Category: Practical Theology
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How to Imperfectly Participate in the Kingdom of God Well
Read more: How to Imperfectly Participate in the Kingdom of God WellWe all know at least one perfectionist. They might reside in your home, at your workplace, or in your school. They might be the friend who plans things far in advance (how can they schedule a coffee date 3 months away?). The devil, or the salvation of the world, is in the details over which…
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Finding Hope in Apologetics
Read more: Finding Hope in Apologetics1 Peter 3:15 is a core verse used to make a case for apologetics. Apologetics is the defense of a religion and, rightly so, this verse speaks firmly of that. While we often find ourselves and our congregations either snoozing this topic, I believe 1 Peter 3:15 gives us more than just equipping ourselves with…
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Are We Listening to the Deaf Community in the Church?
Read more: Are We Listening to the Deaf Community in the Church?What constitutes an unreached people group? Generally, it applies to a group, usually related to a geographical area, in which less than 2% of the population identify as Christian. Furthermore, it is where there is no local culture evangelizing to the rest of the culture. Being deaf is not geographically contained, but it is its…
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Protestant Love of Mary
Read more: Protestant Love of MaryRoman Catholics and Protestants disagree about Mary. From among Protestants, I have seen both (a) condemnation of Roman Catholics for idolatry or syncretism and (b) genuine and healthy curiosity and desire to understand “Our Lady,” the great and holy woman who bore Jesus Christ. Why some Protestants love Mary My “Type B” friends have several great…
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Choosing Gratitude
Read more: Choosing GratitudeIn Time’s article on “7 Surprising Health Benefits of Gratitude,” Ducharme discusses different benefits of being thankful. The seven benefits include how gratitude can make us more patient, improves relationships, improves self-care, improves sleep, stops overeating, can help ease depression, and give happiness that lasts. These findings aren’t too surprising as it makes sense that…
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The Two Cities goes to Scotland, and Brandon learns a lesson.
Read more: The Two Cities goes to Scotland, and Brandon learns a lesson.I can’t tell if I write about theology or if this has suddenly become a travel blog, but let me fill you in on my last weekend in Scotland. My wife and I (along with John and Logan from this blog) made our way up to Scotland for a few days to catch up and…
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Some thoughts on Church Organization
Read more: Some thoughts on Church OrganizationWith only seven years of church ministry experience, I never saw myself as an expert in anything. If anything, I’m barely starting to hit a stride with my church! By the grace of God, I was invited to speak at the 4th annual Asian American Ministry Conference at Biola University. The topic that I was…
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#ForeignerProblems
Read more: #ForeignerProblemsMy wife and I moved to the UK about a month ago and it is going brilliantly. I started a PhD program at Durham and will be here for the next few years. Although my wife and I have been out of the country before, we have never moved to another county. It is quite…
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John of Damascus on Divine Images
Read more: John of Damascus on Divine ImagesSt. John of Damascus penned the Treatises on the Divine Images in response to iconoclasm which swept across the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Leo III. Throughout his three treatise, St. John of Damascus works to distinguish veneration from worship, and he justifies icons imaging Jesus and the saints. As a modern reader the distinction between…
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Faith and Love: The Inconvenient Truth About a “Personal Relationship With God”
Read more: Faith and Love: The Inconvenient Truth About a “Personal Relationship With God”How’s your relationship with God? It’s a question many Christians and religious people ask of each other. When I answer this question over the years, I typically work my way through the same cluster of questions—am I praying and spending private time with God, am I avoiding certain sins, am I maturing in my likeness to…