No, I’m not talking about the “goth” is now mainstream (10+ years ago) mall retail stores. I’m referring to topics which people are talking a lot about here recently. I usually pay little attention to these types of conversations, because there’s generally so little of value ever said by anyone. I heard a report on
Category: Christian Living
Book Review: The Divine Conspiracy
Reading “The Divine Conspiracy” by Dallas Willard was quite an undertaking. It is a fairly long book—400 pages—and the content is not light. That’s not to say it is difficult to read—it is written accessibly enough—but it does take some effort to understand what Willard is trying to communicate. While I thought it started off
Church of America
This time of year many churches in the U.S. celebrate the Forth of July. I expect Americans to celebrate, but I’m very uncomfortable with churches doing so. I’m not wanting to condemn anyone specifically; I am merely sharing what the mix of Christianity and American patriotism communicates to me. The way churches celebrate the U.S.
Does Your Theology Distance God?
I think I may have figured out one reason I’m turned off people start talking about popular theology (or at least one popular theological viewpoint). I feel that a lot of popular theology seems to have to do with being impressed with God from afar. It’s kind of like if someone were to talk about
Shrewd as Snakes: Condemning Sin or Belittling Others?
Sometimes the biggest problem with a message isn’t the main point itself. The overall message may be right and true. However the speaker or author can make major errors along the way. Many wrongs can be hidden in this way, but the ends does not justify the means. Most people miss these problems, yet they
Shrewd as Snakes – Work to Please God
I personally don’t like to spend much time being critical. (If I criticize, it’s usually in the context of contrasting one thing in order to try and communicate something better.) I’d much rather focus on what I perceive to be true, good, and right instead. My thought is if we focus on these things, the
Is God Pleased With You?: How to Live the Christian Life
Frank Viola recently shared an audio recording of him teaching on Romans 7 and 8. I thought it was so good that I listened to it twice, which is saying something coming from me. I liked it so much that I wrote down some of what he said and want to share it here: You
Book Review: A Simple Guide To Hearing God
I recently reviewed a good book from Felicity Dale. Shortly afterward she announced that she had just released a new ebook titled “A Simple Guide to Hearing God“. I’ve been encountering this subject since a friend gave me a copy of John Eldredge‘s book, “Walking With God“. In part because I liked “An Army of
Book Review: Celebration of Discipline
I’d heard about it years ago but I just finally got around to reading the classic book, “Celebration of Discipline”. I admit, I had been scared off by the title. “Discipline” sounds very challenging and no fun. We find discipline especially difficult in our culture which runs on us trying to fulfill our every desire
Patriotism and Church (a.k.a. Hitting Two Sacred Cows With One Stone)
A year ago I attended an outdoor church service (read about it here). During communion, I noticed that among other “beauty” shots, they put a shot of a nearby American flag on the video screen. I was very disturbed by this. Jesus instituted communion as a time for his followers to collectively remember him. So