“Believing in the resurrection does not just mean assenting to a dogma and noting a historical fact. It means participating in this creative act of God. Resurrection is not a consoling opium, soothing us with the promise of a better world in the hereafter. It is the energy for a… Continue reading
Perhaps the most agonizing question in theology is how to justify a belief in a good, loving, and powerful god in a world where there is so much evil, injustice, and suffering. Continue reading
(9 minutes) In the first two articles in this series, we looked at the doctrine of original sin and how Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity differed in their understanding of this concept. We saw that Western Christianity taught that we inherit both the guilt and the consequences of the sin… Continue reading
Read the Scripture “In our midst” is the theme of all the resurrection stories in the Gospel of John. We see that theme in the account of Mary at the tomb when the Risen Christ appears to her and calls her by name and in the story of the disciples… Continue reading
(14 minutes) Part Two of this series entitled “You Can’t Go Home Again” ended with the suggestion that Christians should best be envisioned as pilgrims rather than wanderers. Pilgrims are on the move toward a goal. They are not homesteaders, but they do have a destination. If our primary calling… Continue reading
(Parousia is the Greek word used in the New Testament which is commonly understood as the Second Coming. Parousia simply means “presence” or “appearing.” It is one of the metaphors used in the Bible and theology to refer to the fulfillment of God’s purpose for creation. Like all metaphors, it… Continue reading
For most people the word “evangelism” conjures up images of tent revivals, pleading evangelists, threats of hell, promises of heaven, and “getting saved.” Evangelism is all some churches and Christians want to talk about while in other churches it is one of the most uncomfortable topics imaginable. One of the… Continue reading
(10 minutes) When I was a child, I always looked forward to the Sunday paper. The paper for that day of the week was several times bigger than the newspaper we received the other six days. My interest was solely in the comic section which contained about five times the… Continue reading
The most valuable things in life are free. They are gifts from God to be received, celebrated, lived, and shared. They cannot be bought, earned, or bartered. They come as gifts, or they do not come at all. At this time of the year, we look to those gifts traditionally… Continue reading
Advent is a time when the church prepares itself for the coming of Christ—the birth of this strange peasant king who rules through love and service, truth and justice, compassion and peace. Continue reading
