Many I bump into don’t care about this issue because for them all other Gods than the Christian God are non-gods, idolatries. Others, however, probe this question with far more interest, asking at times about overlaps and dissimilarities. I’m grateful to Zondervan’s industrious editors for yet one more volume in the Counterpoints series with this new volume: Do Christians, Muslims, and Jews Worship the Same God? The editors are Ronnie P. Campbell and Christopher Gnanakan. The contributors are Wm Andrew... Read more

Michael Gorman forms the discussion well: In the previous chapter we took seriously Paul’s claim in 1 Corinthians 2:2 that he had decided to know nothing except the crucified Messiah, and we saw that for Paul (and for those who consider Paul’s letters Christian Scripture) the cross is both Christophany and theophany, both ecclesiophany and anthrophany. That is, the cross reveals the identity of Christ, of God, of the church, and of true humanity. But what about the resurrection? Did... Read more

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When I was studying the patterns of apostasies (Finding Faith, Losing Faith), I found Ruth Tucker’s book so helpful and this post draws from her book. (paid links) By Ruth Tucker “Suddenly from head to foot, Robert was shaken with what seemed like a magnetic thrill of heavenly delight and floods of glory seemed to pour through him, soul and body.” Hannah wanted the same experience and later during a revival meeting went down to the altar, armed with handkerchiefs,... Read more

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.BCP Read more

RESILIENT FAITH: HOW THE EARLY CHRISTIAN “THIRD WAY” CHANGED THE WORLD Gerald Sittser (aka Jerry) is the best-selling author of Water from a Deep Well, A Grace Disguised, and The Will of God as a Way of Life He is the beloved and long-term professor of theology at Whitworth University, where he serves as senior fellow and researcher in the Office of Church Engagement. The following interview centers around Jerry’s latest book, Resilient Faith. (paid link) The interview was conducted... Read more

What a grand way to kick off this week’s meanderings, with a link to a post about books and hoarding. You’re a book hoarder if… “It’s not hoarding if it’s books.” This is a popular saying among bibliophiles with various versions like the above circulating as memes on social media. I’m not so sure if that’s always true. From comments I read, there are a number of us who are book hoarders. Notice that I include myself here. You know... Read more

By Mike Glenn One summer, I worked for a local bottling company. Every day, I would show up and wait for the machine operator to start cranking out two-liter bottles of America’s favorite soft drinks. Bottle after bottle, case after case, truck load after truck load ran onto a circling stainless-steel platform waiting for me to grab them, stuff them in a box, stack the boxes onto a pallet and wave for the fork lift driver to come and take... Read more

We all prefer friends who are just like us … personality, age, education, social class, marital status, politics. This is simply human nature it appears – with both good and bad consequences. We tend to self-segregate. Should the church be any different? I read an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (aka PNAS) a while back where the investigators looked at self-segregation as a function of institution size. Both simulation and survey methods were used... Read more