Let the Lord judge the peoples.Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure—you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. My shield is God MostHigh, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge…. (Psalm 7) This is one prayer of David … More PSALM 7 – When Not to Pray Like David
A repost from a few years back in remembrance of Michael Clark Duncan’s passing this year. -JB It’s already been 10 years since the release of The Green Mile (1999). The Stephen King film stars Tom Hanks as a Death row guard and the massively large and mysteriously gifted prisoner named John Coffey played by Michael … More MOVIE REVIEW: Jesus Went “The Green Mile”
[Following the Resurrection] “When the apostles met together with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?” Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be. But when the Holy … More HE IS RISEN!! Now what? (Acts 1:6-12)
From Scot McKnight at Jesus Creed: The “most influential work of popular theology published this century…” What is it? I disagree with Ross Douthat’s answer (in his book Bad Religion) to this question because I don’t think that book has been influential even if it has been wildly popular. The issue here is how to define “influential.” By … More America’s Premier Heresy
This is a repost from a few years back. -JB Chap Clark has written a must-read book for all youth workers and those who want to understand the current world of today’s teenagers. Listen to these honest words of a (typical) high school student in Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers: “I’ve always been … More Masks & Belonging: Deeper than Nude Beaches & Palm Branches
I was raised Lutheran, and am sort of glad I did somedays. Lutherans get grace better than most. For no one was more bothered by their own depravity more than Martin Luther, and no one was more amazed by God’s grace — God’s Redemption Act Covering EVERYTHING — than Luther as well. I like to … More My Problem With Grace
Scot McKnight recently delivered 4 watershed lectures for many of us misplaced Evangelicals who want to take back the big tent Evangelicalism of the Billy Graham and John Stott era from those trying to narrow down Evangelicalism into their much narrower theological categories. I’m speaking primarily of the so-called “young, restless Reformed”, the Gospel Coalition, … More Parchman Lectures on Evangelicalism by Scot McKnight
Repentance has a bad reputation these days. The word evokes images of judgment and angry preachers. Yet, biblically, this “turning” away from our sin and back toward God, results in something the Bible calls “times of refreshing.” Now, that sounds like something we all should welcome into our lives. “Repent, then, and turn to God, … More Times of Refreshing…Follow Repentance
Oh, how I love grasping the main plot of the entire Bible, how all 66 books tell one coherent story of redemption and grace! While Carson is extraordinarily articulate, I believe all Christians should be able to share this basic storyline of Creation-Fall-Covenant-Christ-New Creation in their own words. Sadly, many Christians can’t yet see the … More A Summary of the Bible (D.A. Carson)
Have you ever heard Brennan Manning speak live? What did you think?
Here’s two clips of a sermon by Greg Boyd called ‘Taking Out the Trash‘(5/11/2008) where he addresses the central question: What does it mean to “get saved?” Many people (especially people in the United States) see salvation as a one time event and the result of “believing” certain things about God. While belief is important, salvation encompasses much more … More VIDEO: What does it mean to be saved? (Boyd)
My phone rang today. I picked it up to hear those exciting words: “Congratulations! You have won a free cruise!” Yeah, right. What’s the catch? This must be a scam. I’ve never won any drawings I’ve entered. Even though the voice on the other end was friendly and sounded sincere, I was a mean sounding, … More Too Good To Be True
In a religiously pluralistic world where all religions are supposedly equal and tolerance is the highest value, many Christians are dancing creatively around some of the less tolerant teachings of Jesus. What do we do with sayings like, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through … More Emergent Theology and the Exclusivity of Christ
The Josiah Smith Band have been a special part of my season of ministry at Fusion. They have been part of nearly all of our Fusion retreats and have left an impact on our group with their music and their sincere love of our students. One neat moment was when Josiah came to our morning … More Josiah Smith Band – “With Open Hands”
Tullian Tchividjianan, grandson of Billy Graham and author of “Unfashionable” has excellent article posted today at Leadership Journal called, “The Everyday Gospel.” Here’s a quote worth chewing on today: I once assumed the gospel was simply what non-Christians must believe in order to be saved, while afterward we advance to deeper theological waters. But I’ve come to … More Deep into the Gospel (Tchividjianan)
“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, … More PARABLES: Sower, Seed and Soil 2
So many theological, social and political debates rage on all around us and it’s so easy to get sucked into unnecessary arguments. The Church, tragically, is notorious for drawing unnecessary lines in the sand, splitting hairs and dividing over nonessential doctrines, political viewpoints, cultural debates and so on. Once in a while it’s refreshing to … More For the Record: “I Believe…”
I have so far in this series highlighted the inadequacies of two of the key aspects of the popular human system of social ethics: (1) that human beings have the ability to wisely and justly direct the course of history, and (2) that humanly created structures, powers, and programs are able means to bring lasting … More Cruciform Justice 10: The War of the Lamb
How does this narrative approach then change the way Christians understand and relate to God and the Bible? Let’s look briefly at a narrative understanding of God, the fall, saving faith and evangelism. 1. A Narrative Understanding of God. The particular plot line reveals a lot about the heart and character of the Author. Therefore, in our … More A Powerful Collision: God, Bible, Authority & Narrative 3
“Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. For we who worship by the Spirit of God are … More PHILIPPIANS 23: Rely on Christ, Not Human Effort (3:1-4)
The New Testament announces the arrival of The Light. “The Word became flesh and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father’s only Son” (John 1:14). The Kingdom of God was at hand and the blessings of the future Messianic Age were being … More Cruciform Justice 3: Light Has Dawned
I am unpacking some thoughts on both the validity of the man-centered vs. God-centered debate and offering some healthy push back on the fuzzy, over-extension of this line of reasoning. I see a distortion of both the character of God and what it means for human beings to glorify God. Michael Spencer began his post … More Man-Centered vs. God-Centered 3: Is God an Idolater?
Jeremy L. Berg 