I’ve been thinking of the spiritual life of the disciples in relationship with Jesus, and how this might help me understand myself as well as those in my community, as well as those who have left: The first movement is the call to discipleship. Come, follow me. There is some kind of turn from what we have been to a new way of being and living. There is a sense of intimacy and fellowship, as well as immediacy. The disciples... Read more

Radosh, in his book Rapture Ready: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture, says: … do Christians simply find a personal comfort zone and construct a theological and cultural justification around it? I say yes. However, not just Christians, but all of us. This is the natural, primal task of the brain for the human organism. The brain’s fundamental occupation is to make itself secure and to justify that security with apparently logical explanations. Everyone from the religious... Read more

Paul’s argument in the Corinthian correspondence is an interesting one. The “super-apostles“… well-dressed, well-connected, well-pedigreed, well-educated, well-spoken… have come in behind him and introduced an ambitious gospel of power, triumph, dignity, glory, success, order and strength. This explains why Paul comes across as so weak in comparison. That is actually his defense. I can hear the super-apostles trying to run a negative campaign against Paul: “How can he call himself an apostle? He has no papers. He has a sordid... Read more