I am taking a bit of a break from my normal daily lectionary reading and going back to something I have enjoyed my adult life walking with Christ. It is to walk slowly through a book of the Bible and pray. I like walking through a book of the Bible and study, pray, think devotionally, theologically, etc. This is something that has bubbled up in my spirit lately, so I asked the Lord where to land and I find myself in 1 Corinthians.
Continue reading “The cultural status of our Christianity”Category: Church
Spiritual formation in the public life
“Evangelicals have often been presented with a false choice about our role in public life. We either completely withdraw from trying to influence things, or we initiate ‘takeover’ programs. There is an alternative pattern, thought, one that I believe is mandated by Scripture: in the present time, where the fullness of Christ’s kingdom is not yet with us, we are called to do what we can in the political realm, given the opportunities and abilities that God has provided for us in the places where the Lord calls us to be faithful.” — Richard Mouw, Restless Faith: Holding Evangelical Beliefs in a World of Contested Labels
The blindness of the American Church
33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” Luke 11:33-36
Continue reading “The blindness of the American Church”Deep faith
A couple of articles worth reading this week that speak to soul searching at the depth of faith in a world of worsening persecution.
Continue reading “Deep faith”The way home
I am working my way through Daniel 6 as I continue to expand on “Living in Babylon.” (I think it may be a book one day if I can simply overcome one thing: outright fear and terror.)
Continue reading “The way home”Can we say “Rise up and walk”
Quite probably an apocryphal story, but one I still find relevant in our time:
According to Cornelius a Lapide, Thomas Aquinas once called on Pope Innocent II when the latter was counting out a large sum of money. “You see, Thomas,” said the Pope, “the church can no longer say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” “True, holy father,” was the reply; “neither can she now say, ‘Rise and walk.’”
Cited by F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988), 77–78. (Found HERE in my meager search)
No wonder they wanted to shut up Jeremiah
I am working through a hard passage in Jeremiah related to some writing I’ve called “Living in Babylon.” I’ve avoided getting to deep into this passage because of the direct implications it has on the American Church… and I have no interest whatsoever in being “wacky prophet guy.” But… God has turned me into “wacky prophet guy” and I’m not very happy about it.
Continue reading “No wonder they wanted to shut up Jeremiah”