Category: Theology
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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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Can You Critique The Church?
Read more: Can You Critique The Church?I was reading Josh Carroll’s post about the disease called “Critiqueomania” and I found that I myself have had rather severe bouts of this plague. Some of these outbreaks have been part of my former angst, but others seemed very well meant. Some were definitely “Critiqueomania,” but there were other times where my criticism was well…
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The American Church: Ark or Kingdom?
Read more: The American Church: Ark or Kingdom?At many points in its colored history, the church’s unity and its holiness have appeared to come into conflict. On one side, people argue, “The only way we can call ourselves holy, is by staying united. Unity is holiness.”
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The Subversive Christian
Read more: The Subversive ChristianIn the first century Jewish believers were awaiting the day when the Messiah would come and defeat Rome, end the exile, establish the kingdom of God, and bring the new covenant. Jesus fulfilled all of those roles of Messiah, but not in the manner in which it was expected.
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Joseph Smith’s Translation of Galatians
Read more: Joseph Smith’s Translation of GalatiansThis week I am putting the final touches on the first draft of my PhD thesis on suffering and eschatology in Galatians. I’m quite excited to be at this stage, but I know there’s still a lot of work to be done. Since my thesis is on Galatians I’m often thinking about the best way…
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Who’s Who in Heaven?
Read more: Who’s Who in Heaven?Do you ever wonder what relationships are going to be like in heaven? Will we recognize our family, friends, and significant others? How will we relate to one another, since we’ll all be part of the same family, as brothers and sisters? My coworkers and I recently speculated about heaven, and we mused about how…
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Grace & Works
Read more: Grace & WorksNow that school is out for summer (cue Alice Cooper) I’m back home working for my church as a youth ministry intern. As we began to plan for the summer and what we should teach on I recommended books like Colossians and Philippians. You know, something short and sweet that would be really encouraging. So…
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An Exciting Christianity
Read more: An Exciting ChristianityAs one who works with youth, I often feel the pressure or need to spice up the Christian story and make it more engaging, relevant, or fun. In much of the literature that is deemed “Youth Ministry” or in some of the examples set forth as “successful youth ministries,” what works is when the Christian…
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Christianity: A Way-Of-Being-In-The-World
Read more: Christianity: A Way-Of-Being-In-The-WorldFor the majority of my American Evangelical upbringing , I feel as though I was told that there were two main criteria for what religious leaders around me called “being a believer”: 1) one must have the right beliefs (orthodoxy) and 2) one must live an upstanding moral life (orthopraxy). This understanding of Christianity that…
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Church Security Teams Revisited: Still Unbiblical
Read more: Church Security Teams Revisited: Still UnbiblicalNearly two years ago I wrote a blog post entitled, Church Security Teams? Verdict: Unbiblical, that seemed to be quite popular. Although, if I had my druthers it would have been popular because people agreed with it. But seeing as the article garnered a paltry two Facebook likes and the comments were rife with disagreement,…