Some of you — like us — have both a blog and a Facebook account. Some suggest the future blog will be on Facebook while others say Facebook is so much more for networking and interpersonal stuff and e-mailing that it will never replace the more content- or conversation-shaped blog. What do you think? What are the advantages of Facebook? Of a blog? Read more
One of the more interesting artists in the history of the West is Vincent Van Gogh. One of the more fascinating dimensions of Van Gogh’s art was his expression of hope in bright yellow colors, and the absence of such colors in his famous Starry Night was a reflection of his soul’s melancholic state. So, David Hempton examines the faith story of Van Gogh in his new book, Evangelical Disenchantment: Nine Portraits of Faith and Doubt. (more…) Read more
The peace of God be over me to shelter me, under me to uphold me, about me to protect me, behind me to direct me, ever with me to save me. The peace of all peace be mine this night + in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Read more
60 above zero: Wisconsinites plant gardens. 50 above zero: People are sunbathing in Green Bay . 40 above zero: Wisconsinites drive with the sunroof open. 32 above zero: The water in Hayward gets thicker. 20 above zero: Wisconsinites throw on a flannel shirt. 15 above zero: People in Wisconsin have one last cookout before it gets cold. Zero: Wisconsinites close the windows. 10 below zero: Wisconsinites dig their winter coats out of storage. 25 below zero: Girl Scouts in Wisconsin... Read more
Does gospel preaching matter? This is a question that Peter answers. Here are his words, from 1 Peter 4:17: 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And, “If it is hard for the righteous... Read more
This post is written by my friend and graduate assistant, Chris Ridgeway, a student at North Park Theological Seminary, and an active worker in the Great Commission Ministries. He was at the Inauguration; I asked him if he’d think of writing something for us; his thoughts lead us to reflection on unity. Very nice. Anyone have a story to tell? Any other experiences you’d like to talk about at the Inauguration? Both the lines and the smiles started at the... Read more
Kris and I received from her grandmother a great chair. We eventually had it re-upholstered but it wore down, too. So, we took it to my basement study and it has been my reading chair for more than a decade. One of the chairs in our living room needs to be re-upholstered so we’ve been to a few furniture stores. But one day Kris simply declared that she wanted to get her grandmother’s chair redone. So, last Friday we took... Read more
A friend writes to ask about how missional and emerging churches and gatherings and groups are doing when it comes to justice ministries. She is doing some work on this theme and I’d like to know some reports out there of what is happening. It might be best to begin with a definition that expresses what we find in Gibbs and Bolger and then, on top of this, quote something from McLaren, and then ask our question: Emerging churches are... Read more
Peter says something in chp 4 about the gospel that has perplexed many for centuries: 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. The NIV adds the word “now” before dead to clarify. The NRSV has just “the dead.” Which is the problem: Who are they? Three options:... Read more
One of the serious challenges facing many in our church today – in fact our church for the last couple centuries – is the interaction between reason and faith. How can we reconcile our increasingly sophisticated knowledge of history, of science, of anthropology, and even of the Bible itself, with the faith of our fathers? For far too many this fault line ruptures in a faith destroying quake leaving naught but rubble in its wake. Science and the interaction between... Read more
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