First, distinguish between deconstruction and reform. The church is a Christ-made institution, but it is also a sinful institution. It always needs reform. If a person’s frustration with the church arises from the biblical vision of community, that’s not deconstruction. It’s calling the church back to the gospel. More HERE. There is a deep workContinue reading “Always reforming… this should be the Church”
Tag Archives: Repentance
Why repentance still matters
We carry an arrogance with us in American Christianity. “I didn’t have slaves, so how am I responsible for this so-called racism?” Or, “Our church doesn’t have abuse problems so why are you saying I need to repent? Repent for what? And then what?”
Lent needs to deal with our callousness
My Lenten reading has me in Jeremiah. It wasn’t that long ago I was in Jeremiah in my Daily Office readings… It is a constant pummeling, but for good reason.
The refusal of repentance, pt. 2
The American Church falters and it grows more and more obvious that it does so without a clue. My reading to day was from Jeremiah 8, so I will continue on this theme of refusing to repent because it runs parallel to our own day.
The refusal of repentance
It’s probably an apocryphal story, but I do love it: According to a popular story that has circulated for a long time, a well known London newspaper in the early part of the twentieth century (usually stated to be The Times) asked the question “What is wrong with the world?” and received many replies. TheContinue reading “The refusal of repentance”
Before the election…
The longer I live, the more I realize that we simply don’t know who we truly are until we’re tested. We can vocalize our beliefs all day long, but when living those beliefs is hard—when upholding our principles carries a cost—that’s when we learn what we truly value. — David French
Our grand invitation
Matthew 7:13–14 (NIV)13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. I recently finished up another journey through the Sermon onContinue reading “Our grand invitation”
Rooting out our deep sin
The deep sin of racism is far more embedded in white American Christianity than we are willing to admit. We struggle in our collective sin mainly because evangelical Christianity (and fundamentalism on the right) focuses on the “individual” sin to the detriment of recognizing community sin. Examples:
We have refused to listen
We have refused to listen attentively to our black and brown brothers’ and sisters’ cry for justice. Lord, have mercy. We have been deaf to the prophet’s call: “And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.” (Isaiah 5:7b). Lord, have mercy.
A call to prayer and repentance in the time of coronavirus
Being part of the Anglican Church in North America (which is part of a larger worldwide body known as GAFCON), there is a call for prayer and repentance on March 22. Why not take this as a call to all of us?
Apprentice 2 Jesus 