Are you saved? Salvation is one of those words we sing about and talk about a lot in the church but rarely define. During my teen youth group years, salvation was laid out like some kind of religious multi-level marketing program. Get saved by saying some spiritual words during an altar call, … Read more about S is for Salvation
What About Isaiah 53?
We talked about the dangers of a penal substitution theory of atonement yesterday. I want to thank everyone who shared, retweeted, emailed and commented. The sincerity and the level of interest were very encouraging to me - as was the level of pushback. It reminds me of exactly how much all of this … Read more about What About Isaiah 53?
One Thing That Did Not Happen On Good Friday: PSA
Exploring historic atonement theories during Lent has been eye-opening. At one of the gatherings of my church, atonement theories have fueled our conversations the past 6 weeks (you can listen here). I have to come to appreciate both the complexity and the beauty that has gone into these attempts … Read more about One Thing That Did Not Happen On Good Friday: PSA
Branded From Birth and the Web of Meaning (2/2)
Some of the best feedback I got last week, when talking about Social Costructivism being my philosophical orientation within my chosen discipline of Practical Theology, came from WrdsandFlsh Responding to my sentence: "I do not believe in the autonomous, selective nor the pre-institutional self. … Read more about Branded From Birth and the Web of Meaning (2/2)
God Is Not Like Me
I grew up in a tradition that said I should be, as much as possible, like Jesus. I get that - and I try to do so. Yesterday at the Loft LA I had the privilege to say 3 things (among many others) about God: God is Black (from James Cone) She Who Is (from Elizabeth Johnson) God is a Fag ( … Read more about God Is Not Like Me
When Total Depravity is Totally Unhelpful
I was asked to review a blog-post by Donald Miller called “New Research May Change Your Views on the Depravity of Man”. This is not something I would normally do, but I took a look at it and found a couple of interesting glitches in the thoughts that were expressed. Nerd Alert: … Read more about When Total Depravity is Totally Unhelpful
Day 7: Sodom’s Sin Wasn’t Sexual
iI am blogging my way through Neighbors & Wisemen for Lent. Today we are in chapter 7. The final sentence hits you hard. "True hospitality pushes past what we can afford to give up and makes deposits in accounts we can never lose." It is truly humbling, and a bit disturbing, to be in a … Read more about Day 7: Sodom’s Sin Wasn’t Sexual
Evil Is as Evil Does
Earlier this week I wrote about Dealing with Demons - a progressive take, and in it I mentioned that the Devil was a personification of when evil is too big and too bad for us to comprehend as a human result ... we outsource to an ancient, cosmic bad guy. Many were able to track with the demon … Read more about Evil Is as Evil Does