Here are our big questions in this series of posts: How do we move beyond the Bible? Should we? Better yet: Since we have to, how do we move beyond the Bible into our world but do this biblically? This is the concern of Zondervan’s new Counterpoint book edited by Gary Meadors: Four Views on Moving beyond the Bible to Theology (Counterpoints: Bible and Theology) . Let’s begin today with a question: Do you think it is “biblical” to... Read more
Because he supports abortion rights, a view in conflict with Roman Catholic teaching, Patrick Kennedy is now being banned from taking communion. What is your take on this? Do you believe in such “church discipline”? Will this complicate other parishes? (Anyone know?) Washington (CNN) — Rhode Island’s top Roman Catholic leader has asked Rep. Patrick Kennedy to stop taking Communion over his support for abortion rights, the diocese said Sunday.< In a statement issued Sunday, Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin said he... Read more
The ecclesiological shift is found in the church renewing its missional identity in practice as well as in theory. Moving from merely a sending church that sends a few professional missionaries to a imaginatively exploring and living as a sent people who live out mission daily. The West is growing more and more Post-Christian which may sound like all bad news. This shift can however contain promise in it for the Church in the Post-Christian West in offering it a purifying challenge. Today there is... Read more
We come in the Book of Acts to Paul’s sailing across the Aegean to Greece, where he sets up missional shop in Philippi, and we found a picture from a 6th Century church there. Anyway, because they knew that synagogues are near living/running water, they went to the river in the hope of finding a synagogue or, a very common name for such, a “house of prayer.” They encounter a woman named Lydia. She is described as a “God-fearer,” which... Read more
I know many folks are into this new-fangled “find your tribe” stuff, but it deeply concerns me. It is postmodern; it denies the “communion of the saints” and it’s yet another one of those “church growth” theories that prevents genuine integration and creates potential racial, gender, and theological divisions — not to mention the economic division it creates. So, I’m very pleased that, in their new book, Hidden Worldviews: Eight Cultural Stories That Shape Our Lives , Steve Wilkens and... Read more
Simply put, the problem with the Book of Job is that it is too long for most folks, too long for most preachers to preach all the way through, and too long for Bible study groups. (I’m not excusing our reading of it; I’m trying to explain the reality that the only place folks get much from Job is in college or seminary or in some personal exploration. Maybe we need churches to get a drama team to stage this... Read more
Every Bible reader, especially every teacher and pastor, needs a solid Bible encyclopedia that does its best to tell us what we need to know about history and theology and archaeology as well as sketch each book of the Bible. Some today entrust their minds to Wikipedia, which is a mixed bag of excellence and, well, not so excellent, so it is wise — if not necessary — for the student in college or seminary, or the young pastor or... Read more
I’m very excited (as the General Editor) of our new commentary series (Regula Fidei Commentaries) that will focus on explaining the New Testament books in the context of the Bible’s Story and discerning how to “live the Story” in our world today … We have an excellent team of editors (with Lynn Cohick, Joel Willitts and Michael Bird) and an array of international scholars who will be invited to write the commentaries. John Dickson (Australia) and I are slated to... Read more
Nicholas Kristof, in a brilliant story about Tererai Trent, reminds us of what we can do through the simple gifts of charity to parts of the world where both money and opportunity are scarce beyond our comprehension. This is the first post in a series we will do about orphans, and when we are done I have an exciting new opportunity to offer you, readers of the Jesus Creed blog, to do something about orphans. But, first … read this... Read more
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Read more
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