“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow” (Tozer). … More When the Spirit Builds the Church
It’s time for the Body of Christ to grow up. Like a refrigerated teething ring given to an infant cutting her teeth, I have offered Paul’s ‘Body Metaphor’ for the church to chew on as we seek to become One Unified Body of Many Ethnic Parts. … More It’s Time to Grow Up
The “Love Poem” in 1 Corinthians 13 is often pulled out of context and read at weddings. When applied to racial division and ethnic differences in the local church, its doubly explosive! … More Seek the Greater Gift of Racial Sensibility
This is the task of the church today: for Christians of all ethnic and racial backgrounds to receive those of different backgrounds as a gift to broaden our perspective and deepen our love as we learn to not only understand each other’s experiences, but enter into each other’s pain and, God willing, to learn how to suffer in solidarity with them. … More Giving Greater Honor to Minorities
Paul emphasizes our mutual interdependence in the Body which, when applied to race/ethnicity, offers some of the following revolutionary and far-reaching principles for racial healing and cooperation in the church. … More An Intoxicatingly Beautiful Unity-in-Diversity
Let us revisit Paul’s ‘One Body, Many Parts’ metaphor and draw out key insights for more nurturing more harmonious multiethnic relations. … More One Body, Many Ethnic Parts
In the age of Trump, Christian leaders and committed followers of Jesus know deep in their bones that a kind of “melting” needs to take place if the message and mission of the gospel is to bear fresh fruit in a culture where so much is rotten. … More Beyond the Melting Pot
Anyone interested in a sample of my academic work, here’s a full essay on race and ethnicity in the ancient world and today. (I shared a few sections a few weeks back.) Dr. Dennis Edwards said of it, “This is great, dare I say prophetic!” Unfortunately, the formatting and footnotes did not transfer to the … More One Body, Many Ethnic Parts
PENTECOST REFLECTION | Gen. 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-21 Can you imagine Facebook or Twitter without disagreement or conflicting viewpoints? Can you imagine a world without political division? Can you imagine a world united by one language and motivated by one grand purpose? We live in a cultural moment of unprecedented division. Some have said our nation … More Our Global Speech Impediment
In November 1979, while I was a 4-month old sucking down baby milk, Bob Dylan was getting his first taste of the milk of newfound faith in Jesus Christ. Dylan was about to shock the world and confuse and offend most his fanbase with his first tour as a “born again” believer. His next tour … More Dylan & Denominationalism
The human ego is a sly and persistent bugger. Our bent toward self-centeredness is an ever-present menace in times of well-intended Christian living. You never know when and where the individual ego, under the strong influence of the Enemy, will take and distort an otherwise good, God made gift. The Enemy will often lead our … More When ‘Togetherness’ Isn’t Enough
Jesus lived his entire life completely swept up in the rhythms of The Father’s Song. Remember that in the very beginning, before the creation of the world, all that existed was the eternal dance of the Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit enjoying pure, self-giving, mutual joy and love between their three eternally distinct persons. … More FATHER’S SONG (13): Dancing Together As One (Paul & NT Letters)
Statement made during assembly of evangelical pastors in 1877 pleading for a union of evangelical believers based on scripture alone without regard to human creeds or confessions: Let us in this matter be followers of Jesus and not split into different denominations and factions; we have the same Savior. Rather may all those who are … More QUOTABLES: P.P. Waldenstrom
Scot McKnight is starting a new, and significant, discussion at Jesus Creed today called “The End of Evangelicalism.” I think this is an important discussion to have, and he begins by asking two key questions. Enjoy. Many today are predicting the (even imminent) collapse of evangelicalism. Others, like Brad Wright, show that evangelicalism is flourshing, … More Who decides who is evangelical?
The following quote on keeping the main things the main thing is a favorite of mine. Yet, it seems like there is some confusion over who gets credit for it. Was it Saint Augustine? Most attribute it to him. Can someone identify where it is recorded in his vast collections of writings? Who else has … More QUOTABLES: Saint Augustine
“Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at … More PHILIPPIANS 30: I Plead with You Whom I Love (4:1-3)
Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or cheap boasting, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.”(Phil 2:3-4) As a basketball coach I know full … More PHILIPPIANS 15: Getting Along in a Get-Ahead World (Phil 2:3-4)
“Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy, complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose” (Phil 2:1-2). My teenage years were spent concert-hopping, and participating in that … More PHILIPPIANS 14: Dancing in a Mosh-Pit World (Phil 2:1-2)
Kingdom Harbor 