Jesus Creed
What do you think of Apple’s announcement? Read more
What do you think of Apple’s announcement? Read more
It is too easy to assign pastoral theology to the Pastoral letters of Paul; I believe 2 Corinthians contains some of the best pastoral theology of Paul, and the passage in Acts 20 of Paul’s last meeting with the followers of Jesus from Ephesus is a wonderful display of a missional pastoral theology … but first Paul has to wend his way to the port near Ephesus — at Miletus (pictured here is the entry to Miletus): 20:13 We went on... Read more
Chris Hall, in Worshiping With the Church Fathers , examines in his second chp the central focus of the early Christian’s sense of worship: eucharist. (I didn’t say the “central focus of the NT’s sense of worship” though some will say I quibble.) Eucharist … a story. Not all that long ago, I was sitting around a late night fire with some friends (it was a male bonding time too) and we were sipping a glass of wine and not a... Read more
Some (low church) folks roll their eyes when they see that word “Lent” in the title of this post, and other (often high church) folks said, “Ah, yes, something for all of us.” The Church calendar is designed to embody the gospel itself on an annual basis: we begin the birth of the Messiah and then through a season called Epiphany and then we move into Lent and Holy Week with focus on Good Friday and Easter, and then we... Read more
It’s been awhile since our friend “PW” sent us a post. She is a pastor’s wife (PW) and often speaks about what it’s like to be the spouse of a pastor. Some today would like to think this is not an issue; but it still is. So, this post today might bring things into perspective: How do you (Mr or Mrs PW) describe what your spouse DOES for a living? In my employment, I work with people from around the... Read more
Paul left Ephesus and went to Macedonia, spent 3 months there, and then began a trip back to Jerusalem, but the focus of Luke’s narrative is on Troas (picture of some temple ruins there). Here’s the basic report from Acts 20: 20:1 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them and saying farewell, he left to go to Macedonia. 20:2 After he had gone through those regions and spoken many words of encouragement to the believers there,... Read more
The French are now proposing a partial ban of women wearing the burqa. First, one has to decide if the burqa is religious (since not all Muslims wear them and since it is not required by Koran, it can’t be seen as just religious) or cultural (which seems to be the case). But, here’s the issue: those who wear them see them as cultural-religious expressions. So, the issue becomes: Where does one stop and how far into one’s religious life... Read more
Last Friday David Opderbeck introduced Ken Wilson’s essay Science and the Evangelical Mission in America. Wilson’s message is that the approach we take to issues of science and faith will have a profound impact on the willingness of people to consider the gospel. He was driven to consider the impact of conservative evangelical attitudes toward science as he set out to plant a church “in Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan, a major scientific research center and a... Read more
Yesterday I posted a letter from a young adult who is struggling to regain some lost ground in faith. Your responses were wonderful, and today I’d like to sketch the answers that I outlined last week when I got the letter. Dear Friend, You asked me, brother, for advice, so I will give you some suggestions. Please don’t understand them as imperatives but as suggestions from someone who has walked some paths of doubt. First, brother, thanks for breaching your... Read more
Evidently, the numbers are showing the American populace is unpersuaded about the value of the stimulus plan. When I read this, here are the two thoughts that came to mind: first, do we measure the value of a stimulus package by taking a poll? But, second, can any politician ignore that this poll may well reflect public perception? Washington (CNN) — Nearly three out of four Americans think that at least half of the money spent in the federal stimulus plan... Read more
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