Posts
The Politics of Demonization
Category: General
Tags: Hatred, Jonathan Martin, Politics, Satan
Jonathan Martin posted a blog this week that we wanted to share called the politics of demonization (demonic talk on immigration, & other things). Have you noticed the hateful ways that we characterize the “other” in public discourse? Jonathan…
The Old Testament Is NOT on the Same Plane as the New Testament
Category: General
Tags: Bible, Cruciform Theology, Jesus, New Testament, Old Testament
Topics: Biblical Interpretation
Paul taught that unbelievers are blinded by “the god of this age” when they read the OT such that “their minds are made dull” and a “veil covers their hearts…when the old covenant is read”…
Lighten Up: Shallow Small Group
Category: Lighten Up
Tags: Community, Humor
https://youtu.be/NMyTMTmJU6E Free grub. Less mess.
Reflecting on the Lord’s Prayer
Category: General
Tags: Eschatology, Jesus, Kingdom Living, Prayer, Spiritual Warfare
Jesus begins the instruction on prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) by telling his disciples to pray for the Father’s name to be “hallowed,” for his kingdom to come, and for his will to be established on earth…
What Are the “Keys to the Kingdom”?
Category: General
Tags: Church, Jesus, Satan, Spiritual Warfare
Verse: Matthew 16
And I tell you that you are Peter [petros = rock], and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys…
Why Did Jesus Curse the Fig Tree?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Gospels, Jesus, Miracles, Satan
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
One of the strangest episodes recorded in the Gospels is Jesus cursing a fig tree because he was hungry and it didn’t have any figs (Mk 11:12-14; Mt 21:18-19). It’s the only destructive miracle found…
The God Who Over-Knows The Future
Category: General
Tags: God's Sovereignty, Open Theism, Possibility, Providence
Topics: Free Will and the Future
God perfectly knows from all time what will be, what would be, and what may be. He sovereignly sets parameters for all three categories. His knowledge of what might occur leaves him no less prepared…
Lighten Up: Literally
Category: Lighten Up
Tags: Fundamentalism, Literalism
Comic from @postbarthian on Twitter
Was Jesus Fully Human and Fully God?
Category: General
Tags: God, Incarnation, Jesus
The New Testament is very clear that Jesus was a full human being. He had to grow in wisdom (Lk 2:52) and learn obedience by going through trials, just like every other human being (Heb….
Greg Interviews Jeremy Jernigan on “Redeeming Pleasure”
Category: General
Tags: Christian Living, God's Character, Interview, Jeremy Jernigan, Redeeming Pleasure
Greg: Thanks for agreeing to this interview Jeremy. Having read your soon-to-be-published book Redeeming Pleasure, I’m really looking forward to its September 15 publication. Okay, to get started, suppose I’m a stranger and we meet in an…
Why Compatibilistic Freedom Does Not Make Sense
Category: General
Tags: Determinism, Evil, Free Will, Problem of Evil, Satan and the Problem of Evil
Compatibilism is the view that free will is compatible with determinism. In this view, freedom is defined as the ability to do what you want, though what you want is determined by factors outside of…
The God of Wisdom: Romans 9, Part 5
Category: General
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will
This week we have been looking at Romans 9. In this post, we will look at the sixth and final argument against the deterministic interpretation of this famous chapter. Argument #6: It’s About Wisdom, Not…
God is Flexible: Romans 9, Part 4
Category: General
Tags: Determinism, Israel, Open Theism, Potter and Clay, Predestination, Romans 9
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will
Verse: Romans 9
As we continue this series on Romans 9, [Here’s the link to the first post in the series.] today we will look at the famous potter/clay analogy. Most tend to interpret the potter and clay image…
Paul Teaches Free Will, Not Determinism: Romans 9, Part 3
Category: General
Tags: Belief, Determinism, Faith, Free Will, Mercy
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will
Verse: Romans 9
In this series of posts, I am challenging the deterministic reading of Romans 9, which interprets Paul’s teaching as saying that God chooses some to be saved and others to be damned. There are six arguments…
Paul Was Not Writing about Personal Salvation: Romans 9, Part 2
Category: General
Tags: Covenant, Determinism, Election, Israel, Romans 9, Salvation
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will
Verse: Romans 9
In yesterday’s post, I summarized the deterministic interpretation of Romans 9 and offered the first argument against it. In this post I offer the second and third of six arguments that reveal that there is something…
Rethinking Election: Romans 9, Part 1
Category: General
Tags: Christ, Determinism, Love, Predestination, Romans 9, Unconditional Election
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will
Verse: Romans 9
Many people believe that Romans 9 demonstrates that God has the right and power to save whichever individuals he wants to save and damn whichever individuals he wants to damn. I’ll call this the “deterministic”…
Lighten Up: Biblical Idolatry
Category: Lighten Up
Is the way you read your Bible drawing you closer to Jesus or further away? Something to think about. Image by David Hayward at nakedpastor.com.
Christena Cleveland on Practices for Sociological Imagination
Category: General
Tags: Christena Cleveland, Humility, Leadership, Multicultural Ministry, Privilege, Racial Reconciliation
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
Christena Cleveland recently sat down with Tod Bolsinger (Vice President for Formation and Vocation at Fuller Theological Seminary) to discuss the intersection of privilege and leadership. You can find a series of short videos capturing different aspects…
Was Jesus Abandoned by the Father on the Cross?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Abandonment, Cross, Jesus, Love, Trinity
Topics: Atonement and The Cross
As Jesus hung on the cross, he cried, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (Mt 27:46). This is the cry of our God who stooped to the furthest possible depths to experience his own antithesis, as the…
Does the Old Testament Justify “Just War”?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Augustine, Cruciform Theology, Just War, Kingdom Living, Non-Violence, Old Testament, OT Violence, Violence
Topics: Enemy-Loving Non-Violence
Since the time of Augustine, Christians have consistently appealed to the violent strand of the Old Testament to justify waging wars when they believed their cause was “just.” (This is Augustine’s famous “just war” theory.)…