Tag: 2017

What I Got Wrong about Theology

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation, 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.

Read More

No, You Don’t HAVE to Read the Bible

By Asher Witmer Popular Posts, Spiritual Formation
aw_Bible

What if the modern approach to Scripture isn’t what God intended for it? What if saying you can only know God through knowing the Bible cripples people from knowing Him at all?

Today, more than ever we need to be grounded in Truth, but the way we worship the black, white and leather of the Bible doesn’t help us become anymore grounded.

When we put the Bible on a pedestal it was never supposed to have, we actually cultivate contempt for Truth and turn people away from God. In this post, I expose the wrong way to use the Bible, explain the right way, and share how to tell the difference.

Read More

The Stuff of Intimacy

By Asher Witmer Romance & Family, Spiritual Formation
aw_intimacy

In my last post, I said we can live without sex, but not without intimacy. Having a great sex partner is not the key to sexual gratification. Finding the most beautiful spouse in the world won’t keep one from lusting after others. The desire for erotic pleasure comes as the result of a lack of meaning and purpose and nothing in life is truly meaningful without its relational value.

What I didn’t say in that post is what intimacy looks like. I didn’t really explain how to have meaningful relationships.

As I said before, I don’t necessarily feel like an expert at relationships yet, but I am slowly learning. The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden with God provides excellent training material.

Read More

You Can Live Without Sex, But Not Without Intimacy

By Asher Witmer Romance & Family, Spiritual Formation
aw_intimacy

Can I tell you a secret? Having a great sex partner is not the key to sexual gratification. Finding the most beautiful wife in the world won’t keep you from lusting after other women. The desire for erotic pleasure comes as the result of a lack of meaning and purpose and nothing in life is truly meaningful without its relational value.

Sixty-four percent of Christian men view pornography at least monthly. Thirty-seven percent look at porn several times a week. I know what it’s like to be addicted to pornography. I thought the struggle came from my strong sexual drive.

But as I came to experience freedom from lust and the addiction to erotic pleasure, I learned part of what held me captive for so long had little to do with sex and more to do with intimacy.

Read More

When Refugees Can’t Come, We Must Go to Them

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
aw_refugees

And now we come to the current problem in the refugee crisis. Refugees can’t come to America. Not now, at least. If we can’t be Christian and not accept them, what are we to do?

I have heard a lot of discussion about the Parable of the Good Samaritan among Christians debating the crisis and Trump’s ban. What surprises me as I listen to these conversations is that many people are using the parable to justify not taking care of their refugee neighbors.

“The Good Samaritan didn’t take the injured Jew home with him.” “The Good Samaritan found him on his way.”

I’m afraid in justifying ourselves, we are missing the very point Jesus was trying to make.

Read More

When Refugees Come, We Must Greet Them

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
aw_refugees

I do not believe you can be a Christian and not accept refugees. If we haven’t before, now is the time to truly count the cost of following Christ.

As Christians, we are called to lay down our lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are the hands and feet of Love in this broken world, and we risk our lives being so. Our doors are to be open to the Christian refugee as well as the Muslim refugee. We of all people need to be the ones greeting refugees when they come.

Islam is a religion of consummation. They are not merely concerned with us accepting them and letting them have their own religious peace. They want the whole world to be converted. In taking them in as a nation, we risk being consumed by them. If we want the world to know peace, then we must be the first ones to care for them so that we can introduce them to the One who is peace.

Read More

What You Need to Know about Faith, the Government, and Refugees

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
aw_refugees

I find it interesting how many people thought I was talking about Trump and his ban on refugees when I asked the question, “Can you be a Christian and not accept refugees?”

Perhaps our faith and our patriotism are so intertwined that we think in terms of our government enabling or crippling us from living out what Christ calls us to. When our government prohibits us from doing something, we don’t do it. Or we complain about not being able to do it rather than just living out our faith regardless of the cost.

Why is this? Why can’t we separate ourselves from this earthly kingdom and live for the sole purpose of the Kingdom of God?

Read More

What Will Happen If We Don’t Accept Refugees (and what could happen if we do)

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
aw_refugees

There are more refugees in the world today than any other time since WW2, yet our President has administered an executive order banning refugees from seven prime terrorist countries.

The seven main countries refugees are fleeing from.

I am not concerned about the executive order. We will get into that in the next post. What concerns me is the unwillingness on the part of many followers of Christ to open their doors to those fleeing for their lives.

Read More

Can You Be a Christian and Not Accept Refugees?

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
aw_refugees

Without adding to the meaningless noise of opinions on the current refugee crisis, in this post I want to wrestle with some questions specific to those of us who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Can we say we are “little Christs” and not accept refugees?

Have we in the American church become so obsessed about the cares of this world and deceived by riches, and have we become so in love with other things that God’s word has been choked out of our midst and we are proving unfruitful?

If we do not accept refugees, can we claim Christ as our Lord? If we do not commit to suffering for the Gospel, can we expect to share in the resurrection?

Read More

Plexus, modesty and other topics too dangerous to talk about

By Asher Witmer Ecclesiology, Spiritual Formation

Have you ever read one of my posts that left you asking more questions than before, or left you wishing I would elaborate more?

Last year’s two most-read posts were also perhaps the two most controversial posts. 7 Modesty Issues That Don’t Matter received over 4,500 views and 30+ comments. What Plexus Exposes about the American Church received nearly 22,000 views and 130 comments.

The thing about controversial posts is they are often incomplete. That’s probably what makes them so heated. In order to address some of the gaps in the original posts, I created a couple of videos elaborating more on each one. Check them out in this post.

Read More

WAP! in 2017

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation
aw_2017

Out of fifteen goals I made this last year, I really only completed three of them. Trust me, they were really good goals. I was bound and determined to actually do it when I created them, and it’s not that I didn’t try—I did. But the busyness of life creeps in so quickly, the worries and pressures we succumb to eat out passion for following through on our commitments.

Is there any hope for completing what we desire to do? Is there any point in setting goals or clarifying vision? What is it God really wants us to do with our lives, with each New Year?

In the Matthew account of the night leading up to Christ’s crucifixion, something happens with His inner circle that I believe reveals what God is calling you and I to right now in 2017.

 

Read More