Posts
Greg on Framing the Question for HELLBOUND? Documentary [Video]
Category: General
Tags: Afterlife, Heaven and Hell
Greg did an interview for the forthcoming feature documentary Hellbound? in which he explains the importance of framing the question of Hell correctly.
Watch the interview below and check out the iTunes theatrical trailer.
Responding to Von Balthasar on the Trinity and Suffering
Category: General
Tags: Apologetics, Problem of Evil, Trinity
Recently in his blog, The Dish, Andrew Sullivan pointed to an interesting article from The Other Journal called “Evil, the New Atheism, and the God of the Trinity,” written by Jacob H. Friesenhahn. One of…
Cruciform Aikido Pt 3: The Judge Who Lets Them Have It
Category: General
Tags: Cruciform Theology, Judgement
We ended our last post noting that in the cross God ingeniously turned evil back on itself and triumphed over it. But what does all this teach us about the nature of divine judgment? Two things….
The Myth of Redemptive Violence
Category: General
Tags: Non-Violence
Check out Shane Claiborne’s excellent piece on the problem of violence posted yesterday on Huffington Post. Money quote: “Christian theologians have said Jesus teaches a ‘third way’ to interact with evil. We see a Jesus…
Sermon 7/22/12: The Shadow of the Cross
Category: Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: Cruciform Theology, Non-Violence
In his sermon this past Sunday, Greg continued his fleshing out thoughts from the previous week on how he reconciles the violent, disturbing portraits of God in the Old Testament with the revelation of God in Jesus Christ…
I have forgiven, but how do I trust again?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Christian Life, Forgiveness, Relationships
Topics: Relationships
READER: A while back, a friend of mine seriously hurt and betrayed me. After three years of not seeing one another (her choice), she humbly repented, told me she was sorry, and asked for my forgiveness. I have forgiven her and we are starting to be friends again. But now what? How do I open my heart to her again? How do I start “testing the waters” to see if I can trust again?
“…citizens of the kingdom of God need to take care to distinguish…” [Quotes]
Category: General
Tags: Politics, Quotes
“…citizens of the kingdom of God need to take care to distinguish between their core faith and values on the one hand and the particular way they politically express their faith and values on the other.”
How can prayer change God’s mind?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Christian Life, God, Open Theism, Prayer, Theology
Topics: Apologetics, Open Theism
You’ve argued that since God is all-good, he’s always doing the most he can do in every situation to bring about good. But you have also argued that prayer can change God’s mind. How are these two beliefs compatible?
Cruciform Aikido Pt 2: God-Forsaken Judgment
Category: General
Tags: Cruciform Theology, Judgement
So if Jesus is the supreme revelation of what God is like, as we explained in our last post, what does that tell us about the nature of God’s judgment?
As Jesus was dying on the cross he cried out, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?,” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt. 27:46). This shocking cry reveals…
A ReKnew Manifesto
Category: General
Tags: ReKnew
As our curious name indicates, ReKnew exists to encourage believers and skeptics alike to re-think things they thought they already knew. We want to promote a beautiful, Jesus-looking vision of God and his kingdom. We…
God’s Shadow Activity [Sermon 7/15/12]
Category: Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: Cruciform Theology, Old Testament
If we believe the whole Bible is inspired, how do we reconcile the Old Testament with the self-sacrificial, enemy-loving God revealed in Jesus Christ? In this past Sunday’s sermon at Woodland Hills Church, Greg succinctly summarizes his own thoughts by echoing that of the apostle Paul: the Old Testament is a shadow of the reality which is found in Christ.
Why believe in free will? [Video]
Category: Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: Free Will, Predestination
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will
In this video excerpt from his April 29, 2012 sermon tracing the Pietistic influence on Woodland Hills Church, Greg explains why they—along with John Wesley—believe that God does not control everything, but rather gives human beings free will.
“The kingdom of God…advances only by exercising power under others. It expands by manifesting the power of self-sacrificial, Calvary-like love.” [Quotes]
Category: General
Tags: Politics, Quotes
“While all the versions of the kingdom of the world acquire and exercise power over others, the kingdom of God, incarnated and modeled in the person of Jesus Christ, advances only by exercising power under others. It expands by manifesting the power of self-sacrificial, Calvary-like love.”
Are angels involved in answering prayer?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Prayer, Spiritual Warfare
Topics: Hearing God, Prayer, Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
READER: In Daniel 10 we read of an angel telling Daniel that he was delayed from giving him the answer to his prayer because of spiritual warfare going on. My question is, are angels always involved in answering our prayers?
Cruciform Aikido Pt 1: Jesus and the Violent God
Category: General
Tags: Cruciform Theology, Old Testament, Violence
Note: Today, we are beginning a 4-part series on the subject of divine judgement called “Cruciform Aikido.” We will be publishing this once a week alongside Greg’s introduction to ReKnew series. When most people think of God…
3-Part Summer Q&A with Greg and Paul Eddy
Category: General
During Woodland Hills Church’s weekend services on July 7-8, they hosted Q&A sessions with Greg Boyd (Senior Pastor), and Paul Eddy (Teaching Pastor). If you’d like to listen to all the questions, note that there are separate downloads for the three different services.
You can download them here:
“I hope to challenge the assumption that finding the right political path has anything to do with advancing the kingdom of God.” [Quotes]
Category: General
Tags: Politics, Quotes
I do not argue that those political positions are either wrong or right. Nor do I argue that Christians shouldn’t be involved in politics. While people whose faith has been politicized may well interpret me along such lines, I assure you that this is not what I’m saying. The issue is far more fundamental than how we should vote or participate in government. Rather, I hope to challenge the assumption that finding the right political path has anything to do with advancing the kingdom of God.
I believe Christianity is true, but how do I feel it?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Christian Life, Spiritual Formation
Topics: Hearing God, Prayer
READER: Reading your Letters From a Skeptic recently helped me conclude that Jesus really is Lord and that he died for me, so I decided to become his follower. But for some reason I don’t…
Our Commitment to Love (and Avoiding Theological Idolatry)
Category: General
Tags: ReKnew, Theology
Given that we have just launched ReKnew, I thought it would be helpful to spend a good portion of our initial blogs unpacking the theological vision of ReKnew. Our goal is to post content to the site at least three or four times a week, with two of these posts (on average) being fresh content from me addressing particular theological topics. The other posts will be things such as videos, quotes of the day, featured articles from elsewhere on the web questions from readers, and so on.
Before I begin unpacking ReKnew’s theological vision in subsequent posts, however, today I want to offer four preliminary words about the theological convictions I’ll be espousing.
Everybody’s Got A Hungry Heart [Sermon, 7/1/12]
Category: General, Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: Faith
Check out Greg’s latest sermon!
Description from WHC website:
Paul wrote the Colossians to confront a false religion of invoking angels. These invocations were being done because people thought Jesus wasn’t enough. This same type of thought pervades our own society, where people with hungry hearts are searching for more than what Jesus offers. In this sermon, Greg talks about the fullness that Jesus brings.