We must not only view them from the perspective of his Jewish heritage, but also from the perspective of his Greco-Roman setting. When we do this, we discover that many of the passages that moderns react against as narrow and intolerant are really, in Paul's Greco-Roman setting, progressive and revolutionary. »more
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We must not only view them from the perspective of his Jewish heritage, but also from the perspective of his Greco-Roman setting. When we do this, we discover that many of the passages that moderns react against as narrow and intolerant are really, in Paul's Greco-Roman setting, progressive and revolutionary. »more
Let's not be afraid to admit it. We all do it. Without it, we simply have no practical means by which to approach God. What am I referring to? We all put God in a box! We all have to do it or God remains an empty term, void of meaning and unable to guide any sustainable practice. The challenge is to make sure we never close the lid!
»more
A creed is a concise, formal, and authorized confession stating what a church believes and teaches. A creed attempts to summarize "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). It expresses the conviction that "continuity with that faith is the essence of orthodoxy, and discontinuity with it the essence of heresy." »more
We must not forget the problems of language in regard to speaking of God. The shift away from “analogical” language to “univocal” language – “the growing confidence that our language about God makes roughly the same sort of sense as our language about creatures” – is the first stage of “the domestication of transcendence.” »more
The study of the origin or
evolution of religion usually attracts those who are antagonistic to religion. For such individuals, no matter what the evidence reveals, the
existence of God is rejected. If the religions studied are in conflict, then
they must all be wrong. If they are similar, then they must merely be human
inventions. »more
Agnostic A. J. Jacobs writes of his attempt to live the ultimate biblical life - to follow the Bible as literally as possible for one year. He quickly recognizes that it is impossible to follow the Bible with consistent literalism. He discovers that “when it comes to the Bible, there is always—but always—some level of interpretation, even on the most seemingly basic rules.” »more
Truth is knowable. Truth is do-able. Truth is proclaim-able. Thus, the Christian finds herself at odds with radical pluralists who claim that all truth-claims are equal, with postmodernists who question whether truth is knowable, and fundamentalists who reduce truth to propositional truth-claims. »more
"Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Why is hearing celebrated in scripture while sight is held in suspicion? What advantages does the word have over the image to the life of faith? These are vital questions in an image-saturated culture that has great difficulty listening to liturgy and preaching, must less reflect on their significance. »more
There is more than meets the eye. Sight alone can be deceptive. The full use of the five senses may actually blind us to the awareness of a deeper reality. What we see is not all there is. There is a realm of reality that eludes and evades those who rely only upon sight to navigate this world. »more
The Church has effectively reduced and misused its greatest treasure - its Spirit-given canonical heritage. In order to correct this, we must expand our embrace to encompass the whole of the Church's canon and rightly use it for the purpose of spiritual formation instead of epistemological criterion. »more
Human beings possess a longing for meaning and transcendence. We long to identify with stories that help us understand our world, others, and ourselves. More often than not, stories empower us by presenting a transcendent dimension that makes life worth living. Fantasy stories like The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe do this with ease by making the transcendent a "natural" part of the story. »more
At the heart of Jewish/Christian difference is the simple question: Is Christ the interpretative key to the Hebrew Bible? For Christians, the answer is yes. For Jews, no. This essential difference should demonstrate how vital it is for Christians to interpret all Scripture in light of its relationship to Christ. »more
Our story intersects God's story when we answer Jesus' call to "Follow me." Jesus calls us to a journey - a daily walk with Jesus that involves a beginning, an end, and everything in-between. By following Jesus our story intersects with God's story. »more
The Bible is a storybook, not an encyclopedia. It is vital that we recover the narrative structure of truth. The story of God is meant to impact our lives and shape our own stories - our own truth. It can only do this insofar as it becomes our story. »more
Truth must be reconnected to kindness, beauty, and goodness. Futhermore, it must be reconnected to spiritual growth in Christian virtue and moral excellence. "For theology is not just an intellectual art; it cultivates the skill of living well." »more
Total objectivity is not possible for one simple reason: we always bring a person to every discovery. We must reject the possibility of absolute certainty and pure objectivity and instead embrace the adventure of personal knowledge in a world that holds infinite possibilities for discovery. »more
Neither complete despair nor empty faith are the only two options for postmodern people. The real world exists. Even more, a real God exists. However, our human limitations should cause us to recognize that even though our apprehension of reality and God may be true, it
can never be complete. »more
"It's just a story" is a flippant response that must be rejected. Stories are a powerful truth medium and should never be considered inferior to abstract reasoning. Stories are truth and we are our stories. »more
The historic understanding
of Sola Scriptura does not
teach that Scripture is our only authority, but that it is our highest authority. »more
According to the Jesus Seminar, what we possess in the
Gospels is a highly unreliable collection of inauthentic
sayings. »more
I don't think christocentric goes far enough. Why? Because
ultimately Christ is theocentric. »more
Many evangelicals have nothing good to say about postmodernity. Too often they equate it with secularism and relativism. This is unfortunate... »more
