Jesus
What is the Kingdom of God (Part 1)
Category: General
Tags: Holiness, Jesus, Kingdom, Kingdom Living, National Idolatry, Upside-Down Kingdom, War
Topics: Following Jesus
We all know what the Kingdom of God is, right? But this is precisely the problem. Since we are all to a large extent products of our culture, what seems obviously true and right to…
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…
Does the Doctrine of the Trinity Matter?
Category: Q&A
Tags: God, God is Love, Jesus, Love, The Holy Spirit, Trinity
Topics: Trinity
Jesus reveals the greatest, most beautiful, and mysterious aspect of God when he, despite being himself God Incarnate, relates to God as his “Father” and refers to God as “the Holy Spirit.” There is, of…
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…
What Happened on the Cross?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Already Not Yet, Atonement, God, God at War, Jesus, Satan
Topics: Atonement and The Cross, Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
Since the time of Anselm (11th century), and especially since the Reformation in the 16th century, the tendency of the Western church has been to focus almost all of its attention on the anthropological dimension…
Part 4: An Alternative Cross-Centered Approach
Category: General
Tags: Bible, Book Reviews, Cruciform Theology, Derek Flood, Disarming Scripture, Jesus, Magic Eye, OT Violence
Topics: Interpreting Violent Pictures and Troubling Behaviors
Image by Karl Pang via Flickr As I mentioned in Part II of this review, I am deeply appreciative of the fact that Flood grasps the centrality of enemy-loving non-violence in Jesus’ revelation of God. And…
Part 3: Disarming Flood’s Inadequate Conception of Biblical Authority
Category: General
Tags: Bible, Biblical Authority, Biblical Criticism, Book Reviews, Derek Flood, Disarming Scripture, Jesus, OT Violence
Image by Ex-InTransit via Flickr In this third part of my review of Derek Flood’s Disarming Scripture I will offer a critique of his redefined conception of biblical inspiration and authority. I will begin by having…
Part 2: Disarming Flood’s Case Against Biblical Infallibility
Category: General
Tags: Bible, Biblical Authority, Book Reviews, Derek Flood, Disarming Scripture, Jesus, OT Violence, Paul
Image by humancarbine via Flickr In this second part of my review of Disarming Scripture I will begin to address its strengths and weakness. [Click here for Part 1] There is a great deal in Disarming…
Is Jesus Really God?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Apologetics, Jesus, Jesus' Divinity, Letters from a Skeptic, Miracles, Resurrection
Topics: Christology, Jesus: Lord or Legend
While it is true that Jesus Himself never comes out and explicitly says He is God in the Gospels, He is everywhere portrayed in terms that lead us to conclude to the same thing. He…
The Jesus Story is a Myth!…And History
Category: General
Tags: C.S. Lewis, Gospels, History, J. R. R. Tolkien, Jesus, Legend, Lord or Legend?, Myth, Resurrection, Truth
Topics: Christology
Image by Len dela Cruz The Jesus story has a curious, and fascinating, relationship with myth and legend. The story of God coming to earth, being born of a virgin, manifesting a heroic, counter-cultural love toward…
On the Other Side of the Cross
Category: General
Tags: Blessing, Easter, Jesus, Resurrection
Image by -Reji via Flickr Bless you all this Easter. He is risen!
9 Things That Are True of Us When We’re Saved
Category: General
Tags: Gifts, Identity in Christ, Jesus, New Humanity, Salvation
Topics: Following Jesus
Image by rAmmoRRison via Flickr The New Testament has many amazing things to say about who we are as believers because of what Christ has done for us. When the Lord saves us, he doesn’t just…
Are the Gospels Historical Fiction?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Bible, Biblical Criticism, Gospels, Jesus, Lord or Legend?
Topics: Biblical Reliability, Jesus: Lord or Legend
Some scholars today argue that the stories recorded in the Gospels are actually intentional fabrication. In essence, they argue that Mark took Paul’s theology and robed the story of Jesus in a fictitious historical narrative….
Spiritual Warfare: What is it?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Humility, Jesus, Kingdom Living, Love, Myth of a Christian Religion, Satan, Spiritual Warfare
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
The Kingdom is “not of this world,” and neither is its warfare. Jews had always believed that God confronted spiritual opposition in carrying out his will on earth. In the Old Testament, these evil forces…
A Book That Won’t Leave You Unchanged
Category: General
Tags: Books, Frank Viola, Imagination, Jesus, Mary DeMuth, The Day I Met Jesus
St. Ignatius of Loyola, the 16th century founder of the Jesuits, taught that to experience the transforming power of Scripture, we need to read it “with all five senses,” using our imagination to get on…
Lighten Up: What Jesus Said NEVER
Category: General, Lighten Up
Tags: Enemy Love, Jesus, Lighten Up, Love One Another, Non-Violence, Violence
Image via nakedpastor.com
Sermon Clip: Through Samaria
Category: Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: Jesus, Sermons, Woodland Hills Church
In this final installment of the Women on the Outside series, we explore the story of the woman at the well Jesus encountered while traveling through Samaria and how he dives right in to the…
The Warfare We Have Inherited
Category: General
Tags: Already Not Yet, Eschatology, Jesus, Kingdom, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
Image by Chris Sardegna Jesus’ miracles over nature, as well as his healings, exorcisms and especially his resurrection, were definite acts of war that accomplished and demonstrated his victory over Satan. These acts routed demonic forces…
5 Differences Between The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of the World
Category: General
Tags: Cruciform Theology, Enemy Love, Jesus, Kingdom, Kingdom Living, Love, Myth of a Christian Nation, Upside-Down Kingdom, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Following Jesus
Image by matthijs rouw via Flickr The kingdom of God looks and acts like Jesus Christ, like Calvary, like God’s eternal, triune love. It consists of people graciously embracing others and sacrificing themselves in service to others….
Sermon Clip: Keeping Christmas
Category: Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: Greg Boyd, Jesus, Sermons, Woodland Hills Church
Through Christ, God fulfills all his promises, and by yielding to him and giving up control, we can set ourselves free. Full Sermon here: http://whchurch.org/sermons-media/sermon/keeping-christmas