Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol’ days, When our momma sang us to sleep, but now we’re stressed out. — Twenty One Pilots, “Stressed Out” There was a time when pop musicians simply went by their given name, like Frank Sinatra or Duke Ellington. But then came the Beatles and the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones and Iron Butterfly. There are exceptions along the way, but now we expect musicians to name themselves U2, the Smashing... Read more
The four-part story of the Gospel is CREATION FALL REDEMPTION RESTORATION Sadly, in this post, I am still covering the tragedy of the Fall. No longer does everyone work together for the attainment of shalom. Cornelius Plantinga Jr. defines shalom as “universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight.” According to Plantinga, shalom is the way things are supposed to be. This is the premise of his excellent book, Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin. Mike Wittmer, in his... Read more
After the creative events recorded in Genesis 1 and 2, Genesis 3 records what theologians call “the Fall.” “The essence of man’s first sin was his disobedience to the only divine command he had received: not to eat of the tree of knowledge. The consequences of his actions are both physical—toil, pain. and death—and spiritual—alienation from God.” (Gordon J. Wenham, Word Biblical Commentary Volume 1, Genesis 1-15) The consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin goes beyond them to all of... Read more
The first herders, musicians, and bronze workers are recorded in Genesis. “Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron.” (Genesis 4:20-22) According to Cornelius Plantinga Jr., “All of these unfold the built-in potential of God’s creation. All reflect the... Read more
Genesis 1 does not explicitly use the term “work,” but in the creation account recorded in Genesis 2, the word becomes much more central. In verse 5, the text says that there were two reasons why shrubs and plants had not yet appeared: God had not yet sent rain, and more significantly to our study, “There was no one to work (ʿavad) the ground.” God’s creational intention for humanity was that we were to work. This, it should be noted,... Read more
For the days leading up to and after CCO’s Jubilee Conference, I am going to do a series on the Four-Chapter Gospel story of Creation, Fall, Redemption, & Restoration. Jubilee is an annual college student conference that has always been about the Four-Chapter Gospel and the importance of Vocation to participating in the mission of God. Each of the four main sessions focuses on the chapters one-by-one, and the breakout workshops focus on callings and how to glorify God in... Read more
Skye Jethani, in a great insight in his book, Futureville (and also discussed in this article from The High Calling / Theology of Work Project), delineates three levels of calling. The highest level of calling is when Jesus calls to us “Follow Me,” and our continued abiding in communion with Christ, The second level of calling is the common calling for all Christians to obey the commands of Scripture (instructions to love one another, pray for those who persecute you,... Read more
I was sent out on a short-term mission trip to the grocery store. “It won’t take long,” she promised. Her head tilted just so and her eyes firing rapid blinks. “Pick up some apples and I’ll make a pie.” How could I resist? The male double-helix shopping code is to “get in and get out without any complication.” So I thought this was going to be an easy assignment. Like the last time I brought home eggs. A couple were... Read more
(re)integrating faith and art. The true, the good, and the beautiful: through the ages, these ideals have been at the heart of what it means to be human. We seek truth, we need to do that which is good, and we need to experience beauty. Christians have forever embraced these as various aspects of the glory of God. Jesus, the logos of God, is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14) and is the personification of truth (John 14:6), and those who follow Jesus will know this truth and... Read more
In this six-minute video, Skye Jethani talks succinctly about how a theology of vocation (or calling) must re-emerge so that every Christian can participate in the mission of God. He talks about three levels of “calling,” and how understanding and valuing these callings can and will change the way Christians take part in real ministry. For more on these levels of calling, check out my previous post on how Os Guinness and Skye Jethani explain levels of calling. Read more
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