Several years ago, I was invited to address a group of seminary and university students on the subject of Christians and the Nation-State of Israel. What follows over the next couple blogs, is that address. Here is part 1: I approach this subject from a religious studies perspective. I am interested in how people perceive themselves and how various phenomena affect their identity. That being said, I have not given particular attention to the question of Israel. However, I have... Read more
Don’t you like dealing in hypotheticals? Those sometimes frustrating “what if” questions? Not too long ago, Mike Frost posed such a question, “If Jesus planted a church, what would it look like?” At first, I thought it was a brilliant question. However, the more I considered it, the more his question provoked a reaction. I began to ask, “Would Jesus ever actually plant a church?” He’ll certainly build the church. That was his promise to the disciples (Matt 16:18). He’ll... Read more
I occasionally wonder if we make discipleship too complicated. The systems we create exhibit a complexity that is foreign to the New Testament. For instance, I’m not certain what all goes into dropping plastic eggs from a helicopter on Easter morning in order to attract families to church, but such a stunt amounts to a strategy of shark jumping to ensure more butts in seats, bucks in the bank, and brains entertained each week. We reinforce systems that struggle to... Read more
The story of Christianity, in many ways, is a story about suffering. But this is true about new movements generally. It doesn’t matter if they are social, political, or religious. Some suffer due to nefarious practices—The People’s Temple or the Branch Davidians for example. Others suffer simply because they are new and different from what the majority culture considers acceptable—Wiccans and Druids for example. New movements break long-held social conventions, religious beliefs, or political platforms because a usually small group... Read more
Formal theological education often receives criticism for being so intellectually minded that it is of no practical good. I get it. I’ve seen the blank stares of students that were more than evidence for caffeine deprivation. Waxing eloquently about the Christology of the early Church Fathers, exegeting the cento of a Church Mother, even wrestling with the application of infinite game theory to modern missions doesn’t always excite the learner to deeper devotion to God—although I obviously think it should.... Read more
While visiting a country in South Asia some years ago, a church planter and friend recounted an event to a group of us. We were meeting to encourage our top leaders as they faced new forms of government persecution. And what better way to encourage young leaders than reading an epistle written to a church planter: 2 Timothy. Timothy, in Ephesus, confronted challenging times as Christians were being led astray by false teaching. Paul, in Rome, imprisoned for declaring Jesus... Read more
I learned early on in my Christian life that the shortest verse in the Bible was “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). It wasn’t until studying Greek that I discovered that John 11:35 is three words, although one of them is a single letter definite article. The actual shortest verse in the Greek NT is 1 Thessalonians 5:17. ln English it is often translated with three words, “pray without ceasing” (ESV) although in Greek it is only two. You can get it... Read more
Procrustes, the maniacal son of Poseidon, violently forced strangers to lie in an iron bed. As the Greek legend is told, if the stranger’s limbs protruded over the bed, Procrustes amputated them. If the stranger’s body was too short, Procrustes stretched the limbs until he fit. In all cases, the forced conformity of the stranger’s body to Procrustes’ iron bed resulted in death. Ultimately, the hero Theseus forced Procrustes to make his own body fit to his bed and he... Read more
I was a relatively young and immature Christian when I attended the university. And, like many university students, I struggled about a career decision. As I recall, it was a particularly confusing time trying to figure out life. Not unique for certain as it’s a common human experience. So, naturally I called my old high school buddy David to ask what the Bible said about my career. He pointed me to a single verse that changed the trajectory of my... Read more
Justin Martyr’s testimony about coming to Christ must be one of my favorite stories of the second century. In his Dialogue with Trypho, Justin relates his encounter with a venerable elderly man walking by the sea coast of Ephesus. The year was about 130 AD when the young philosopher found himself contemplating his search for meaning in the ancient Greeks. Suddenly surprised by someone walking behind him, Justin turned to the Ephesian who asked, “Do you know me?” That simple... Read more
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