A call to a new Reformation in the teaching and life of Jesus' followers
I am not really a fan of most apologetics. All too frequently, it seems to me, those who engage in this particular discipline (and here I use “discipline” with some reluctance) seem to presume that they can, by force of argument, convince any rational person that their own system of belief is the only reasonable one. Construct the right system of facts, observations, and conclusions, … Continue reading Why do I believe? Part 1 – Introduction
When I first heard that Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne were doing a book on Red Letter Christianity, I was pretty excited. I have a great deal of respect for both men, and while I don’t always agree with either, I think their prophetic voice in the church is beyond any reasonable dispute. So I actively sought a review copy of the book, and the … Continue reading Book Review — Red Letter Revolution by Shane Claiborne & Tony Campolo
For years, the abuse of Scriptural passages to justify the aggressive exploits of nations has driven me nuts. Whether it’s the the account of the conquest of Canaan, used by European colonists to take the New World and exterminate or marginalize its indigenous population, or the same story repeated by the Afrikaaner Dutch in South Africa, it’s always repulsed me. And when revisionist American Christians … Continue reading Book Review – “Chosen Nation” by Braden P. Anderson
For a while now I’ve been reading (and will soon review) the book Chosen Nation by Braden P. (Brad) Anderson. There are a variety of topics in the book that I’m going to want to engage, but one in particular caught my attention last night. In Chapter 7, Brad discusses the work of two writers, Stephen H. Webb and Richard John Neuhaus, both of whom … Continue reading “Thus it is, therefore thus it should be.” Ruminating on a theological fallacy
My blogging friend Morgan Guyton recently published a post in which he took on Four cringe-worthy claims of popular penal-substitution theology. I heartily commend the post to all, and I cringe right along with Morgan each of the points he highlighted. Nevertheless I find myself pushing back in some regards, and pushing further in others. My intent here is to interact directly with Morgan’s article, … Continue reading More thoughts contra Penal Substitution
UPDATE: I have deleted the original post and comments with which this tag is associated. Those who have previously read it, or those who come here through an archived search, will know that in it I alleged that an evangelist from the 70s by the name of Dick Joyce was a false prophet. I made this allegation on the basis of a very-specific prophecy Dick … Continue reading My experience with a (false?) prophet
No, that word “inclusive” does not mean what you (probably) think it means…not this time, anyway. The following has nothing to do with the gender of language, gender of leaders, sexual preference of anybody, or any of the other popular uses of the term. I have been thinking, lately, of how exclusive the choice of “worship” focus, language, and music often are. As with so … Continue reading Towards more inclusive “worship”
Brian McLaren has recently come out with three little fiction e-books: The Word of the Lord to Evangelicals, The Word of the Lord to Republicans, and The Word of the Lord to Democrats. I heartily and without reservation recommend The Word of the Lord to Evangelicals to everyone who reads this blog. It’s a wonderful little parable in which we follow Wheaton College student Wendy … Continue reading Book Recommendation: The Word of the Lord to Evangelicals (Brian McLaren)
The killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman earlier this year has brought out the usual political punditry. Everyone “knows” the “real” reason Martin took a bullet, even though they can’t seem to agree on what that real reason actually was. As with theology, so with politics: the conclusion to which one comes seems more easily predicted by one’s prior beliefs, than by the facts … Continue reading Trayvon Martin – Race, Guns, or Pride?
The following is a guest post by my father, Aaron Martin, who just returned from a project installing a windmill to bring water to a village of displaced people in Papua New Guinea. For more information about the “Model Village” project in PNG, please see the website of my brother Dave’s company M-CAM. Dad’s account covers a lot of ground. I hope you enjoy it … Continue reading Many cups of water…A Tale from Papua New Guinea