Category: Practical Theology
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“Covenantal Friendship”
Read more: “Covenantal Friendship”So many of us are lonely. Modern Western culture — Christian and not — has all but lost its rich heritage of friendship. Below is my first try at writing out an idea I call “Covenantal Friendship.” I wrote this piece to get out of an assignment for a seminary counseling course. I’d treasure your…
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Lent Meditation: The Suffering of Moses
Read more: Lent Meditation: The Suffering of Moses“Because of you,” spoke the old friend of God, trembling, holding back heavy tears as he looked out over a sea of remorseless faces, “Because of you,” he spoke, perhaps with frank shock and bewildered grief, “Because of you the LORD became angry with me.” (Deut. 1:27) . Moses These words are among the first…
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What is Communion Really About?
Read more: What is Communion Really About?The theology behind the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, or Communion has been debated throughout church history. However, the continued practice of it shows that it is an essential part of the church’s life. In my experience, Communion has always been about reflecting on Christ’s sacrifice and repenting for sins. Growing up, it was always at…
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Nietzsche and Christianity on Redemption
Read more: Nietzsche and Christianity on RedemptionBoth Nietzsche and the collective Christian witness proclaim messages of the redemption of humanity from its current state. But just as their worldviews are different, so are their messages of redemption. In fact, the two worldviews are so different that one’s message of redemption is incompatible with the other’s framework. In a world that has…
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Show Me My Cross (practical discipleship)
Read more: Show Me My Cross (practical discipleship)On my first day at Biola, Sean Hansen taught me how to serve underclassmen by serving me. Working with a good team, Sean gave my class the wonderful gift of a week-long freshman orientation. Instantly wanting to follow him, I interviewed and started working with his campus ministry within the month. Over the course of…
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The Spirit Prays For Us
Read more: The Spirit Prays For UsThe Spirit prays for us. We do not know what to pray, nor necessarily to pray for that which we do not know what to pray for. Neither did we know how to pray, nor even how to pray for what we do not know to pray for, but our Lord has taught us. He…
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Survival of the Weakest
Read more: Survival of the WeakestLast week, I had a week-long intensive course where I learned about the teaching and learning process. While trying to take in so much information about all the different philosophies and methodologies of teaching, I also heard from people at various colleges, universities, and churches that are already actively in teaching positions from across the…
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Instagram, Barbies, and a Theology of Authenticity
Read more: Instagram, Barbies, and a Theology of AuthenticityIn recent years, authenticity has become both an ideal and a polemic. Social media users have labored to capture the mundane in beautiful ways. However, social media users have also distorted and feigned authenticity by staging the mundane. Filters and iconic captions have been used to present a particular style of life that is filled…
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Singing Theology
Read more: Singing Theology“Lex orandi, lex credendi.” Or so goes the ancient Christian maxim, loosely translated, “As we worship, so we believe.” If the songs we sing shape the way we think, we should be very thoughtful about the way our churches are led in worship. Songs are short, memorable, and have the capacity to pack in a…
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The Virtue of Articulacy
Read more: The Virtue of ArticulacyWhen I was in high school, our music classes were in danger of being cancelled. I’ll never forget the night I played fly-on-the-wall at a school board meeting while the powerful adults discussed the future of our program. Silent the entire time, I went home that night and cried – I had failed to speak…