Hope in the Wilderness

Greg, I just wanted to thank you for all the work you put into both your writing & sermons. I have been a long term fan of your books, as together with Clark Pinnock’s writings (another favorite theologian) you convinced me of open theism some 8-10 years ago.

However, my reason for gratitude now is more for your sermons podcast which I am finding a real encouragement. You are managing to draw me back to a passionate desire to be a disciple of Jesus when all my questions were beginning to leave me so disenfranchised with church & the way all my friends read the bible. Since my conversion to Open Theist thinking (although I still like the Creative Love Theism name that Rob Brow uses), I’ve been on a journey reading more & more ‘progressive evangelical’ writing (including your ‘Across the Spectrum’ as a springboard). That has lead me into the Emergent conversation & numerous other voices on theooze.com. This has been useful, especially Brian McLaren’s & Pete Rollins’ writings, and certainly openeded my eyes to try encouraging alt worship expressions as well as reigniting my social justice concern & action. But it left me with more & more questions, doubts and a looser hold on what I really believed about interpreting scripture. I was in danger of becoming a Christian intellectual cynic who was not actually helping to build something better.

Anyway, rather than bore you with all my story (from Calvinism to Emergent via Wesley and then Open Theism), I just wanted to thank you for your sermons on Luke. Love to chat more sometime but you are a mighty busy man so for now just know that ‘Held’ helped me cry before Father again and ‘Fire God’ and others got me energised again to live it and engage again more with my local church. Bless you brother & keep pioneering thinking Christianity for those of us who need a voice of hope in a wilderness of unthinking church leaders! P- Wales, UK