NOTE: This post was originally written April 30, 2010. Last week I had lunch with my friend, Robert Higgins. Every Friday he and I spend an hour together and share lunch in his room at Fountain Care. Robert is 78 years old. He has bone cancer. He is on Hospice Care now. When I first met him he was homeless. The manager of the motel in Santa Ana where we’ve been serving introduced me to Robert. When Pete, the manager,... Read more
You probably already know that I walked away from pastoral ministry at a traditional church over 11 years ago to start a church that meets in homes around Orange County, California where 100 percent of the offerings go to support the poor in our community. You probably also know that I’ve since moved to Boise, Idaho and started a new house church group here, and may actually start a second one very soon. You may even know that I’ve... Read more
It’s hard to believe that I would even need to post an article to make this point to anyone, especially to other Christians. But, apparently, there are many who actually do believe that God hates the wicked and despises sinners. Who? You ask. Well, people like pastor, author and Bible teacher R.C. Sproul, for example. Try to watch this clip below without throwing up. [It wasn’t easy for me]. So, just to summarize: *There’s nothing more dangerous than preaching that... Read more
Every single time I try to point out that the Bible never points us to the Bible, but always points us to Christ, and that we can know Christ without the Bible, someone always says this: “But, Keith, you wouldn’t know anything about Christ without the Bible.” And that’s the problem, I think. See, people who have made the menu the meal, or confused the map with the treasure, cannot understand that there’s someone beyond the written words ABOUT... Read more
I hope you’re sitting down. Maybe grab a stress ball or cuddle with your therapy dog. Ready? Ok. Here goes. The New Testament is filled with epistles that were not written by Paul or Peter. These are called “Pseudepigrapha” because, like other fake scriptures circulated in the late second and third centuries, they were not authored by the Apostle whose name appears on it. The textbook definition of Pseudepigrapha is: “Spurious or pseudonymous writings ascribed to various biblical patriarchs and... Read more
As American Christians pledge allegiance to the flag, we are increasingly aware that our churches are not united as one, but are deeply divided along political lines. The facts are alarming. Our Churches are becoming more politically-charged. Political divisions have created a fractured and broken Church community. Young people are leaving the church by the thousands. Most young people say politics in the pulpit is driving them away from Christianity. Bottom Line: The American Church has never been more divided politically. So, what can we do to... Read more
I’ll be honest, I’m a pessimist at heart. There’s a phrase I love that says “The definition of a Pessimist is: An Optimist with experience.” That’s my basic posture. But, as I’ve been doing research for my next book, I ran across a beautiful description of the early Christians that really took my breath away and made me reconsider my pessimistic tendencies. In the book, “Universalism: The Prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Church During Its First Five Hundred Years”... Read more
So…I had a dream last night. It was kinda strange, but I woke up wondering what it meant. Part of it was someone looking at me and urging me to “be the scientist” I was meant to be. There was a bit about trying to tune a radio to find a station but it never would come in. Then we were walking through the forest, up a hill. Someone was asking me if I was a Prophet or an... Read more
New Covenant Theology was the “new thing” a few decades ago and many were called heretics for defending and promoting it. Previously, the two main theologies were Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism. According to Wikipedia: “New Covenant Theology (teaches) that the person and work of Jesus Christ is the central focus of the Bible. One distinctive result of this is that Old Testament Laws have been abrogated or cancelled with Jesus’ crucifixion, and replaced with the Law of Christ found in... Read more
Does everyone deserve love? Does everyone receive mercy? In some contexts, we can freely affirm these ideas. Of course everyone deserves to be loved. Certainly everyone receives God’s mercy and forgiveness, regardless of who they are or what they’ve done. It’s the vagueness of these ideals that allows us to affirm them. But give us someone specific and these start to break down. For example: The man who walked into a Mosque in New Zealand and shot 50 people dead... Read more
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