What Are We Saved From and What Are We Saved For? (Part One)

In much Western Christianity, Jesus saves us from God. “Justification by faith” became the way to our salvation. (I plan a future series regarding the deficiency of this atonement theory.) Continue reading

The Path to Progress: Part Six

photo of pathway surrounded by fir trees

There are many actions we must take and plans we need to implement as we face the metacrisis of our time. All these efforts must be coordinated since we live in a complex and interconnected world. Future technology must be in harmony with the fragile balance of the biosphere and… Continue reading

The Path to Progress: Part Five

photo of pathway surrounded by fir trees

The last two articles in this series have been blunt about the threat of a sixth mass extinction looming on the horizon caused by human exploitation of nature, greed, ignorance (some of it intentional), and lethal egotism. There have been five mass extinctions in the history of our planet. The… Continue reading

The Path to Progress: Part Four

photo of pathway surrounded by fir trees

We Americans tend to measure progress quantitatively. “More, more, and more” is our perpetual mantra. Our brand of capitalism depends on growth in terms of production, distribution, and consumption. We have created an economy which necessarily depends on this spiraling and expanding exploitation of the planet’s resources.  However, Homo sapiens… Continue reading

The Path to Progress: Part Three

photo of pathway surrounded by fir trees

In part two of this series, I presented Jesus’ understanding of God’s love as unconditional, indiscriminate, self-giving, nonviolent, and everlasting as foundational to his message and ministry. I also suggested that such love is at the heart of the wisdom we need if we are to progress in ways which… Continue reading

The Path to Progress: Part Two

photo of pathway surrounded by fir trees

Jesus was the most radical, countercultural person in the history of humankind. Unfortunately, that’s not the way the world and much of the church view him. Too many times Christians have done their best to domesticate him or (in the words of one of my New Testament professors) to put… Continue reading

Zombies and Easter: Part Three

(18 minutes) The gospel is the Christian narrative of God’s great revelation in Jesus of Nazareth. This Christian story is true both metaphorically and historically. It is saturated with word and deed, Spirit and flesh, heaven and earth, transcendence and immanence, mind and body. The story begins before time, space,… Continue reading