The quote from Wright in yesterday’s post struck me because I’ve been thinking a bit lately about church conflicts. When there’s communal breakdown, sides develop, with this side envisioning that side as “the problem.”  Anger is stirred and sides provoke one another to endlessly cyclical sinful reactions. The solution is obvious, at least to us: […]

The discussion below is from N. T. Wright’s book, Simply Jesus (pp. 121-123).  It is set in the midst of a larger discussion of the character “the satan” in Scripture.  It’s a great description of the complex character of evil. As C. S. Lewis points out in the introduction to his famous Screwtape Letters, the […]

“If Jesus showed up to our church, what would he say?” I’ve heard this asked in a few different contexts recently.  It’s a legitimate question in light of Jesus’ words to the churches in Revelation 2-3, and it may be a helpful exercise for churches to discuss how they might answer it. I’ve found, however, […]

I occasionally opened our Midtown services with a welcome that reminded us of our identity as God’s gathered people. Welcome to Midtown Christian Community.  Welcome in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died to save sinners, was raised to life, conquered Sin and Death, and who is coming to reign on earth […]

Lord God of the nations, we have seen the star of your glory rising in splendor.  The radiance of your incarnate Word pierces the night that covers the earth and signals the dawn of justice and peace.  May this brightness illumine our lives and beckon all nations to walk as one in your light.  We […]

I saw a headline the other day declaring a certain person a “game-changer” in the presidential campaign.  This expression, introduced a few years ago, is now ubiquitous. This book is a “game-changer.”  That wide receiver is a “game-changer.”  Our deal on two medium pizzas is a “game-changer.” Popular public discourse is so completely dull, unintelligent, […]

I love sports and I have for as long as I can remember.  The TV was rarely on in my home when I was young except when the Cubs, Bears, or Bulls were playing.  The Cubs played all their home games during the day back then, so I grew up with the Cubs of the […]

Jenell Williams Paris, an anthropologist at Messiah College, has a very interesting response in Christianity Today to Mark Noll’s book, Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind. She notes that evangelical scholars’ commitment to holistic formation in students and the health of evangelical institutions may undermine Noll’s call for the development of an evangelical […]

I’m very happy to be part of the blog tour for Daniel Kirk’s new book, Jesus Have I Loved, but Paul?  Here’s the tour’s home page.  I’m discussing the book’s second chapter, called, “New Creation and the Kingdom of God.” Daniel’s burden in this book is to demonstrate the organic connection between Jesus and Paul.  […]

This is a serious question.  Why is forgiveness such a difficult thing to carry out and why is it such a struggle to abide in it? I remember as a young person reading Jesus’ words and thinking about how outrageous they were, to the point of being silly.  Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, […]