For my entire life, I’ve been connected to some kind of evangelical Christian context. What I’m going to say here is not new—many have experienced this before. But it’s new for me at least in certain regards. Recently I’ve had a couple of streams come together in my life. First, I’ve encountered some significant questions
Category: Christian Living
Honesty vs. Orthodoxy—A Response to John Cooper
Skillet (a rock band in case you aren’t familiar) frontman John Cooper recently shared a post on Facebook which has in turn been getting shared itself by others. It is apparently in response to a recent announcement by Joshua Harris and a since deleted post by Hillsong’s Marty Sampson. Since Cooper’s post has apparently resonated
Evangelical Idealism – Leader Announces Separation
Former evangelical pastor and author Joshua Harris and his wife recently announced their separation. This is sad because separation / divorce are always sad I think. We don’t get into and develop relationships with the hope or expectation that they will erode, degrade, fall apart, or even become hostile, harmful, and damaging. In a perfect
The Need for the Church to Confess and Repent as Part of Evangelism
There have been some interesting things going on recently. Many people are excited, talking about revival, and reaching “the lost”. When a bunch of Christians gather, it doesn’t seem odd to celebrate and worship God. But it strikes me that when we start interacting with those who aren’t followers of Christ, it would be naive
Jesus in Orlando: Compassion or Condemnation?
I wonder how many Christian will struggle to feel compassion for the victims of the shooting in Orlando since it took place in a gay bar?1,2 There are many Christians in the U.S. who believe that it’s most important for Christians to take a stand against sin, to point out and condemn these wrongs. (Never
Jesus’ Radical Teaching on Provision
Many Christians have the idea based on scripture that God promises to provide for us. I have a sense that this is true, but not in the way we thought. It seems that we have the idea that God will provide everything and keep us from trouble in this life, unconditionally. But something inspired me
How Effective Does A Ministry Have To Be In Order To Be Worthwhile?
I expect this is a question many leaders ask themselves in some form or another. When you spend your time, energy, and other resources on something, you want to believe that it is worthwhile. You also want to be getting the most out of this investment, not necessarily personally, but in terms of moving toward
The Ridiculousness of the Crucifixion (Part 2)
In my previous article, I stated that we correctly desire to see the end of injustice and evil. At the end I observed that God is doing something about this. However, he does so in a previously incomprehensible way. If you are on God’s side, Jesus’ crucifixion makes no earthly sense. (It makes perfect sense
Judging People: Good Guys Fight Bad Guys (Part 1)
As I mentioned in my previous post, we all recognize that there is evil and injustice in the world. We correctly recognize when a person does certain acts which are evil and injustice. We desire for these to be corrected and the injustice removed. I think it is human tendency to judge people and place
Judas Verses Peter (Part 3)
I’m picking up here where I left off in my last post, Judas Verses Peter (Part 2). If Judas couldn’t be forgiven, I’d argue that it is only because he wouldn’t allow for it. If Judas is in hell, I’m not sure it’s because God is getting his revenge. At most I would suggest it