Ever wonder how “The Synagogue” came to be? We read about synagogues all the time in the Gospels and in Acts, but where did they come from? We don’t read about them in the Hebrew Scriptures. There’s no command, example, inference, or precedent authorizing the Jewish people to form these small communities focused on prayer […]
Archives for 2005
Losing Jesus
In Luke 2:41-52, Joseph and Mary lose Jesus. They find him three days later in the temple area. They obviously didn’t have a rendezvous point they could go to in case they were separated. The young Jesus assumes that the temple would be the obvious place to rendezvous. Where else would he be? Nevermind that. […]
September 25, 2005 by 6 Comments
Exclusion and Embrace
Lohfink reminded me of Miroslav Volf’s Exclusion and Embrace. I’ve posted these quotes before, but I think they’re pertinent to the discussion, so please pardon the repetition. My thesis that the practice of nonviolence requires a belief in divine vengeance will be unpopular with many Christians, especially theologians in the West. To the person inclined […]
September 20, 2005 by 4 Comments
Lohfink on Jesus and His Disciples
More from Lohfink, this time on Jesus’ teaching on renunciation of violence: The radical ethic of renouncing violence is thus addressed neither to isolated individuals nor to the entire world, but precisely to the people of God which has been marked by the preaching of God’s reign. The thesis that renunciation of violence is possible […]
September 15, 2005 by 6 Comments
Rob Bell on Missions
Here’s a great definition of missions from Rob Bell in Velvet Elvis. Missions is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there. It is almost as if being a good missionary means having really good eyesight. Or maybe it means […]
September 14, 2005 by 8 Comments
Lohfink on Jesus and Israel
From Lohfink?s Jesus and Community: The rule of God evidently presupposes a people, a people of God, in whom it can become established and from whom it can shine forth. The texts of the New Testament must not be read through the lens of a theological individualism able to imagine the reign of God only […]
September 12, 2005 by 2 Comments
Lohfink on Jesus
I’ve seen Gerhard Lohfink’s Jesus and Community: The Social Dimension of Christian Faith show up in so many footnotes that I finally decided to check it out for myself. It’s not often that I almost read a book translated from German into English in one sitting, but I couldn’t put this one down. I promise […]
September 8, 2005 by 8 Comments
The Conversation
Yesterday I spoke from Exodus 32-34 and asked the church to let this story challenge their preconceived notions of what God is like. No matter how you slice it, this is a bizarre story that can’t be easily categorized or tidily summed up. This story shows that while God’s primary personality characteristic is not wrathful […]
August 29, 2005 by 12 Comments
I Can Identify With This
I saw the following quote in Christianity Today this morning. It’s taken from “A Shy Person’s Guide to the Practice of Evangelism” by Steven C. Bonsey. Let’s pretend that you are someone who might be willing, in theory, at some point, possibly, to consider maybe doing something that, while not “evangelism”-type evangelism, still could be […]
August 19, 2005 by 10 Comments
Measuring What Matters
This weekend we’re doing a staff retreat and we’re going to talk about a number of things, including setting some measurable goals for different ministry areas. I really struggle with how to appropriately measure what happens at a church. Typically, the two measurements most church leaders pay attention to are nickels and noses. While I […]
August 16, 2005 by 18 Comments
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons