Love isn’t a concept. It’s not a feeling. According to the Bible, love is a person, and that person is God. In the first epistle of John we read: “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-9) “God is love, and the one who abides (lives) in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:15-17) As I was reading through the first epistle of... Read more
It’s not uncommon for me to receive private messages or texts from friends and followers who are upset about the things I write about. In fact, it’s an almost daily occurrence. Sometimes the notes I receive are quite positive and affirming. Those are the kind that keep me going, to be honest. But, often, the messages I receive range from gentle rebukes to all-capped accusations of being a false teacher who is leading young Christians astray, usually followed by a... Read more
We hear this all the time: “Jesus is the only way to heaven” or “No one will be saved without knowing Jesus.” But is that true? Well, not quite. At least, that’s not what Jesus meant when he said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…” (John 14:6) Now, most of us have been told that this is what Jesus means to say in this verse, but a careful study of... Read more
In 1 Corinthians 15:28, Paul outlines 3 phases in the life-giving reconciliation of all things to God: Christ’s resurrection from the dead Then, the salvation of those who are found in Christ Finally, the full completion of universal reconciliation after everyone has passed through the fire (See 1 Cor. 3:10-15) He affirms this again in Romans 5:18 where he says: “So, then, just as by one transgression unto condemnation for all human beings, so also by one act of... Read more
Proof of Concept – Definition: The evidence that a product, technology or an information system is viable and capable of solving an organization’s particular problem. A proof of concept is often developed for new products that have not yet come to market. At the core of the Gospel is the idea that a person can be transformed by the power of the resurrected Christ and indwelled by the Holy Spirit of the Living God to become a new creation; a... Read more
NOTE: Today’s post is my transcription of a 2010 interview with Mary Emily Briehl Duba, in which she reflects on the incarnation as God’s act of peacemaking. This interview is a companion piece to her chapter, “Peacemaking and Nonviolence,” in On Our Way: Christian Practices for Living a Whole Life (2010), a book that invites emerging adults to explore “a way of life overflowing with God’s justice, mercy, and love” (from the Introduction). This video is one of thirteen interviews with... Read more
“If the only way we know Jesus is by reading about him in the Bible, then the Resurrection is unnecessary.” – Gabriel Gordon I had the most fascinating conversation with my friend Gordon the other day, and he made the comment above, which really struck me in a profound way. He and I were discussing our relationship with the Bible, the concepts of inerrancy and infallibility and what it means to say that the Scriptures are “Inspired”... Read more
If Jesus was called “Emmanuel” which means “God with us”, and if he promised never to leave us or forsake us, then Christ is with us now. If Christ is the one in whom we all live, and move, and have our being, then we are all surrounded – every moment of every day – with Christ. If God is love, then we are always enveloped in this love; night and day, awake or asleep, all day,... Read more
One of the more refreshing things about reading David Bentley Hart’s excellent translation of the New Testament is how often his notes reflect an entirely different set of suppositions than most of us have been handed by our pastors and Sunday School teachers over the years. * For example, reading through 1 Corinthians chapter 10 – where Paul uses examples from the Old Testament scriptures to provide examples to the church in Corinth about how they shouldn’t murmur, or gossip,... Read more
Sometimes you have to switch tactics to make your point. For the last few years I’ve been trying to help American Christians understand who Jesus is and that He isn’t a Pro-War, American Capitalist. I’m not making much progress, it seems. But then I ran across this article about a new comic book being created called “The Savage Sword of Jesus” and it sounded like what some American Christians believe. [This is not a joke] Here’s a little about the... Read more
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