What makes a leader? Ideas. Courage. Contact with great thinkers. What makes a Christian leader? Great ideas, courage, and contact with great thinkers re-shaped and shaped by the gospel. So, I offer to you a list of my top ten books for leaders, and none of the titles of these books have the word “leader,” or its buddy “leadership,” in it. Some of these are overtly Christian classics; others are not. These books have the ability to swell the chest,... Read more
Our prayers are with the families of the dead, for the wounded and for the families of the wounded; we pray for the attacker and his family as well. Gracious God, the comfort of all who sorrow, the strength of all who suffer: Let the cry of those in misery and need come to you, that they may find your mercy present with them in all their afflictions; and give us, we pray, the strength to serve them for the... Read more
I’ve seen the little fella now a few times … and now we’re beginning to think we’ve got a problem, like realizing the church pianist might do better at a different church… Anyway, we’ve got a skunk who has discovered that he can feed nightly at our bird feeder. We want to be hospitable but extending such to skunks could create all sorts of problems. So…. How do you get rid of a skunk? Read more
I’d like to sketch a couple of more general points about the first missionary trip of Paul and Barnabas, and hope this can be put into the larger missional theology that the Book of Acts inhabits. I’m concerned about Acts 13-14, which clearly also sets the tone for Acts 15. I wonder how Paul would have seen, upon reflection, missional work. First, the missional work of Paul and Barnabas, or better yet the missional work of God through Paul and... Read more
Tuesday I began a series of posts looking at Harvey Cox’s new book The Future of Faith. Today I would like to look at Chapter 3 – Ships Already Launched. Cox begins this chapter by dismissing the idea that all religions are the same. We all live with mystery, but how we cope varies. I frequently meet people who, when they discover that I teach religion, assure me that “underneath, all religions are really the same.” I used to respond... Read more
In a post last month I raised the issue of Third Way preaching, and this is what I said: A genuine Third Way will get beyond the Sunday morning sermon as the primary form of spiritual formation and education in a local church, and neither Belcher nor Pagitt seem to approach preaching through the lens of a larger formational program with clearly defined outcomes. A genuine Third Way will form a well-rounded and adaptable formation program that guides all sermons,... Read more
Nightline’s series on the Ten Commandments continues with a look at the Sabbath command, and it raises a question that often arises: Do Christians celebrate “Sabbath”? Let’s begin with the command itself, in both versions in the Old Testament, and then I want to address our question. Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy. 20:9 For six days you may labor and do all your work, 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it you... Read more
Thursday evening I flew down to Cincinnati for the National Youth Workers Convention, which everyone seems to call YS — Youth Specialties. I love speaking to youth pastors, in part no doubt because they are just one step removed from our seniors. At least most of them are. It was fun to see so many old faces and meet new folks, but I got to spend time with Jana Riess of Westminster John Knox Press, Mike King of YouthFront in... Read more
The missional work of God goes on and continues to expand, but Paul and Barnabas retrace their steps to visit the previous spots of mission in order to deepen and anchor those missional outposts of the gospel. 14:21 After they had proclaimed the good news in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch. 14:22 They strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, “We must enter the kingdom... Read more
Greg Boyd, in his newest book, The Myth of a Christian Religion: Losing Your Religion for the Beauty of a Revolution , takes no prisoners, minces no words, makes his points, states them clearly, and calls the reader to decision. The issue for him has to do with whether we want to participate in what he calls the religion of Christianity or the Jesus revolution. How central to the gospel and to the Christian faith is following Jesus? Is a... Read more
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