How do we tell the story of the Bible? Let’s keep it simple: the Reformed focus on covenant, the Lutherans on Gospel and Law, low church evangelicals on personal redemption … and we could go on. What Walsh and Keesmaat do is tell the story of the Bible through the lens of empire (see Colossians Remixed). Here is what they find: |inline Read more
In Irenaeus’ great studyDemonstration of the Apostolic Preaching we are treated in paragraph six to one of the earliest summaries of the principle articles of the Christian faith. Here they are: |inline Read more
Sunday morning I flew up to Minneapolis-St Paul to speak to the Meal Groups at the Sanctuary, a ministry of Crossroads Church. They are in Cottage Grove, MN. It was a great time. Here are some highlights for me: |inline Read more
The second half of chp 3 of Walsh-Keesmaat’s commentary on Colossians, called Colossians Remixed, explains how “empire” works — and their whole commentary reads Colossians as a response to empire. |inline Read more
How were you converted? Readers of this blog will know of my interest in conversion and mapping conversion stories. In a recent conversation I was confronted once again with this reality: local churches tend to “institutionalize” conversion to fit one kind of story. But research, which I sketched in Turning to Jesus, clearly reveals three patterns of conversion: |inline Read more
Take a deep breath and promise to be reasonable and to converse according to the Jesus Creed because we will be doing a series, beginning next Tuesday, on the new book by Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse called Ex-Gays?. This book pulls together a study of gays and lesbians over five years that seeks to see if the Christian faith can mediate change in sexual orientation. If you are collecting the best books on this subject this has... Read more
Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat’s commentary, Colossians Remixed, blends three elements: a postmodern approach, a socio-economic critique of empire in the West, and a creative attempt to get into the realities of the Colossian letter and its recipients. Chp 3 is creative. |inline Read more
Here are the twins of our colleagues, Joel and Karla Willitts. We prayed for those little kids and here they are — doing well. Read more
Our next two books for Friday is for Friends will be … Marko Ivan Rupnik, In the Fire of the Burning Bush Telford Work, Ain’t Too Proud to Beg Read more
Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Read more
Jesus Creed
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