent with much of evangelical scholarship and thinking and will help... Read more
I’m asking Andy Stanley some questions about preaching, and I will be recording his answers here. Well, I’m cheating when I say that: I’m reading his book (Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication ) and generating questions that are answered by his chapters. Sorry, but I think that first paragraph was Andy-esque. I maybe have to repeat this each time to make the whole approach clear. Anyone have some suggestions for learning to preach toward a point?... Read more
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