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We get torn apart by our terminology
Richard Stearns, head of World Vision, wrote a response on a perceived attack on the term “radical Christians.” This was in response to a Christianity Today piece on the “new radicals.” Stearns’s response is basic: “Yep, we’re radical, and we’re not radical enough!” It’s gone back and forth in a way that reminds me of the days when my “tribe” (Pentecostals) were…
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The Bland Gospel
For some reason there needs to be an attack “radical” Christianity. We want to be radically normal. God bless us all. Whether we are headed to the most unreached people group of the world, or out the door to coach our kids’ baseball team, I think I really want to ask, “How do we see JESUS?” Mark Labberton’s piece in…
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Was Jesus Controversial?
This article makes the argument that while Jesus was controversial, he wasn’t really controversial for the sake of being a stand out due to a conflict. He stood for truth, which would cause controversy no matter where he went. Here is the really interesting part: when truth comes in, no group of people at any time is left unscathed. As others…
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Why Truly Pastoring Is Vital, and Why You Need to Belong to MY Church
New statistics are out. We LOVE statistics. And our survey says… Fewer people are going to church and more people are not “affiliating” with a religion. Shocking. We can wring our hands and declare the loss of the culture or the backslidden state of the Church… OR, we could equip the people we have to live as light in the…
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And Yet Again, What of Evangelicals?
We have been decrying the decline of the “liberals.” Alternately, there has been the call for the end of “conservatives.” All in the Church. Not even in politics! Now, John Ortberg has us wringing our hands about evangelicals again. Not really. I just wanted to be sensational in my headline. This is a well-thought out column. We need to realize…
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The Essence of Christianity — Orthodox Style
The interview in Christianity Today with Bishop Kallistos Ware is an interesting read. Here is the bishop’s take (in a Q&A format) on the essence of Christianity: If I were to meet you on a train and ask you, “What is the center of the Christian message?,” how would you succinctly put that? I would answer, “I believe in a…
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Evangelism — Orthodox and “Evangelical”
I have not been a fan of using church services alone to “evangelize.” A worship service is for…well… worship. It’s FOR Christ. Not us. But that’s just me. Obviously. 😉 This interview with Bishop Kallistos Ware (bishop of the Orthodox Church in England) is a good read. I like this exchange on “evangelism”: To draw in the unchurched, evangelical churches…
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Busyness as Sloth
Carolyn Arends in Christianity Today has a great column on our busyness that really is disguised as sloth. Good thoughts.
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Do-Over
In an interview with Billy Graham, they asked if he could go back and do anything over, what would it be? His answer is interesting: Yes, of course. I’d spend more time at home with my family, and I’d study more and preach less. I wouldn’t have taken so many speaking engagements, including some of the things I did over…
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The Gospel According to Jobs
This article should raise the ire of the Apple faithful. That would be something in which I would take a small pleasure. 🙂 Let the tirades roll like a Michigan fan calling for the head of Rich Rodriguez! One small quote just to get it rolling: Steve Jobs’s gospel is, in the end, a set of beautifully polished empty promises.…
Tag: Christianity Today
