Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
Note: I’m stepping back from writing a new entry every week in order to have more time for other writing projects. Prayers are appreciated. Look, too, for some edited versions of earlier entries. I attended a Good Friday service this Easter weekend. A local church offered a powerful Good Friday vision: we are sinners and …
Read More The Easter WeekendLast week I traced the enduring debate between Pelagius and Augustine and asked, “What do you think?” The question offered two possible readings. The obvious option was, “what’s your opinion?” But I also wondered where a person’s mind goes when it’s free to wander. Let me chase the second question in this entry. It’s a …
Read More What do you hear?This post is also found on the Cor Deo site. Please offer any responses there. Thanks! A feisty debate stirred the New England churches in 1636. The question at stake was the nature of faith—what is it that makes a Christian? In an early exchange of letters between two of the pastors, Peter Bulkeley asked …
Read More What do you think?This entry is taken from a post first offered on the Cor Deo website. Please offer any response on that site: thanks! I noticed something in Job I hadn’t seen before. Job’s erstwhile friends all used an “if . . . then” approach to confront Job over his presumed sins. The point was simple: If …
Read More “If . . . then”Righteousness—and how to achieve it—is at the heart of Christian faith. But what, according to the Bible, makes us righteous? Another word, justification – “to be made righteous”, refers to the same issue: how do we come into a proper standing with God? In Christianity at least three ways of determining righteousness have been promoted: …
Read More Righteous?This article is our current Cor Deo blog. Please offer any responses there: thanks! The Jesus who shows up in a bold, fast-paced, Bible reading is remarkably demanding and incredibly delightful. He overwhelms us both in what he offers and in what he asks for. The problem is that we’re not ready for it. So …
Read More The problem with JesusLet me ask a question that is mostly unspoken among Christians today: Is God troubled by the broad lack of response to him that we see throughout history? Or, more to the point, does the Bible ever address the question? Here are some of my preliminary thoughts. Your own thoughts and comments are invited as …
Read More NumbersHere’s a question. Do we pursue God or does God pursue us? Are we the seekers while God is coy and hard to get? Or is he persistently tugging, calling, and wooing us while we stubbornly deflect his efforts to win our hearts? The Bible emphatically supports the latter answer and dismisses the former—John 3:16-19, …
Read More Two AnswersThis entry repeats a Cor Deo post. Please offer any responses on that site. Go to Cor Deo by clicking here Here’s a question. Why do some people ask lots of questions while others aren’t especially curious? Are questions important? And what should we make of assertive people who love to express any and every …
Read More Questioning ThoughtsDo you ever look forward to the weekend for some enjoyment after a busy week? Or aim to enjoy a good show and a special desert on a workday evening? All of us welcome our sweeter moments in life, especially if our lives are a bit mundane. We long for more. Americans have even enshrined …
Read More Enjoyment