God didn’t switch from being a God of requirements to being a God of grace. He’s been a God of grace all along. In this article, we take a closer look at this, beginning in Genesis 15.
A Holy God Pursues a Sinful People
Theology
Everything I Love about the Anabaptist Tradition
Most people who struggle with their Anabaptist upbringing aren’t actually struggling with Anabaptism. They’re struggling with their church’s expression of Anabaptism. Here are seven more positives I love about the Anabaptist tradition that are not as clearly a part of other church traditions:
The God Who Scares Us
Many millennials are wanting to understand God’s Spirit better. I think that’s wonderful. But I also think some of us expect our discovery of Him to radically change something about Christianity. And maybe it will. I don’t know. I just know there are many thoughts and ideas about the Holy Spirit, and not all of them seem in-line with Scripture.
But ignoring Him, not facing the possibility of having our perspective of God rattled and reshaped, is not an answer. That only limits our understanding of God, and therefore, our relationship with Him.
So, I’ve been going back to Scripture and trying to understand the Holy Spirit from God’s perspective, not from what I’ve heard and been taught before. As a part of this process, and in helping other discover God at a deeper level, I will write out what I’m finding.
How Christmas Isn’t Just about a Savior
Two thousand years ago, when shepherds came and bowed down to a newborn baby boy in Bethlehem, they weren’t bowing to merely a savior; they were bowing to a new way of life.
Christmas has become the time of year we celebrate Jesus, remembering His miraculous birth. But if we’re not careful, Jesus gets relegated to just a savior. He saves us from hell, from eternal damnation. Because of Jesus, we have hope beyond this life, right? We will live with God in Heaven, forever! And that is certainly something worth celebrating!
But it’s not the whole story.
Do Not Resist the One Who Is Evil, But…
For too long the church in America has walked under the intoxication of militarism. We’ve been duped into believing that it is our responsibility to protect our lives on this earth, whether by providing churches with armed security guards or by preaching a gospel compatible with materialism and the building of wealth.
But this is not the way of Christ. Not as laid out in Scripture, at least.
We Cannot Advance God’s Kingdom by Pounding Plowshares into Swords
With the uprise of gun violence in churches, should we consider securing ourselves with armed security guards? With the threat of North Korea and a nuclear strike, should America preemptively strike them first? America’s militarism is justified, right? I mean, God ordains violence when used by good government, not?
Well, allow me to turn your world upside down. I think we’ve had this wrong all along.
What I Love about Jesus
There are so many people who are disillusioned with church, today. It is easy to get overly focused on the negatives and weaknesses of church that we miss the profound beauty and glory it displays to the world. So, in an attempt to help us regain (or stay focused on) the beauty of the Bride of Christ, I am going to share a three-part series entitled, “What I love about…,” starting with Jesus.
A Theology of Death
God has a story for us through death, I’m convinced. In my own wrestling and journeying I’ve begun studying, for myself, to find what God is saying. I’d like to share briefly what I am learning about God and death.
An open letter about the Bible, blogging, and why I choose the titles I do
A couple months ago I wrote an article titled, No, You Don’t Have to Read the Bible. I received quite a basket of mixed feedback, so I thought it beneficial to follow-up and bring clarity where I may have failed to before.
This is an open letter. Quite long, to be honest. But necessary for clarifying a few things I deeply believe. The letter is separated into the following sections. Feel free to skip ahead to whatever interests you most by clicking on the heading below:
- Summarizing No, You Don’t Have to Read the Bible
- “What a title!!??”
- Intentional Blogging
- Relational vs. Intellectual, and an “ever-evolving message”
- The Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Inspiration of Scripture
- The Problem with Scripture in 2017
- What I Believe about the Bible in 18 Statements
What I Got Wrong about Theology
Have you ever felt that Christians are more concerned about right and wrong beliefs then they are about being one with Christ?
I used to think the problem was that we focused too much on theology. All the different terms—soteriology, ecclesiology, eschatology, Calvinism, Arminianism, and so on. Most of them made no sense to me and I couldn’t figure out why people spent so much time debating over which ones were right.
So, I said once that we as Anabaptists focus too much on theology and not enough on relationships. Having said that, I’ve pondered it a lot and have concluded I was wrong.
Redefining Marriage in an Age of Permissiveness
A well-known Christian author and speaker recently spoke out in favor of gay marriage and homosexual relationships, saying two adults have a right to choose who they want to love, and if they choose to love someone of the same-sex, then the church should help provide marriage support and parenting help. She went on to say that she wants the very best for her gay friends: love, happiness, faithfulness, commitment, and community.
I support her desires for homosexuals. I also want gay people to experience love, happiness, faithfulness, commitment, and community. I agree that the church has not done well in relating with the LGBT community.
But is redefining marriage so they can find those things as they are really the solution? How have we gotten to the place where professing born-again believers value relationships with people above faithfulness in marriage?
