Apprentice 2 Jesus

Culture

  • Idolatry 2.0

    I am working my way through part of NT Wright’s work, Surprised by Scripture, and his chapter on Western gods called “Idolatry 2.0” is a fascinating read. His contention is the Enlightenment re-introduced Epicurean thought through men like Jefferson. Tired of the antics of the Church in the medieval period, the thought of God being “there” but… Read more

  • The so-called wall of separation between church and state

    Dallas Willard crushes the “wall of separation” argument when it comes to the First Amendment. The First Amendment is about something Congress (and, as interpreted by the the Supreme Court and state governments) cannot do. It is not about what Christian should not do. We now live under the influence of a gigantic myth about a “wall of separation”… Read more

  • What is Freedom?

    I am working my way through The Diving Conspiracy Continued by Dallas Willard and Gary Black, Jr. It is a continuation of Willard’s work, but moving into the realm of society. He has a chapter called “Economics and Politics” and describes the difficulty of even defining the word “freedom.” 1. I am “free” only if no one… Read more

  • The power of forgiveness in Charleston mystifies our culture

    On and on the pundits go, on the left and on the right, as to how something about that act of forgiveness the family members of the shooting in Charleston extended to the killer isn’t right! It’s not a matter of some “order” to forgive. It’s not a matter of the killer accepting it. It… Read more

  • His kingdom is NOT of this world

    It is still amazing to me how the powerful forgiveness demonstrated by the families of the Emanuel AME members who were slain a week ago. Some reactions are very real with emotion. They can’t forgive. That makes sense. There are atrocities that hit and we think, “I just can’t do it.” It’s an emotional response that is… Read more

  • The astonishing power of forgiveness

    Two articles I came across the last couple of days completely missed the power of the Church and forgiveness. One from the “left” and the other from the “right.” One column declared blacks need to quit forgiving white racists. Forgiveness has become a requirement for those enduring the realities of black death in America. That… Read more

  • White. Male. Evangelical. Pentecostal.

    A CALL TO AMERICAN EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS I very rarely read a book than once. Outside of the Bible, there are a handful I’ve made a second attempt at. Beyond that, it’s been Dallas Willard’s The Divine Conspiracy and one more: Thomas Merton’s autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain. Those of you who read me enough think I’m a Willard… Read more

  • Let us weep and mourn

    This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah,     mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children     and refusing to be comforted,     because they are no more.” (Jer. 31:15) Read more

  • The hurt in our hearts

    2 How long, Lord, must I call for help,     but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!”     but you do not save? 3 Why do you make me look at injustice?     Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me;     there is strife, and conflict abounds. 4 Therefore the law is paralyzed,     and… Read more

  • The choice of no moral voice

    “Is it any wonder that there can be no peace in a world where everything possible is done to guarantee that the youth of every nation will grow up absolutely without moral and religious discipline, and without the shadow of an interior life, or of that spirituality and charity and faith which alone can safeguard… Read more