Drew Downs
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What About The Law?
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5 min read
If the doctrine of the Trinity is our biggest mess, then our biggest lightning rod might be the Law. When we say the Law, we are speaking of Torah, not the thing escaped convicts flee or Bo and Luke Duke try to give the slip by jumping the General Lee. OK, maybe there’s more to…
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Is the Church Necessary?
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6 min read
Shoehorned into the pew of this modest church in suburban Boston, listening to glorious hymns sung by an incredible choir in a packed nave, and hearing announcements of fantastic outreach, I had never in my life felt less connected to the church. I showed up one more time before I disappeared as suddenly as I…
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I’m not sure you can call yourself a Christian if you haven’t ever had to explain the Trinity to someone. My first attempt was when I was 22 and working at Barnes & Noble. It was a miserable failure. My failure was less about my skill or understanding than it is the material one has…
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If God Is Love, What’s With All the Hate?
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6 min read
It’s a good question. If we believe God is love, how can there be so much hate? In the world? Among Christians? What does it say about us when we consider the old song “They will know we are Christians by our love” or Jesus’s instruction in John 13:35: By this everyone will know that…
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What the Hell Is Sin?
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7 min read
I remember walking out of the movie theater with great disappointment. This time it wasn’t the hype. I wasn’t super excited because of everything I heard. This was that experiential disappointment that comes when a good movie feels trapped in its own illusion. The kind where there are many ways to end it if you…
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Generous Mercy
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9 min read
I’m going to guess that nobody here was thinking about that parable from two weeks ago about the rich guy suffering in Hades, wanting a drink of water. Just a little something to wet his lips, they must’ve been so dry in that place of torment. He tries to get Abraham to send Lazarus over…