Love the margins

He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all. (Luke 6:17-19)

Some notes I jotted down on this passage:

WHEN THE KINGDOM IS AT WORK, THE MARGINS SHOW UP. We tend to want the healthy, the intelligent, the hard working… but often what shows up are the sick, the poor, the incapable. LOVE THE MARGINS.

The bogeyman of CRT

A few weeks ago I was in a meeting about race and racism and someone stood up and began by butchering even the letters “CRT.” He jumbled around for a bit, then I finally blurted out, “Critical. Race. Theory.”

He then said, “Yeah THAT! Well, I don’t much about that but…”

I should have jumped up and say, “THEN STOP TALKING!”

CRT is such bogeyman created to simply shield us as white conservative Christians from having to engage in any meaningful conversation about race. As David French explains, it’s our bulletproof armor now:

More on the ugliness of Christian Nationalism

How in the world can you come to a place of despising Tim Keller? Keller pastored Redeemer Presbyterian in New York for decades. His engagement with an agnostic culture drew me in as I learned how to truly engage people who were skeptical of Christianity. His approach was life-changing to me. If there were “disagreements” they were small things, or even some theological positions, but never in a way that I would completely jettison someone like Keller.

But Christian Nationalism doesn’t work that way. It’s all or nothing.

Continue reading “More on the ugliness of Christian Nationalism”

The goal is not “using” God

The worldviews we have employed, especially as western Christians, have limited us. Our views of God have become myopic. The goal needs to be life WITH God.

Skye Jethani in his book, With, lays out the four worldviews we’ve used are summed up in four words:

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A clear view of Christian Nationalism

David French is a politically conservative writer and evangelical Christian. He is one with a large following who has not taken the leap into the depths of culturalized Christianity and is giving a clear warning about Christian Nationalism.

Rod Dreher is another politically conservative writer who is full on advocating for a strong “state” that will protect Christians. It is a clear view of Christian Nationalism.

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The manipulation of living “FOR” God

The book, With, by Skye Jethani is deeply challenging. As I read I realized the deep flaws in my thinking and living because I have this deep urge to “feel bad” and wish I could go back and start over. That arises from my warped view of how to live “for” God.

The point is not to “feel bad” about how things have been. It is to realize the flaw in thinking, grasp what life WITH God is about, and move toward that life.

Continue reading “The manipulation of living “FOR” God”

Our ways of manipulating God

I am working my way through Skye Jethani’s book, With. It is a look into ways we manipulate God and the call to live life WITH God rather than in other ways that manipulate God’s response… or at least TRY to manipulate a response.

We don’t even know it’s manipulation. Yet, we live life exhausted from a seeming “lack of response” from God.

Continue reading “Our ways of manipulating God”