A Christian Response to Undocumented Immigrants

September 30, 2014 By Preston Sprinkle

In my previous post I argued—or rather, observed—that from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible unambiguously presents the Christian faith as one which welcomes the foreigner. Christianity is an immigrant-oriented religion. Both the prophets and Jesus had some scathing words for those that mistreat or fail to welcome the immigrant. Now, some will say: “Yes, but the Bible also teaches that we are to obey our governments; therefore, we should build higher walls and establish stricter laws against illegal aliens!” This is... Read more

A Biblical View of Immigration

September 29, 2014 By Preston Sprinkle

Ask any Christian what they think about immigrants coming to America, and you’ll probably get a quick opinion. Ask them again what they think about foreigners hopping a fence without the proper documentation, and you’re bound to get a passionate response. Follow up your question with: “Where does the Bible teach that?” and you’ll probably get frustrated silence, perhaps bewilderment. Why one would care to know what the Bible says about it? It’s almost as if the Bible would do... Read more

Does Romans 7 Describe a Believer or Unbeliever?

September 27, 2014 By Preston Sprinkle

John Piper just gave a presentation at the Desiring God conference, where he argued (in part of his talk) that Romans 7 (specifically vv. 14-25) describes a believer rather than an unbeliever. And as much as I love John Piper and side with him on most theological points, I think his interpretation here is wrong. [See now this blog by Adrian Warnock, who also attended the session.] Let me first address some of his arguments and then lay out why... Read more

A “Biblical” View of Alcohol: Another Thought

September 26, 2014 By Preston Sprinkle

Between my article on alcohol for Relevant Magazine, and my follow up blogs HERE and HERE, I hesitate blogging again on this topic for fear that I’ll be known as some tipsy blogger who wants nothing more than the church to start tapping kegs for their potlucks. But at least one more blog is in order. Again, as I said in a previous post, alcohol is not really the issue. It’s an issue about biblical authority. One of my greatest... Read more

More Thoughts on Church

September 24, 2014 By Preston Sprinkle

I ended a previous blog (“What is Church?”) by referring to Paul’s statements about the church in the book of Ephesians. I said: “[The] church is the fullness of God on earth, the very presence of the risen Lamb, according to Ephesians 1:22-23, 3:10, and 4:11-15.” I want to open up this thought a bit more, since I think Paul says something profound and profoundly relevant for our culture today. It’s no secret that Christians are becoming increasingly burned out... Read more

Ezekiel’s Whore

September 23, 2014 By Preston Sprinkle

The following is an excerpt from chapter 6 (titled: “Whore”) in my new book, Charis: God’s Scandalous Delight in Us (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2014). **** Of all the stories of whores in the Bible, Ezekiel 16 is the most daring. Like Genesis 38, this chapter must have slipped past the angelic editors when God decided to put it into His Holy Book. Ezekiel 16 is a lengthy allegory (think extended metaphor, like The Chronicles of Narnia) of grace... Read more

What Is Church? A Dialogue with Donald Miller

September 22, 2014 By Preston Sprinkle

I read through Donald Miller’s reflection on church and his follow up response, and I must say that I had thoughts of both resonance and dissonance. In short, Miller confessed that he doesn’t connect with God through a traditional church service since he’s more of a kinetic learner than an audible one. Also he doesn’t experience God through singing. Therefore, he only sporadically attends a church service, yet still finds God and community in other places. I want to reflect... Read more

Theological Thoughts on Parenting

September 20, 2014 By Preston Sprinkle

Parents are often infatuated with law and less so with grace. As a father of four kids, I feel the tension daily. “Clean up your room!” “Wash the dishes!” “Share with your sister!” Stop taking things from your sister!” Parenting is a mosaic of rules that put Moses’ Law to shame. Where does grace fit in? As parents, we need to give rules. Kids will get run over unless they’re told not to play with their Legos in the street.... Read more

Theology in the Raw

September 19, 2014 By Preston Sprinkle

As you now know, I’ve started my own personal blog. I’m terrible at titling, so I thought long and hard about this one and “Theology in the Raw” seemed to best capture what this blog is all about. I’m not a very churchy theologian, and I despise Christianeze rhetoric that clutters the scandal of the gospel. I love to talk about real things, nitty gritty issues—the messy stuff. We serve a real God whose Son was born in a real... Read more

Alcohol and Being “Biblical”

September 17, 2014 By Preston Sprinkle

I want to follow up with another more general point regarding my article for Relevant Magazine on alcohol in the Bible. Over all, it’s been well received. I’ve had numerous comments, messages, emails, and texts from people saying that they found the article helpful. Still, as expected, there has been quite a bit of pushback as well. I love pushback. Iron sharpens iron, and there’s nothing better to improve your thinking than to see your thoughts challenged. As a Christian,... Read more