Tag: God

An open letter about the Bible, blogging, and why I choose the titles I do

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation, Theology

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

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No, You Don’t HAVE to Read the Bible

By Asher Witmer Popular Posts, Spiritual Formation
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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.

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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.

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Redefining Marriage in an Age of Permissiveness

By Asher Witmer Romance & Family, Theology
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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?

 

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Nonconformity: Does It Even Matter?

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation
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Because of grace, there are no excuses for sinful living. Only, God is for us. Not against us. Too often we live the Christian life expecting ourselves to be more perfect then even God expects us to be. As if holiness is something we are to accomplish before we have peace with Him. But that matter was taken care of by Christ on the Cross. We have peace, period. We can now live in relationship with God, and it is from that relationship we find the ability to live as He designed, to obey Him from the heart instead of obligation as they did under the Old Testament Law.

We still live in a fallen world, though, bound by a fallen nature. Living as He designed goes contrary to our nature. We have been grafted in—we’re not a part of the trunk that gave us root. It feels more natural to live without Him.

It is within this context that Paul is writing in Roman’s twelve.

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Nonconformity: A Dangerous Alternative

By Asher Witmer Popular Posts, Spiritual Formation

Until our relationships accurately represent Christ, our doctrines will always be held in suspect.

Not everyone is rebellious, wanting to do their own thing. Many know the Bible and the God of the Bible and how He relates in love and grace, and when that isn’t being lived out in a community that focuses so much on trying to be like Christ, we feel something is missing.

But what if we’re chasing relationships at the expense of faithfulness? What if in our desperation for Christ, we completely miss Him?

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Radical Love: how you can tell a true Christian from a fake one

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation
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If God did create, then His plan for my life is the plan that is most fulfilling. Because I am born with a fallen nature, I constantly trying doing life outside of His plan. I need saved. When I am saved, I become a part of a family that far transcends my immediate friends and connections. Experiencing more of God requires my continual engagement with His people.

Creation and salvation are absolutely fundamental for understanding life as God designed. Church, the body of Christ, is a critical part of going deeper with Him. But understanding creation, experiencing salvation, and participating with church are not enough to live a life that truly matters.

True meaning comes from radical love.

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What I Believe About Church

By Asher Witmer Ecclesiology
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What is the point of church? With as many frustrations and variations in the Christian church today, is what we know as church really what God intended? Did He anticipate there being so many different denominations, different approaches to Scripture, and different ways of living out faith? Or this all some grand mistake? Is the church as God designed lost?

The Christian faith is a romance story. God refers to it as such throughout all of Scripture. Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, relentlessly pursues His beautiful bride, the church.

Do you see the church as a place you experience the agape love and redemption of God, or is church to you a place where you experience the brokenness of man? Does engaging the church of Christ feel like a natural overflow of your commitment to Him, or does it feel like an obligation of the Christian faith?

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What I Believe About Salvation

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation
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God does not have a reverse economy. Satan does, and we chose to settle for his perversion of God’s economy, God’s perfect creation.

Nothing exists that God did not create. No creature, no desire, no ability, and no pleasure. He made it all and it is good. The normal way life functions is the way God designed it to. We are the ones who reversed the economy of life. We are upside-down from what God created.

Lust is not our longing of something Satan created, but our settling for his perversions as a way of fulfilling our longing for what God created. In order to live a life that truly matters, life as God intended, we need a supernatural salvation.

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What This Generation of Anabaptists Really Needs

By Asher Witmer Church Life, Spiritual Formation
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I’m speaking specifically to Anabaptist churches. Not because they are worse than others and not because they are better. I speak to Anabaptists because I am one. I understand this denomination the most. I feel the frustrations others feel as they work with their Anabaptist brothers and sisters. I value the upbringing and heritage I have been given, as many Anabaptists do.

This generation of Anabaptists wants to know we won’t be written off when we verbalize the frustrations we feel. We want people to care, to invest in us and help us chart an even better course—no matter how good or bad the current one is. But in our ambition for the change we want, I fear we may neglect what we really need.

We don’t need everyone to stay “Anabaptist,” neither do we need everyone to leave. I see at least seven things this generation of Anabaptist really needs.

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We Have a Courtship Dilemma

By Asher Witmer Romance & Family
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As I listen to other people in my generation I hear an increasing frustration with our courtship model. This seems to be true regardless of background. Is courtship as we know it today the way it should be?

Here’s how I’m approaching this post: I’m going to offer my perspective and then I want to hear yours. I love discussions, so let’s have one. I want to hear from other married people, but I also want to hear from singles. I want to hear your frustrations and desires.

Something has to change, and in order to influence change we must first have a conversation about it. So let’s talk. Let’s not argue or try to get everyone to understand ourselves, but instead let’s try to understand everyone else.

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Why You Don’t Talk about Your Problem with Porn

By Asher Witmer Personal Wholeness
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A recent study reveals that 54% of born again Christian men confess to viewing porn monthly. More than half. It also showed that 97% of all men have seen pornography at some point in their life.

The interesting thing is that 1 in 3 women also struggle with pornography. It’s not a just a male issue. But in general, we keep it hidden to ourselves. We don’t really talk about it with anyone, which causes us to further struggle.

There is a reason you don’t talk about your problem with porn. It doesn’t mean you are bad or ungodly, it means you’re normal. But don’t let it hold you back from finding freedom.

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