Salvation as Enchanted Existence
Pleasure stemming from the art of savoring with joy and celebration is too often a stranger to us in a society trying to market happiness. Continue reading
Tag Archives: salvation
Abiding in the Healing Salvation of Love
Intro: What is salvation and how does it occur? Western Christianity, especially within Fundamentalist and conservative Evangelical circles, emphasizes what we are saved from (which is eternal torment in hell). Eastern Christianity, when it is at its best, focuses on what we are saved for (which is eternal transformation into… Continue reading
Demons: Part Four
(17 minutes) If we are enslaved by sin, how can we become free? How does God “save” us through the Christ Event (Jesus’ incarnation, life, teachings, deeds, death, resurrection, and ascension). In the previous article, I rejected the dominant theory of atonement in Western Christianity known as Penal Substitutionary Atonement… Continue reading
Grammar Matters
One might wonder if all this analysis is no more than a pedantic waste of time. Actually, it gets to the heart of Paul’s understanding of the gospel. Continue reading
Why Do We Christians Get It So Wrong? Part Four
(12 minutes) THE LEGACY OF AUGUSTINE: Perhaps the theologian who has most influenced Western Christianity is Augustine (354-430 CE) who became the Bishop if Hippo in North Africa. Augustine was a genius whose thought often focused on the inner life of individuals. He was the church father who emphasized Original… Continue reading
Paul and the Gospel, Part Four
The use of metaphors is a very important way for humans to express themselves and abstract or complex concepts and actions. Here is a useful definition of metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps… Continue reading
Paul and the Gospel, Part Three
The royal proclamation is not simply the conveying of true information about the kingship of Jesus. It is the putting into effect of that kingship, the decisive and authoritative summoning to allegiance. Paul discovered, at the heart of his missionary practice, that when he announced the lordship of Jesus Christ,… Continue reading
Shalom: Part Three
(19 minutes) The third dimension of shalom can be seen in the following definition (I do not know who first offered this definition, but I have seen it in several publications without reference to authorship): “Shalom is a state of being where nothing is broken and no one is missing.”… Continue reading
Romans 5:12-6:1 “Possessed by the Past”
Read the Scripture (This is the first sermon in a series of three Lenten sermons on the concept of sin. The second sermon is based on Romans 8:12-17 and is entitled “Scared to Death.” The last sermon in the series is based on I Corinthians 12:12-27; John 3:16-17 and has… Continue reading
The Tenses of Salvation
He looked at me like I was speaking Greek—which I was. I could tell he was not satisfied with my answer. Perhaps he thought I was speaking in tongues. Of course, it was a smart aleck answer (I was only 25 years old and had had my fill of fundamentalist theology for the day). But it was also a biblical answer, and I think, a good answer. What I was asking the student was this: “Do you mean am I being saved, was I saved, or will I be saved?” Continue reading
