I love the several sections in Paul’s letters in which he meditates poetically on the cruciform paradoxes of apostolic ministry.  The death/life paradox saturates 1 Corinthians 1-4 and 2 Corinthians 4. I came across this lovely passage the other day in the volume on Mark in IVP’s Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture that sounds a […]

This is a wonderful prayer for the season of Lent.  It beautifully captures the death and resurrection paradoxes of God’s way of working.  Leaning into this season of reflection and repentance opens us up to renewal and restoration. O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole church, that wonderful and […]

In 1 Corinthians 1-2, Paul sets the cross in opposition to “cleverness of speech” (1:17).  He also opposes his ministry mode of embodying the crucified Christ with a mode of ministry characterized by “persuasive words of wisdom” (2:2-4). What is Paul opposing and what is he endorsing? Is Paul calling for a kind of anti-intellectualism […]

The Season of Lent begins this Wednesday, a unique time of year with specific purposes for shaping Christian identity. The Christian calendar helps to train us in being fully and truly Christian.  Many of us are used to having our brains trained to be Christian brains.  We just haven’t given much thought to our bodies […]

  Psalm 103 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of his benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; […]

I’ve often heard Christians express doubts about their fitness to participate in the Lord’s Supper.  They say things like, “I don’t feel worthy to take it,” or “I feel like I need to get some things right before I take communion.” I think I know what they’re saying.  We know ourselves and our failures and […]

Scot McKnight posted about zealotry the other day, describing it as going beyond the Bible to protect things that aren’t necessarily in the Bible.  And zealots feel that their zeal for God makes them immune to criticism. The self-deception of zealotry, which is all-too evident these days, is closely related to a very common error […]

I’m about to lecture on 1 Corinthians 1-2, and I’m struck again by the parallels between the Corinthian church and American evangelical life.  A repost on this topic: Mickey Maudlin, Rob Bell’s editor for his book, Love Wins, wrote about his experience with Bell and his thoughts on the responses to its publication. He states that: As a […]

Yesterday’s post raised the question of Christian identity.  I claimed that in the Roman church, the Jewish Christians regarded non-Jews as “ungodly” and “sinners,” whereas they presumed they enjoyed “most favored nation” status with the one true God.  This presumption drove their claims to privilege over non-Jewish Christians. Paul subverts this presumption by arguing that […]

Paul’s overriding pastoral aim in his letter to the Roman church(es) is to see them unified as siblings in God’s one new family in Jesus.  Both groups need to see themselves as vitally connected to the other. He has already argued that both groups share in humanity’s condemnation and both are justified before God on […]