James has now argued from Jesus and from theology. He now argues from sheer pragmatics that despising the poor is stupid: Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? (James 2:6-7) The setting has shifted to the realities of the experiences of the poor. The poor had no recourse. The poor lived from hand to mouth. The poor were being dragged, unjustly, into court. The rich, who had... Read more
This is from a colleague of mine, Bradley Nassif, who teaches theology at North Park University. Brad is an Eastern Orthodox theologian. My mother, Lydia, only had an 8th grade education and waited tables for a living. She was poor and had 4 children to raise alone. A tragic thing happen to her when she was 50 years old. She became crippled for life after a surgeon made a horrifying mistake while operating on her feet. The doctor confused her... Read more
Some books don’t get to the top shelf or to the front of the table because they’re not very good. Other books don’t get to the top or the front for no good reasons, and I’ve recently been through a book about women in ministry that deserves to be on the top shelf. Why? One reason: it’s a complete case. In the debate about women in ministry, what are the most decisive biblical texts for you? How important of an... Read more
Snobbery is a major problem at work among the messianists. Notice these words from James 2: 5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. How have they despised the poor and become the snob? When the poor enter into the community gathering, the messianists have assigned them inferior... Read more
Science and faith – Darwin and the Bible; these topics have excited a great deal of interest in our culture of late – and the spate of books on the topic shows little sign of abating. Several resources have appeared to facilitate discussion in college classrooms. These books try to look at the issues objectively – with varying degrees of success. One recent such book is Darwin and the Bible: The Cultural Confrontation by Richard Robbins and Mark Cohen. This... Read more
The two most common heretical slurs tossed around today are “Pelagianism” (or is little friend, semi-Pelagian, which is more slur than substance) and Gnosticism (or neo-Gnosticism). The most formidable early threat to orthodox Christian faith was Genosticism, and the 10th chp of Heresies and How to Avoid Them: Why It Matters What Christians Believe is about that threat. The chp is by Anders Bergquist, an Anglican vicar at St John’s Wood in central London. Do you think there are any... Read more
“love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven”? “And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?” I don’t know the ins and outs of political protocol, but I wonder if a handshake and a smile might lead to more opportunities for peace. An olive branch beats a sword. Read more
Last Saturday I got up early and drove down to Naperville to speak at a Young Life event. I had prepared myself for a variety of talks since I wasn’t quite sure how Young Life leaders would respond to a 9am session. After listening to the leaders (Bob Davidson and Gail Ebersole)… I adapted a question I used recently about spiritual formation: Do we stop in our formation at a glowing light bulb or do we let the light bulb... Read more
For James, who once again sounds like his older brother, kow-towing to the rich is not what they learned from Jesus, it is not theologically sound, and furthermore it simply doesn’t make sense. 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are... Read more
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