There is significant division among Christians. The main dividing line today (as I see it) is in our beliefs in how we engage with non-Christians. How does God want us to engage with the world? What message does he want us to communicate through our actions and words? These are important questions because they are
Category: Christian Living
It’s not Modesty nor Clothing but Sexuality and Sexism
Modesty has been a recent subject of discussion in the blogosphere and elsewhere. In the past I have noticed when it seemed like girls were or were not being modest, but I had never given the topic much thought until it was brought up at the Sacred Friendship Gathering a couple of months ago. I’ve
Understanding the Challenge of Non-Jews Becoming Christian
As I recently wrote about, it the earliest major controversy in Christianity was whether or not one had to become culturally Jewish in order to becoming a part of the community of Christ followers. I tried to come up with a metaphor which might better explain the situation they were in. The best I could
Shrewd As Snakes: Spiritual Abuse
I have heard of spiritual abuse but haven’t had a clear idea what it was or wasn’t. However, after reading these two articles today: “Poets Will Save the Church” and “‘Don’t Talk About It’: Reflections on Spiritual Abuse“, I believe I have a significantly better definition for it. Spiritual abuse is using God, the bible,
Faith is a Journey
(I was asked to write out my reasons for believing in God. I imagine that the person asking the question was thinking more in terms of a rational, intellectual argument. But the following is what came out. I think I agree with a friend of mine who holds that belief in God is more contingent
Hot Topics
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
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