Recently in Seattle Washington a city ordinance was passed which bans the use of single use plastic bags. In other words, if you go to the grocery store to purchase food in Seattle (and other cities) you will not be given a plastic bag to carry it out. Plastic bags are banned. I personally think that this is a great law and a wonderful idea. This is something that Christ-followers ought to applaud and take to the next level in... Read more
Below is a great introduction to the issue of the Virgin Birth. NT Wright reflects on this in a recent article… Jesus’ birth usually gets far more attention than its role in the New Testament warrants. Christmas looms large in our culture, outshining even Easter in the popular mind. Yet without Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 we would know nothing about it. Paul’s gospel includes Jesus’ Davidic descent (Rom. 1:3), but apart from that could exist without mention of his... Read more
Here is a great introduction on how to approach the Old Testament passages on violence in light of the nonviolent peace teachings of the New Testament. Enjoy! Read more
In North America, the idea of Christian nonviolence or Pacifism (meaning to “pacify” not inactive passivism) is largely unaccepted by evangelical Christianity. This is odd considering that the peace teachings of Jesus and the early church are basic to New Testament teaching and theology. I want to offer two resources to give a basic introduction into this subject. I realize that many of my readers will disagree, but if you are willing to wrestle with the following resources, I promise... Read more
I’ve been really impressed with The City Harmonic (Facebook) on multiple levels. First, the musical quality is off the charts. They bring a great brit-rock sound that is welcomed. Second, they are a band that has a view of the gospel that is bigger than the hyper individualized Jesus of contemporary evangelicalism… incorporating thoughts from folks like Martin Luther King Jr. (see the song “Spark” and “Mountaintop”). So… I leave you with a couple of youtube videos of some of... Read more
–The following is a guest post– Last year, I began a personal discipline/tradition based on the growing influence of social media on our daily lives. Once a year, I Reboot. Specifically, I enact the full deletion of my Facebook profile. Poof. Gone. And while for some that may seem insignificant, for me, a bonafide 21st century digital boy, it is significant. And if this recent article (and many others like it) are any indication, then it is significant for lots... Read more
I’m in a “top ten” sort of mood this final week of 2011. Today, I share my top 10 reasons that I’m a Christian. Now, I’m sure that if I sat back for another 10 hours and contemplated this subject on a deeper level, that the list would morph a bit. However, if I were to list areas off the top of my head, they’d include… 10) I was born into a Christian family. 9) Youth group. Mission trips, authentic... Read more
*The following is a guest post Community … community … community. Everywhere you turn, inside and outside of the church, people are obsessed with talking about community. This is a good thing insofar as it combats the individualistic tendencies of our society. When we stop thinking about the world as millions of autonomous selves and more as related parts, we are headed in the right direction. However, the manner in which people discuss community consistently disappoints me. It is commonly... Read more
*IF YOU ARE VIEWING THIS ON THE “HOME PAGE,” SCROLL DOWN IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE NEWEST ARTICLES. 1) You Might Be an Evangelical Reject if… I wish it were otherwise, but, unfortunately it’s true. Everything within me resisted this realization. But, the time has come to admit it: I’m an Evangelical reject. The more I write the clearer this sad truth becomes. This blog, as much as it’s served as a place to flesh out ideas I believe... Read more
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