#write31days
-
Believing in grace means living in grace.
•
6 min read
24. Christians should be taught that belief unused is unbelief and a damning of God’s generous mercy. Much of what passes for faith or Christian theology is not a profound truth, but a riddle. We aren’t being honest with each other or ourselves; we’re unwittingly playing a game of deception. What I mean by riddle…
-
Why Not Empty Hell?
•
5 min read
23. As, for instance: why would the pastor not empty hell for the sake of love rather than the hollowest of incantations? If love is what you’re about, then why not support love for the sake of love? Isn’t that what God is after? Why not place the redemption at the center of the faith and the…
-
Jesus Isn’t a Pez Dispenser
•
7 min read
22. Nor does the pastor embody Jesus in the forced recitation of words, empty or well-meant. Virtually everything I teach conforms to historic Christian orthodoxy. And yet, there are many Christians who call me a heretic. Granted, I often call myself a heretic and encourage thoughtful followers of Christ to wrestle with many of the things…
-
You Aren’t Being Jesus in Your Hate
•
4 min read
21. Therefore the pastor doesn’t “with” love in excluding his LGBTQ brothers and sisters. The nature of Jesus is being with us. His place is with, presence. Jesus is present in a “withness”. Withness is active. It is intimate and full of hope. There is no grace without the comfort of intimacy. Take the idea that…
-
Being Jesus
•
3 min read
20. In taking on the form of Christ, we are making God present again and with the people. The Hands and Feet of Christ When I first realized the implications of Paul’s statement, it scared me. As metaphor, referring to the followers of Jesus as his hands and feet is pure beauty. Think about it! It’s…
-
We Grow Love Together
•
4 min read
19. And it is through these groupings we come to embody the love of Christ in ourselves. Our culture gives us a false impression that we can do life alone. And our churches give us the same false impression about life and much more. It often teaches us that love of God is all that matters…