From RNS: RNS: You say that Jesus told us to love our enemies, but what would Jesus tell us to do when terrorists kill our fellow citizens? What would Jesus have advised us to do in the face of the Third Reich? BZ: The initial problem with this question is the pronoun “us.” Are you speaking of a Christian “us” or an American “us”? They are not the same. I don’t presume to advise the United States on national defense and foreign... Read more
Deadly Piety: Be Careful! In the review of Scot McKnight’s SGBC: Sermon on the Mount, we now move into Matthew 6 with its opening “thematic (warning) statement” (6:1) and three examples of practices of deadly piety (by the Pharisees)—almsgiving (6:2-4), prayer (6:5-6), and fasting (6:16-18). Jesus offers an aside that breaks the neat symmetry of the sermon when he warns his followers not to pray like the pagans and actually gives them a recitative prayer (6:7-15). In this post, I... Read more
Posted last week at BioLogos: A student of mine recently wrote a paper in which he talked about growing up in a church that taught young earth creationism. This student was beginning to feel quite uncomfortable as he had learned some facts about the world a long, long time ago that were almost certainly undeniable. Here is how he reported it to me: Specifically, I remember the single youth group lesson that finally pushed me to the point of crisis.... Read more
Solomon’s temple in Brazil, re-purposing churches into gyms in Quebec, and starting afresh in Manchester England. Anthony Delaney is a retired policeman. Now aged 49, he grew up on a council estate in a rough part of Manchester and joined the Police Cadets at 16, which was “all about outdoor pursuits and the pursuit of girls”. Today, Delaney is “above all” a Follower of Jesus: a self-proclaimed man of the people who has successfully utilised his gruff voice and engaging,... Read more
Trust is a powerful word. From the Merriam Webster dictionary definition: belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc. a) assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something b) one in which confidence is placed (Webster’s Unabridged 1983 to the right, click for a larger image.) Trust is precious and must be cultured and protected. The post last week Blood From Stone … But Unfortunately He Got Everything Wrong led to some... Read more
There are a number of reasons people normally start with Adam with presenting the gospel. Adam’s fall, following the creation account, stands at the beginning of the biblical story. Naturally, people simply follow the sequence of events. People want to explain the origin of sin. People use the Adam story to explain the meaning and significance of “sin.” Other reasons could be added, but I think these capture the main ones. What is the problem with Adam? I am not... Read more
Source: Amber Brantly, the wife of Dr. Kent Brantly, and her immediate family issued the following statement. Dr. Brantly, a member of the Samaritan’s Purse team in Liberia, tested positive for the Ebola virus and is fighting for his life. We appreciate so much all the words of comfort and acts of kindness extended to our family. As people with a deep faith in Jesus, we sincerely thank the thousands of people worldwide who have lifted up Kent and this... Read more
In contrast to the Solomon temple replica in Brazil, the churches of Canada are being re-purposed into gyms. MONTREAL — Weight machines fill the space where once there were pews, and visitors sip nutritional green smoothies, not communion wine. But despite its dramatic transformation into a private gym and spa, the onetime Dominican St. Jude’s Shrine on Montreal’s St. Denis Street remains a temple of sorts. “It becomes almost a religion for some people,” Sonya Audrey Bonin, general manager of... Read more
On this blog others speak, but I keep the posts oriented toward the church (mostly). Voices matter to me, so on Wednesday we have been treated this year to a series of posts by young pastors in the Churches of Christ. This post is by Jonathan Storment from Abilene Texas, and I love his set of ideas here. Central to the way the Scriptures start off is that God creates. It is, after all, the fifth word in the English... Read more
The expression “post-haste” was something I once heard from a teacher and it followed a request to go to some office to get something. “And do it post-haste.” I thought about the meaning of that expression then about as often as I did about any expression — not at all. But, that expression has a history: On the envelope of a letter a writer would write “haste, post, haste” to signal to the post carrier that he or she wanted... Read more
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