General
The Starting Point of Spiritual Transformation
Category: General
All spiritual transformation is the result of the Spirit removing the veil from our minds and allowing us to see the glory of God uncovered in the One who is his image, Jesus Christ. In…
The Impossible Command of God
Category: General
Tags: Being Present, Practicing the Presence of God, Present Perfect
Topics: Hearing God, Prayer
Paul tells us we are to be “imitators of God” (Eph 5:1). The word for “imitate” (mimetai) literally means to “mimic” or to “shadow.” This means we are to do exactly what we see God…
The Spiritual Value of Doing Nothing
Category: General
Tags: Imaginative Prayer, Prayer, Rest
Topics: Hearing God, Prayer
It is only when we cease from our striving and rest in the unconditional love of Christ that our soul begins to be nourished and restored. It is only then that we can experience a…
Guest Post: Is Hell the Center of our Faith?
Category: General
Tags: Hell, India, Mercy, Missionary Work, Trudy Smith
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
My husband Andy and I had been living in the slums of North India for over a year by the time we returned to one of our sending churches for a visit. We met with…
The Ultimate Criteria for Theology
Category: General
Tags: Cruciform Theology, God's Character, God's Love, Theology
Topics: Theological Method
Theology is thinking (logos) about God (theos). It is a good and necessary discipline, but only so long as it is centered on Christ. All of our speculation and debate about such things as God’s…
The Call to a Cruciform Life
Category: General
Tags: Cruciform Theology, Enemy Love, Kingdom Living
Topics: Following Jesus
Jesus repeatedly taught that following him meant that one had to be willing to “pick up their cross daily and follow [him]” (Lk 9:23; 14:27). Picking up our cross is the centerpiece of following Jesus…
Love and Violence
Category: General
Tags: Augustine, Cruciform Theology, God is Love, Violence
What does it mean to confess that “God is love” and that we are called to “live in love” (Eph. 5:2)? One of the more common ways of understanding God’s love has its roots in…
Why Prayer Matters
Category: General
Tags: Free Will, Prayer
Topics: Hearing God, Prayer
Two questions about prayer: What possible difference can prayer make to an all-good and all-powerful God? Why would an all-wise God leverage so much of his will being done on earth on whether or not…
Don’t Miss Out!
Category: General
Tags: Greg Boyd, Newsletter, Q&A
See that little sign-up button for our newsletter at the bottom of this page? If you don’t already get the newsletter, you’re going to want to now. You get all kinds of special goodies like…
What Does it Mean to be “Holy”?
Category: General
Tags: Holiness, Jesus, Kingdom Living, Love
Topics: Following Jesus
Image by much0 via Flickr People today frequently associate the word “holy” with a list “do’s” and “don’ts” that “godly” people are supposed to adhere to. The concept of “holiness” in the Bible, however, is not…
Political Solutions Won’t Save Us
Category: General
Tags: Government, Kingdom of this World, Politics
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
Image by h.koppdelaney via Flickr Jesus followers must retain a healthy suspicion toward every version of the kingdom of the world. After all, on the authority of God’s Word, we know that however good a particular…
Trying to Acquire What You Already Have
Category: General
Tags: Adam and Eve, Character of God, Contentment, Judgment, Lies
Topics: Following Jesus
Image by Joshua Earle The lies Satan told to Eve in the garden made eating from the forbidden tree (the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil) look desirable. On the one hand, the lies caused…
Burnout and Rest
Category: General
Tags: Benjamin L. Corey, Rest, Spiritual Care, Spiritual Formation
Topics: Following Jesus
Benjamin L. Corey posted consecutive blogs recently listing 5 reasons so many Christians are feeling burned out right now and 5 things you need to take a break from to avoid spiritual burnout. Lots of wisdom…
Is Your Christianity Shaped by Plato or the Bible?
Category: General
Tags: Attributes of God, Blueprint Worldview, Change, God, Open Theism, Perfection, Plato, time
Topics: Apologetics
The Timaeus is a work that Plato wrote that addresses the questions: “What is that which always is and has no becoming, and what is that which becomes but never is?” (Tim. 28a)? These questions…
Lighten Up: Greg’s Crazy Drumming Face
Category: General, Lighten Up
Tags: Drummer, Greg Boyd, Not Dead Yet
Hope you can join us to check out this face in person! $10 suggested donation benefits Haiti missions. May 15 2015, 8:00PM to midnight at The Dugout Bar, 96 Mahtomedi Ave, Mahtomedi, MN
A Dialogue with Derek Flood Part 2: Is ALL of the Bible Inspired?
Category: General
Tags: Bible, Biblical Authority, Book Reviews, Cruciform Theology, Derek Flood, Disarming Scripture, Inspiration, Jesus
Topics: Interpreting Violent Pictures and Troubling Behaviors
Image by TheRevSteve via Flickr Yesterday, I offered the first part of my response to Flood’s comments regarding my review of his book. Today I’ll finish up my thoughts. Scripture and Its Interpretation Flood confesses that he is…
A Dialogue with Derek Flood: Is the Bible Infallible?
Category: General
Tags: Bible, Biblical Authority, Book Reviews, Cruciform Theology, Derek Flood, Disarming Scripture, Infallibility, Inspiration, Non-Violence
Topics: Interpreting Violent Pictures and Troubling Behaviors
I’m happy to see that Derek Flood has responded to my four part review of his book, Disarming Scripture. His response—and, I trust, this reply to his response—models how kingdom people can strongly disagree on…
Lighten Up: The Whole Point
Category: General, Lighten Up
Tags: Blessed are the Meek, Kingdom, Lighten Up, Non-Violence
A little inspiration for your Friday…
The Problem with Mixing Church & Government
Category: General
Tags: Church, Constantine, Government, Myth of a Christian Nation, Politics, Power
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
Image by fusion-of-horizons via Flickr Some people insist that the only reason that neither Jesus nor anyone else in the first several centuries of the church tried to dominate the political system of their day was…