As sure as night follows days, so times of great revelation are followed by times of testing. One moment we have a mountaintop experience, hearing words of love from God: "Behold, my beloved child, in whom I am well-pleased." The next moment we find ourselves in a desert, wondering whether we are loved at all. It is here that faith is tested. »more
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As sure as night follows days, so times of great revelation are followed by times of testing. One moment we have a mountaintop experience, hearing words of love from God: "Behold, my beloved child, in whom I am well-pleased." The next moment we find ourselves in a desert, wondering whether we are loved at all. It is here that faith is tested. »more
We are suspicious of authority - and rightly so. We've seen its dark side. We know how it can be used to betray the public trust and how power can be abused for manipulative, self-seeking ends. But Jesus' authority is different. It arises from God's inbreaking kingdom. Consequently, his authority is used in God's kind of way - in the way of service to others. »more
Adam and Eve will learn "the knowledge of good and evil" by means of the tree - either through resisting evil's persuasive influence or by disobeying God and experiencing evil's destructive power. The choice boils down to either (1) self-dependent autonomy or (2) God-dependent faith and obedience. The same choice stands before us today. »more
The God of The Shack is not a generic God, but soundly Trinitarian. This allows the theology presented to be deeply relational, rooted in intratrinitarian love. As such, it provides some of the most profound reflections on God that I’ve come across in Christian fiction. Because the essence of God is love, God cannot act apart from love! »more
Results tagged “Evil”
As sure as night follows days, so times of great revelation are followed by times of testing. One moment we have a mountaintop experience, hearing words of love from God: "Behold, my beloved child, in whom I am well-pleased." The next moment we find ourselves in a desert, wondering whether we are loved at all. It is here that faith is tested. »more
We are suspicious of authority - and rightly so. We've seen its dark side. We know how it can be used to betray the public trust and how power can be abused for manipulative, self-seeking ends. But Jesus' authority is different. It arises from God's inbreaking kingdom. Consequently, his authority is used in God's kind of way - in the way of service to others. »more
Adam and Eve will learn "the knowledge of good and evil" by means of the tree - either through resisting evil's persuasive influence or by disobeying God and experiencing evil's destructive power. The choice boils down to either (1) self-dependent autonomy or (2) God-dependent faith and obedience. The same choice stands before us today. »more
The God of The Shack is not a generic God, but soundly Trinitarian. This allows the theology presented to be deeply relational, rooted in intratrinitarian love. As such, it provides some of the most profound reflections on God that I’ve come across in Christian fiction. Because the essence of God is love, God cannot act apart from love! »more
There is no escape from the truth: we live in a suffering world. How does all this suffering reflect upon God? Where is God during times of tragedy? How is God related to the endless flood of misery, heartache, and despair? Does God have any interest in human suffering? Why does God allow these things to occur? »more
We often turn to God at our most vulnerable moments, when all seems
lost unless God steps in. Why does God remain distant, silent, and hard when we call on him? If God doesn't respond when we need him most, then why pray at all? »more
When considering the problem of evil and suffering, we must not simply speak of human suffering. We must also speak of divine suffering... God lives with more pain from than we could ever imagine. »more
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