As much as Evangelicals talk about having a personal relationship with Jesus, many of us in practice have more of a personal relationship with the Bible. Does God stand wild and free behind, above, beneath, and around the text, poised to pounce and prod us by the Spirit? Or, like Thomas Jefferson, do we stand over the text, combing it for principles we admire, while denying the presence of the supernatural? … More The Untamed Word
While we’re busy carving pumpkins and collecting candy this weekend, November 1 will be All Saints Day. More familiar to Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians, this is a day we pause both to remember and celebrate all those brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone before us. The church universal is made up of … More ‘A Great Cloud of Witnesses’: All Saints Day Reflection
Listen to Greg Boyd share his wisdom and insight 3 times per week. Recognized in 2010 as one of the 20 most influential living Christian scholars, get to know Greg and his profound theology through his Q & R podcast hosted by my friend Dan Kent. … More Will We Have Freewill in Heaven?
We think the kingdom comes by taking responsibility, putting in the blood, sweat and tears, grabbing life (and faith) by the horns. This is life, faith, and ministry under the heavy yoke. This is the pathway to burnout, bitterness, and disillusionment with God and religion. This is doing God’s work without God’s presence and power. … More I Am Nicodemus
Fundamentalists passionately defend their narrow grasp of 1% of reality, while more adventurous learners scratch their heads and wonder why they don’t want to explore the other 99% together. … More Himalayas & Lily Pads: On Fundamentalism
Last night my 5-year old asked, “Daddy, if Jesus lives in Heaven, and he’s going to bring us there when we die, then why did he put us on Earth at all?” … More Our Home in God, His Home in Us
In “The Fire That Consumes”, E. W. Fudge places the textual evidence front and center in the Hell debate. … More One Hell of a Book by E. W. Fudge
The greatest tragedy that has befallen Western Christianity over the past few hundred years is the chopping up of the drama of biblical story into cold and sterile propositional truth claims. If there’s one gift I’d love to give everyone I meet or minister to, it is the gift of grasping the Big Story of the Bible in narrative form and the thrill of discovering their unique place in the unfolding plot. … More The Story
“I wonder if we shall ever be put into songs or tales. We’re in one, of course; but I mean: put into words, you know, told by the fireside, or read out of a great big book with red and black letters, years and years afterwards.” … More I Wonder What Sort of a Tale We’ve Fallen Into?
While I don’t often use the label, I self-identify as an Anabaptist in many aspects of my faith and theology. My teacher Scot McKnight offers this brief sketch. … More I’m an Anabaptist – What and Why?
“How long will grown men and women in this world keep drawing in their coloring books an image of God that makes them sad?” -Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) … More WOW – Meister Eckhart (1260 – 1328)
“Don’t be more serious than God. God invented dog farts. God designed your body’s plumbing system. God designed an ostrich. If He didn’t do it, He permitted a drunken angel to do it. Empirical facts can add significantly to the meaning of “being godlike”.” … More WOW – Peter Kreeft
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” Andy Williams sings in the background while we scrap and scramble about, trying to hold ourselves together and not lose our minds in all the wonderful-ness. While many are weighed down by the external busyness of the season, I want to speak to those of us who … More Why ‘God-with-Us’ Seems Far Away
In this cultural moment when so many are seeking holistic healing, holistic medicine, Whole Foods, and whole-bodied spiritual practices (e.g., meditation, yoga, etc.), Christian teachers have such an opportunity to share the holistic message Jesus taught. Yet, I fear too many pastors and churches are still drunk on the leftover wine of ancient Gnostic and … More Mind, Body, Spirit & Doritos
This Sunday I’m preaching a Pentecost sermon on our divided world, and the need for the church to learn, speak and embody a new language. I’m reposting an old seminary essay from 2004 on the same topic. (This one is for the Bible/Theology nerds out there.) “Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just … More The Church as God’s New Language
A repost from 2008. I was doing the annual spring yard clean-up this past weekend. My wife had done most of the raking and left them in neat piles for me to come behind and bag up. I’m a manly man, so I didn’t think I needed to wear work gloves to pick up a … More Cursing the Fall
Several years back I was raking leaves in the late autumn sun while Keri pruned a rose bush. When I reached down to grab a big pile of leaves to stuff in the bag, my fingers grasped a handful of thorny briers Keri had tossed under the leaves when I wasn’t looking. As the thorns … More Sermon: Suffering & God’s Providence
Here’s a collection of great quotes on “cruciformity” from Bruxy Cavey’s teaching ministry. Enjoy! “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” —Apostle Paul “The great paradox is that one comes to know the power and glory of Christ, the resurrection and life of Christ, through cruciformity.” —Michael J. Gorman As … More CrossRoad 6: Cruciformity Quotes
During one of my Christmas breaks in college, I came home with an old paperback version of John Bunyan’s 17th century classic The Pilgrim’s Progress. I was going through a radical spiritual awakening, and was voraciously devouring the Christian classics I missed as a non-reading sports jock in high school. The Pilgrim’s Progress collided with my … More The Pilgrim’s Progress & Our Story Shaped Lives
This Lent we’re exploring how the Cross was not just the way Jesus died, but also the new pattern for how Jesus’ followers are supposed to live. We’re called to not only embrace the CrossEvent, but also learn to walk the CrossRoad. The season of Lent begins with Jesus being tempted by Satan to bring His … More CrossRoad 4: Temptations
Kingdom Harbor 