Church – Page 3 – Apprentice 2 Jesus

We always need an enemy

As I work my way through Jesus and John Wayne I am struck by several things.

Heaven and hell isn’t the ultimate question

If I could get every American conservative Christian to read Surprised by Hope, it would be mandatory reading. Wright forces my thinking away from what I thought was the ultimate question: Who is going to heaven or hell? (And, did God send them there or did humans choose?) Maybe we’re asking wrong questions, and thisContinue reading “Heaven and hell isn’t the ultimate question”

Overcoming political ideologies BECAUSE Jesus is Lord

N.T. Wright poses this question: “What would happen if we were to take seriously our stated belief that Jesus Christ is already the Lord of the world and that at his name, one day, every knee would bow?”

This deep love for the Church

And he is the head of the body, the church… (Col. 1:18) There are little snippets from Colossians and Ephesians that cause my heart to leap out of my love for the Church. They give me life and hope all over again. While I am hard on what I see in the white conservative AmericanContinue reading “This deep love for the Church”

Living in the power of the beautiful kingdom of God

One of the great lessons I’ve carried from NT Wright is to see heaven and earth in a far different relationship than what I believed growing up. Heaven is not “up there” and earth is not “down here.” They are two different dimensions of God’s good creation.

A step back from the brink?

This week was a whirlwind of activity with the SBC annual meeting in Nashville and a narrow “win” for the leadership of SBC going to the least offensive candidate. (He is actually a good man and I am familiar with his work in racial justice in the Mobile area.) It was a tense week watchingContinue reading “A step back from the brink?”

The church may be a mess and Christ is beautiful

The Church is a very human institution and this week is a very human week in the American conservative (white) church. I am thankful for voices like Tish Harrison Warren and her encouraging words of hope. It may look tough or bleak:

Could hardness of heart be on full display this week?

Over the past few years I have taught on and laid out some thoughts on the subject I call “Living in Babylon.” Over the past few years there has been a testing of what I have called “culturalized Christianity.” If this is something that is new to you, I suggest looking at my podcast pageContinue reading “Could hardness of heart be on full display this week?”

The American church needs the global church

The church in North America is starting to erode. Thankfully, however, the center of the church is not in North America. The vast majority of Christians on Earth live elsewhere, and their numbers are growing rapidly. The vibrancy of majority-world Christianity presents us with an opportunity — one that was always available to us, butContinue reading “The American church needs the global church”

To repent, To change…

While the violence in Tulsa was stunning, American history is littered with examples of street battles, racist uprisings, and mass killings. The history of the 1898 Wilmington, North Carolina, massacre and coup, in which a racist mob overthrew the city government, is its own category of chilling. So is the Rosewood Massacre. The list goesContinue reading “To repent, To change…”