Cheap Grace and Consumer Christianity
Category: General
Tags: Atonement, Consumerism, Kingdom Living, Penal Substitution View of Atonement
Topics: Atonement and The Cross, Following Jesus
The “cheap grace” Gospel sells well in America. We live in a culture of consumerism that conditions us to habitually look for “the best deal.” We’re more or less trained from birth to live in…
Life to the Full
Category: Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: Greg Boyd, Joy, Kingdom Living, Life, Life to the Full, Media, Peace, Practicing the Presence of God, Staying Awake, Video, Work of the People
Topics: Following Jesus
What does it mean to live life to the full? Greg addresses this question in this short video by The Work of the People.
Greg on Politics
Category: General
Tags: Greg Boyd, Interview, Kingdom, Kingdom of this World, Politics, Voting
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
I recently agreed to a written interview with a delightful Christian student of politics. Given the nature of her questions, I’m not sure my responses were quite what she expected. I thought some of you…
Does Nonviolence Work?
Category: General
Tags: Kingdom Living, Myth of a Christian Religion
Topics: Following Jesus
The teaching of Jesus on nonviolence strikes many as ludicrous, impractical, unpatriotic, irresponsible, and possibly even immoral. “Surely Jesus expects us to take up arms against Muslim extremists to protect our country and families!” If…
When Jesus Questioned the Father
Category: General
Tags: Doubt, Faith, Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus
Topics: Faith & Doubt
Though the sinless Son of God had perfect faith, we find him asking God the Father to alter the plan to redeem the world through his sacrifice—if it is “possible” (Matt. 26:42). As the nightmare…
Eye for Eye: That Time Jesus Refuted An Old Testament Teaching
Category: General
Tags: Crucifixion of the Warrior God, Cruciform Theology, Jesus, Non-Violence
Topics: Christology, Following Jesus
One of the most surprising aspects of Jesus’ teaching is that, while he clearly shared his contemporaries’ view of the Old Testament as inspired by God, he was nevertheless not afraid of repudiating it when…
What Went Wrong in the Garden of Eden?
Category: General
Tags: Garden of Eden, Idolatry, Judgment, Repenting of Religion, Sin, Temptation
Topics: Creation Care
When Adam and Eve ate from the tree, they imposed their will into the center of Paradise, and this was the act that destroyed Paradise. They invaded the proper domain of God. Instead of recognizing…
Is America Uniquely “Under God”?
Category: General
Tags: America, Myth of a Christian Nation, National Idolatry, Nationalism, Theocracy
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
As a rallying slogan for our civil religion, the proclamation that we are “one nation under God” arguably serves a useful social function, for it gives many Americans a sense of shared values and vision….
Absolute Truth and Violence
Category: General
Tags: Enemy Love, Holy War, Love, Self-Sacrificial Love, Service, Truth, Violence
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
A common argument today against Christianity is that believing that Jesus (or any other religious figure or religion) is the only way to God (See yesterday’s post) is “dangerous.” This claim actually has some justification, for…
Is There Room for Doubt in Faith?
Category: General
Tags: Benefit of the Doubt, Doubt, Faith, Jacob, Q&A, Wrestling with God
Topics: Faith & Doubt
Many Christians today assume that faith is the antithesis of doubt. In this view, a person’s faith is thought to be strong to the extent that they don’t question their beliefs or struggle with God…
Becoming Like the Accuser
Category: General
Tags: Judgment, Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Violence
Topics: Following Jesus
When the Adam and Eve yielded to Satan and surrendered their God-given authority over the earth and animal kingdom (Gen 3), Satan became “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), the “ruler of the…
How Judging Blocks Love
Category: General
Tags: Judgment, Kingdom Living, Love, Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
Topics: Following Jesus
What keeps us from fulfilling the law of love that is exemplified by Jesus and laid out in the Scriptures (Matt. 22:39-40; Rom 13:8,10 Gal 5:14)? In a word, we like to pass verdicts. To…
The Distinctive Mark of Jesus Followers
Category: General
Tags: Enemy Love, Jesus, Kingdom Living, Love, Love Your Enemies, Myth of a Christian Religion, Non-Violence
Topics: Following Jesus
Jesus’ teaching to love our enemies was understandably shocking to his original audience—just as it is to us today. Jesus expected much, which is why, after telling his audience to love their enemies he added…
Be the Change Now
Category: General
Tags: Justice, Kingdom Living, Non-Violence, Racial Reconciliation
Topics: Following Jesus
Ghandi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” It’s a profoundly Kingdom teaching. It seems to me, however, that few people adopt Ghandi’s philosophy. It’s far easier to focus our…
How Are We To Love the Soldiers of ISIS?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Enemy Love, ISIS, Jesus, Kingdom Living, Love Your Enemies, Non-Violence, Sacrifice
Topics: Enemy-Loving Non-Violence, Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
Over the last several weeks I’ve received some form of this question almost every day. In some cases the question is asked rhetorically, as though the very question exposes the absurdity of suggesting we are…
Why Can’t I Feel God?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Cataphatic Prayer, Experiencing God, Experiencing Jesus, Imagination, Imaginative Prayer, Prayer
Topics: Hearing God, Prayer
Question: Greg, you’re always talking about how we need to keep our eyes fixed on the cross to see and experience God’s love for us. But I find myself arguing with God, asking him: “How…
“I’m Saved, but I Still Struggle. Why?”
Category: Q&A
Tags: Escaping the Matrix, The Mind, Transformation
Topics: Sin
Many people become Christians thinking that salvation means that they will be free from the struggle with sinful behaviors or destructive ways of thinking. How can Christ live in us while at the same time…
Ferguson, Racism, & the Kingdom
Category: General
Tags: Breaking Down Walls, Ferguson, Kingdom, Michael Brown, Myth of a Christian Religion, Racial Reconciliation, Racism, White Privilege
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
In light of the issues that have arisen in Ferguson, Mo this last week (for more on this click here), we thought we would offer some reflections on this topic from Greg that he wrote…
Analogies For Understanding Prayer
Category: General
Tags: God's Will, Partnering With God, Prayer, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Hearing God, Prayer
God is all-powerful, which means he owns all the “say-so” there is. But when he decided to populate the creation with free agents, he gave each human various units of “say-so.” [Click here for yesterday’s…
Does Prayer Really Make a Difference?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Kingdom Living, Prayer
Topics: Hearing God, Prayer, Open Theism
I know the traditional cliché that prayer is for our sake, not God’s. It changes us, not God, or God’s plans. Even C .S. Lewis said that! I have the greatest admiration for Lewis, but…