We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded solely by your direct support. Please consider supporting this project.

When We Talk Politics

When We Talk Politics

In this clip, Greg identifies a source of much of the conflict we experience in our conversations about politics, or other important topics. He does this by introducing the phrase, “your map is not the territory.”  Your brain assembles and interprets the sensations you experience and forms maps of the world based upon those experiences. These “maps” help us to navigate through life, but they are imperfect representations of the realities that they point to. It’s important that we remain humble and curious regarding our maps. When we mistake these maps for the territories they represent, we miss opportunities to learn and grow, and instead descend into conflict.

If you would like to listen the entire sermon, you can do so here.

Related Reading

What do you think of the left wing Christians who are calling on Christians to stand up for “biblical justice”?

Yes, we’ve been hearing a lot of this recently, especially from more “progressive” (left-tending) Christians calling on people to vote “God’s politics” and stand up for “biblical justice.” On the one hand, I along with everyone else applaud such rhetoric, for what Bible-believing Christian in their right mind would take a stand against “biblical justice”?…

Sermon Clip: Hijabs At The Gym

In the last message of Mixed Signals, we take a look at Islam and how Kingdom people should be responding to the growing worldwide Islamic movement. We explore the growing disparity between the life Jesus led and calls us into and the normal worldly response to those who are different or potentially threaten our way…

A Brief History of Political Power and the Church

The history of the church has been largely one of believers refusing to trust the way of the crucified Jesus and instead giving in to the very temptation he resisted. It’s the history of an institution that has frequently traded its holy and distinct mission for what it thought was a good mission. It is…

Something Else is Going On

The violent portraits of God in the Old Testament are a stumbling block for many. In this short clip, Greg introduces the idea that “something else is going on” in these passages, and that we can begin to see this something else when we put our complete trust in the character of God as fully revealed in…

Sermon: Letter to Henry

We usually share a short clip from Greg’s sermons here, but we decided that a clip just won’t do this week. This last weekend Greg preached about the life and death of Henry and what it does and does not say about God. You can listen to the sermon and download other resources over at…

Let’s Remember

In light of the events in the last few days involving attacks on American diplomats in foreign countries (and the ensuing political conflict), let’s remember one thing: Our fight is not with flesh and blood. As Christians, our real enemy is not Libyans or Egyptians or Muslims or President Obama or Governor Romney. Our enemy…