The following are two essential foundations for the study of Christian theology: A Theology of Presence Christian theology must be rooted in the abiding presence of God. Theology done well flows from authentic relationship. God speaks, God moves, God leads and we respond. Christian theology is initiated by our resurrect Christ through the guiding power of […]
Clay Days by Doug Bursch Our tomorrows are clay men waiting for the breath of God. Someday God will choose to withhold His breath from the timetable of humanity. Until then, we take this enlivened day as a gift. The dust has been formed and animated by the breath of God. So we sing, dance, […]
(This was originally posted in The Evangelical Pulpit at Patheos) The Masculinity Myth: The Real Reason Men Don’t Go to Church Today during worship, we were singing a song about God being our loving Father. As we sang, I realized it was the kind of song manly-men Christian pastors hate. It’s the sort of song […]
Riding high from the reception of their free U2 album download promotion, Apple is offering all of its younger iTunes listeners a very sweet deal: free candy from a van! Today, in a surprise move, Apple announced that they will be sending thousands of white vans to elementary schools and playgrounds throughout the country to […]
In Genesis 1 we find the pattern of “Let there be. . .” and “there was. . . .” In this pattern God speaks and His creative will comes into existence. “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Gen 1:3). From the mouth of God, creation comes into form. In Genesis […]
Mike McHargue (Science Mike) of the Liturgists joined me to talk about the Michael Gungor/Liturgists controversy. Recently, there has been some heated discussion concerning statements Michael Gungor and Mike McHargue made dealing with how they interpret the Bible. The response to these statements has been rather extreme in some circles. With this in mind, I […]
Recently, I had the privilege of being a guest on Bogdan Kipko’s Fuel for Life podcast. We talked for an hour about really important topics related to reforming the Church. We looked at some troubling ideas Donald Miller has recently expressed concerning the church, we addressed the role of rebellion in ministry and I gave […]
This is a great post from my friend Steve Crosby. Steve has written and spoken extensively on issues of church leadership and abuse. The following deals with the false dichotomy some make between being and doing. Being Versus Doing: Step Away From the Cliché by Steve Crosby Clichés lodge in our minds for a reason: […]
The Letdown There might be a very good reason you feel down after big days. And there is a good chance is has less to do with reality and more to do with how your mind is processing reality. Don’t get me wrong, it is a real feeling you confront, but it might not be […]
After reading various blogs concerning forgiveness, reconciliation, resignation and Pastor Mark Driscoll, (See Rachel Held Evans , Jonathan Merritt and Matthew Paul Turner) I decided to do a show on what true reconciliation should look like for Mars Hill, Mark Driscoll and any community dealing with broken relationships. The goal is to advocate for a […]