Tried With Fire

Culture and history are a powerful combination. It is all around us and affects our thinking whether we are aware of it or not. I was pretty clueless about this until I went through a dramatic theological shift from Arminianism to reformed theology. It was then that I embarked on a journey to learn about what I believed now, what I formerly believed, and why. It was difficult at times but worth digging up the roots of ideas I had taken for granted as gospel truth which were not. The journey has only continued, and since the 2016 election I am making a feeble attempt to understand the blending of evangelicalism and American culture that brought us to where we are today. My intent isn't to blame but to understand so I can be a bridge builder. It grieves me to see professing believers so sharply divided in the last few years particularly when it comes to issues of ethnicity and gender. Perhaps I can be someone who asks questions to get people to think about things they have not con...

[E]xtra degrees of charity and empathy are necessary in public discussion and debate. At the moment, what we have instead are extra degrees of anger and contempt. David French This quote is from an article by David French at National Review on the gun control debate that is raging after the  school shooting in Florida last week. He writes that if we cannot stop demonizing one another, this could tear our nation apart. I agree. The animosity towards one's opposing side has only grown since the 2016 election. I've seen this on social media in general and among those who profess Christ's name, which grieves me even more. Does strong disagreement justify this behavior? Would we use the same language and attitude toward a fellow Christian face-to-face as we would to a stranger on Twitter? If this is a fellow believer, we are called to love them as someone for whom Christ has died. For the unbeliever, he/she is our neighbor. If we won't acknowledge that, we are called to ...

I have been reading Unashamed by Heather Nelson with a group of women in the church. The last chapter we covered was on social shame. If you've never experienced it, please tell me, what is it like to not be socially awkward? For the rest of us, we know that sinking feeling of wondering how  and even if we fit in. Thoughts go through our heads such as - "I don't know what to say. I don't know who to talk to. Will I be accepted?" It's especially hard when it is a group where there should be strong sense of belonging such as the church. During our discussion, I threw out the question of whether men or women were more accepting of differences. There was no hesitation. The unanimous answer was "Men." Very interesting. I had suspected this as well, but I still wanted to understand the "why" behind it. So I started reading  Disunity in Christ . The author, Christena Cleveland, has a PhD in social psychology, so her book draws from research...

My pastor has been preaching through the book of Revelation. We're still in the first few chapters where Jesus is commending and correcting the churches. While these letters were written to real churches in existence in John's lifetime, these letters are for all true churches throughout time. These letters are for us. For me. In the letter to Ephesus, Jesus commends this church, but He also admonishes them that they have lost their first love. This could mean love for God, love for believers, and love for the lost. According to my pastor many commentators have different views as to which love. But who amongst us would dare say that we love God, believers, and the lost as we should? Who doesn't need to grow in all three areas? My mind is still reeling from the election. My heart is also grieved for believers and unbelievers alike as we seem to more divided than ever. So my prayer for myself and for the church is that we would regain our first love. - Love for God that...

The following quote is by Alan Jon Hauser - Genesis 2-3: The Theme of Intimacy and Alienation .  Michelle Lee-Barnewell refers to Dr. Hauser's paper in Neither Complementarian Nor Egalitarian in the section where she proposes that unity is the primary theme of Adam and Eve's relationship in Genesis 2 rather than authority/submission or even equality. 1 As I read Dr. Lee-Barnewell's argument and then Dr. Hauser's analysis, I think they have both honed in on something that has been missing from the gender debate. (I would add that Lee-Barnewell's position does not necessarily negate male elders nor any application of Ephesians 5.) If unity/oneness is indeed the hallmark of Adam and Eve's pre-fall state, then sin brought in alienation between men and women and between mankind and God. In Hauser's examination of the text, he notes that the Hebrew verb tenses are plural even when the serpent is addressing Eve, thus emphasizing the oneness of Adam and Eve. But ...

"As Christians, we recognize the importance of truth and the dangers of deviating from it. For this reason, we are passionate about what we believe, quick to defend it, and tenacious in publicizing our beliefs to others. When we add to this mix the real possibility that we may be guilty of pride, self-centeredness, selfishness, and the desire to be vindicated in all that we say and do, it is easy to see how relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ can become difficult. In fact, it is a testimony to the supernatural nature of conversion that such passionate individuals can exist together at all." The Gospel Call & True Conversion , Paul Washer, Reformation Heritage Books, 2013, pg. 151.