photo © 2010 Hartwig HKD | more info (via: Wylio) Who has the right to say what is orthodox? Following the recent controversy regarding Rob Bell’s soon to be published book about the meaning and nature of hell, one commentator suggested that Bell should no longer be considered as an evangelical. Quite what difference this would make to the sale of this new book can only be surmised. This statement did send my thoughts back to some study I... Read more
photo © 2008 Navjot Pawera | more info (via: Wylio) Some days I feel like calling for an end to all theological discussion. I hate the way that theology spirals into nasty battles about whose got the corner market on truth. When I told my co-workers at a a steel manufacturing warehouse that I was quitting to study theology the response I got was, “What is theology?” Literally theology means, “words about God” from the Greek ‘Theos‘ (God) and... Read more
The following questions are from my original response to Justin Taylor about Rob Bell’s new book: Love Wins. Why do you feel the need to defend Rob Bell? Let me be quite clear. I do not feel the need to defend Rob in the way that some assume. Do I like his books? Yes. Do I like his preaching more than his books? Yes. It is easy to admit that Rob has made an impact on my spiritual journey. That... Read more
UPDATE: After you read this original post, please also read the follow up post where I answer some important questions! ———— Have you ever been fed up? Today, I am fed up. For the past couple of months I have been excited about the forthcoming release of Rob Bell’s latest book: Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. This will be a book where Bell takes on some important topics that need to be... Read more
Elmer Martens begins his discussion of the cult practices of Israel with Passover. Such an annual festival was explained with great detail, but the theology of such is left unattended (48). He expands his exploration of a theology of sacrifice by noting that ‘substitution’ as commonly understood is not the focal point as many assume (61-63). Rather, sacrifices point to ongoing deliverances as blessing from YHWH (64). Walter Brueggemann notes a God who is “sovereign in relationship” rather than being... Read more
It’s a pretty common story. Someone grows up in a conservative Christian setting and is taught that Genesis gives the true account of creation and that evolution is false. Then in high school or college the young Christian learns about evolution. You’ve probably heard or met people who had that experience and reacted in one of two ways. He may be convinced by the scientific evidence that evolution is true, and decide that Christianity must therefore be false. Some have... Read more
Lauren Winner, in her wonderful memoir, Girl Meets God, offers a wonderful perspective on what it means to convert to Christianity. She is a former Orthodox Jew who embraced Jesus as Messiah in her young adult years. In our conversionist evangelical culture, we often desire to have a single moment in time when we turned from darkness to light. For Winner, this is a difficult category to uphold. She states: “My story doesn’t fit very well with this conversion archetype…... Read more
This weekend I was featured on two different sites. First, I was part of Rachel Held Evans’ “Sunday Superlatives” which featured my Nonviolence 101 series. A big thanks to her. If you are here visiting from her site, welcome! If you have not read her stuff, she is always creative and provocative. Also, I had a profile posted on Digital Disciples (Gabe Taviano). I answered some personal questions about blogging and talked about it as ministry. Check out that site... Read more
The following is part of a fairly long series on the theology and practice of nonviolence. If you would like to read all of the posts, you can do so here. ————————————– Convinced of the theology of nonviolence, I have embraced the essence of my Anabaptist roots. It would be arrogant to assume that my tradition is the only one with a peaceful witness, as it is exciting to see how many Christians of varying denominations are choosing the dusty... Read more
The following is part of a fairly long series on the theology and practice of nonviolence. If you would like to read all of the posts, you can do so here. ————————————– “What if…” #1 Without fail, there are two “what if” scenarios that always emerge when having this discussion with American friends. The first of these is: What if a Hitler-like dictator emerges? The conversation usually goes in the direction of claiming that there was no other option than... Read more
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