I am not very good at book reviews, what I am good at is something more related to plagiarism. So if you enjoy this small mini-series of blogs over the next three weeks, then I encourage you to get A.J. Swoboda’s new book A Glorious Dark. It is a great book, and I wasn’t planning on loving as much as I did. Swoboda is a Pentecostal Pastor from Portland (try saying that 10 times fast), the book is funny, profound,... Read more
From Thomas Reese, who details five problems and five opportunities — go to the link for the full article: The Bad. When it comes to women, Pope Francis has five strikes against him, but he also has some good points. First strike: He is male. Second, he is celibate. Pardon the stereotyping, but the third strike against Francis is that he is Latin American. Latin American culture is patriarchal and paternalistic. The fourth strike against Francis is that he has... Read more
Source: States across the country are taking a dim view toward daylight saving time. And some say it’s time to turn back the clock — so to speak. Lawmakers in 10 states have proposed legislation challenging what, for many, is a twice-a-year headache, and one they just endured again earlier this month. The new bills would mostly have states pick a time … and stay on that time. “Every time you have the spring forward or fall back, you get... Read more
One of my favorite thinkers in the blog world is Richard Beck at Abilene Christian (with whom and Jana Kris and I dined recently). He doesn’t touch a thing without rearranging my thoughts. He sees American Progressivism and Progressives as creating a purity culture. Here’s a clip of a few paragraphs from Richard’s post: But I’m a progressive Christian writing, mainly, for other progressive Christians. Which is to say I think progressive Christianity is getting right some fundamental things about... Read more
Christianity is a religion founded on hope precisely because it is founded in God and his work in the world through Jesus, the Messiah of God. The resurrection is the clearest example of this hope, but it is far from the only example in scripture. John Polkinghorne outlines New Testament insights into Christian hope and the theological foundation of this hope in chapters seven and eight of his book The God of Hope and the End of the World. First... Read more
By Geoff Holsclaw, pastor at Life on the Vine and colleague at Northern Seminary. Does the Trinity really matter to our regular lives? And with this supposed “trinitarian revival” of the last 75 years, what are the options? Have things really changed? Or is it all useless? Well, Zondervan’s Two views on the Doctrine of the Trinity brings together two examples of a “classical” understanding and two examples of a “relational” understanding of the Trinity into conversation, and we’re going... Read more
The first view, from Johanna Harris Tyler: Potential abuse. The proponents of male headship have a tough job to convince the watching world that the hierarchy at the centre of their vision for marriage and church order is not more prone to abusive activity than the egalitarian alternative. Baird is right to call out male headship for the ways in which its gendered role-playing in marriage may foster abuses of power. She does not suggest that all such marriages are... Read more
Recently Michael Jensen, at TGC’s site, had a post about the nature of Anglicanism that focused quite rigorously on a conservative version of Reformed soteriology, and you can read his emphases at the link. I countered a bit by suggesting it was creedal to the core. But now another heavyweight, J.I. Packer, has weighed in on the nature of Anglicanism. And their perspectives, while they might agree on lots and lots theologically, reveal that Anglicanism can be approached from a... Read more
Allow me to use three Greek terms to describe how church is not only understand but practiced today. If you observe the practice you can describe the understanding behind it. Each is an expectation that can be met by participating in that expectation. I offer today some thoughts about three models of church at work in our minds and our practices, and send you to A Fellowship of Differents for an exposition of the third sense. Leitourgia That is, church is... Read more
Almighty God, You alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; That, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and for ever. Amen. BCP Read more
Jesus Creed
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