By all means read Ben Witherington’s chapter by chapter review of Rob Bell’s Love Wins here. Here’s a taste: The first chapter of this book involves raising a plethora of questions (pp. 1-19). They are perfectly fair questions, but what comes to light in the enumeration of these questions is that in fact Rob Bell … More BW3 on “Love Wins”
Enjoy some reflections from the book of Joshua in light of our mission as a church to be moving into territories today with the love, grace, selfless acts of service and the good news concerning Christ and the Kingdom of God. “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your … More Strong & Courageous 1
What do you think of the perspective of Dr. Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary, below? From Dr. Mouw’s blog: I told the USA TODAY reporter that Rob Bell’s newly released Love Wins is a fine book and that I basically agree with his theology. I knew that the book was being widely criticized for having … More Mouw on “Love Wins”
Jesus is the fullest revelation of God’s character. “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father,” Jesus said. God looks like Jesus. If you want to know the character of God, look at Jesus. I reread Jonathan Edwards’ famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, recently. I simply read paragraph after paragraph, … More An Angry God?
We are blessed to live here.
The Christian blogosphere is often a nasty place, where stones get tossed back and forth around the clock with very little listening to the other side. I think I’d give up all together on the hope for balanced and grace-filled conversation if it weren’t for Scot McKnight at Jesus Creed. He’s a kindred spirit in … More Widen Your Perspective
“A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” -H. Richard Niebuhr
This is an excerpt from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in a letter he wrote to his brother-in-law Rudiger Schleicher, who was as liberal theologically as Bonhoeffer was conservative: “First of all I will confess quite simply — I believe that the Bible alone is the answer to all our questions, and that we need only to ask … More Bonhoeffer on Reading Scripture
Kevin DeYoung has a thorough and devastating review of Rob Bell’s book Love Wins. It’s well worth the read — though it’s lengthy. I read it late last night and I’m still processing it. But here’s a couple paragraphs to chew on and share your comments. “So why do I say Bell is a universalist … More DeYoung’s Review of Bell’s Love Wins
I just read a very long, well-written review and critique of Rob Bell’s controversial book, Love Wins, by Kevin DeYoung. I have to admit that his arguments are very strong, and makes Bell’s argument and position seem weak and biblically fragile. I will withhold judgment until I read Bell’s book for myself, but I think … More Covenant Affirmations: What do we (firmly) believe?
This is the most significant spiritual lesson I have learned in my entire life – perhaps. There is a world of difference (literally, a “narrative world” of difference) between (1) being a religious person who holds certain beliefs in their head, and (2) a person who has decided that the narrative world of the Bible … More A Different World is Calling You!
We headed north for the weekend with friends. Beautiful log cabin with rustic charm and comfortable leather couches to read on by the fireplace. A little bit of snowshoeing, a lot of munching and sipping, some sauna time, watched the comedic blast from the past “The Three Amigos” (you have to be in the right … More Buckhorn Log Cabin Escape
Here’s the notes from a message I gave to a youth group awhile back. Always a timely and tough topic. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images… … More American Idols (Rom 1:22-25)
“The vehicle I am driving now is far less efficient than the previous vehicle I drove, so I am trying not to drive as far.” -Dan Kent
Enjoy another ‘Mission Moment’ from our church planting adventure in Mound, MN. MainStreet’s vision is to be a church that meets people where they do everyday life, forming relationships that point them to Jesus. We met Melissa this fall when she and her boyfriend, Dave, stopped by our MainStreet booth at the Farmer’s Market in … More MELISSA’S STORY: A Crossroads Moment
“We need to stop giving people excuses not to believe in God. You’ve probably heard the expression “I believe in God, just not organized religion.” I don’t think people would say that if the church truly lived like we are called to live. The expression would change to “I can’t deny what the church does, … More QUOTABLES: Francis Chan
Whoops, I did it again. I keep looking for ways to upgrade my free wordpress themes to achieve a more sleek, less bloggy looking website. I’m too cheap to invest in a real website, and too dumb to build one on my own. Thus, I depend on WordPress’s free themes to capture a nice looking … More NEW WEBSITE DESIGN: What do you think?
Here’s a ‘Mission Moment’ story from our church planting mission in Mound, MN. In Acts 16, Paul is called to the region of Macedonia in a vision. I believe God still calls people to particular places to bring the gospel. That’s why I’m in Mound. But I’m not alone. Another unsuspecting “victim” of the divine … More DEANO’S STORY: Called Back Home to Mound
I’ve mentioned some of the strong criticism for Rob Bell’s yet-to-be-released book on Heaven and Hell called Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. Now a couple positive endorsements from Eugene Peterson and Greg Boyd. “In the current religious climate in America, it isn’t easy to … More Rob Bell Endorsements
Bart Ehrman and friends are making the rounds with their books attempting to undermine the reliability of the New Testament witnesses to the life of Jesus. Have you bought their rhetoric? Have you joined the chorus of skeptics in an age of unbelief? Here’s a challenging rebuttal by Dr. Ben Witherington III to consider. (This … More Bart Ehrman & Ben Witherington: Who’s the Fundamentalist?
Rob Bell’s forthcoming book, Love Wins, is bringing the discussion of Hell to center stage. May we all grow in our knowledge and beliefs about this very biblical and Jesus-y topic. As the buzz continues to increase around this debate in the church as Bell’s book releases, may we all dig our noses into Scriptures … More Tim Keller on Hell
Kevin DeYoung says: “…what was communicated in the video was untrue to the Scriptures, inconsistent with historic orthodoxy, belittling of the cross, deceiving to unbelievers, and a tragic distortion of God’s character…. “We don’t have to guess if Bell will say something dreadfully, horribly, disgracefully wrong. He already has.” After watching the video: Agree or disagree … More DeYoung on Rob Bell’s “Love Wins” Video
As I read through the Gospels today, I noticed that Jesus seems to be fond of commanding people to either “Come, follow me!” or “Go!”. The point seems quite clear: Life as a disciple of Jesus is a life “on the move.” He calls us to drop our nets, leave our old life behind and … More With Jesus: Are we Coming or Going?
Here it is. The book that signals the apocalypse for many Evangelicals — especially those espousing Reformed theology. Rob Bell is questioning the traditional view of Hell. He will, and already is, suffering the wrath of the Reformed blogosphere — DeYoung, Piper, Justin Taylor and the boys. This should be an interesting ride as this … More VIDEO: Rob Bell Stirs the Pot
This Friday MainStreet’s Revolution ministry hosted another open mic event giving local teen musicians a platform to showcase their talent. It was a blast! This is just one way our new church is serving and reaching out to the younger people in Mound. Enjoy some highlights!
Kingdom Harbor 