Yesterday, I had someone tell me that part of my teaching reminded her of Dwight Schrute. While not intended to be done in the Schrute-ian style, I can see why she made the connection. See if you can picture Dwight saying this to the camera. Let’s say you and I get in a fight.And you […]
A Good Reading is Better than a Right One Part 2
As a follow up to a previous post let me give one example of how a “good” reading of a text might be better than a “right” reading of one. In order to keep this post short, I’m going to omit some details and paint in broad strokes. Let’s take a look at Matthew 25:31-46. […]
May 7, 2008 by 14 Comments
A Good Reading is Better than a Right One
Let’s take the following statements out for a walk and see if they bark: Any interpretation of scripture that equips us for Christlikeness is a valid one. I don’t care what your professor told you, there is a difference between a “right” reading of scripture and a “good” reading. Any reading of Scripture that shapes […]
April 30, 2008 by 29 Comments
Shame and Guilt
So what is the difference between guilt and shame? Guilt says “You’ve done something wrong.” Shame says “There is something wrong with you.” In his book, Atonement for a “Sinless” Society, Alan Mann suggests that before churches address the problem of guilt they must address the epidemic of shame that exists in a post-Christian culture. […]
February 20, 2008 by 8 Comments
Atonement
I’m doing some reading about atonement theory. I’ve got A Community Called Atonement, Recovering the Scandal of the Cross, and Atonement for a ‘Sinless’ Society. Any other ideas? It’s interesting to me that while all Christians agree that we are saved by Jesus’ death on the cross, we can’t agree upon a unified theory for […]
February 13, 2008 by 22 Comments
Three Temptations for the Church
Just after his baptism, Jesus goes into the wilderness to be tested. At stake in these tests is what kind of Messiah will Jesus be? He faces three temptations: 1. Use his power to turn stones into bread.2. Throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple and force God to save him, while claiming a […]
January 10, 2008 by 16 Comments
A Theology of Food Revisited
At this time last year, I did several posts on a theology of food. If you missed it the first time around, check them out here. Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4
November 21, 2007 by 2 Comments
Christianity: Starfish or Spider?
In the last post, I asked if churches work best when they are centralized or decentralized. Let’s back up a step and ask whether Christianity is more of a centralized or decentralized religion. First, you could say that pre-exilic Judaism was a centralized temple-based religion. During the exile, Judaism was forced to decentralize with multiple […]
October 25, 2007 by 4 Comments
A Quiet Life
Here is an interesting verse to meditate upon as we reflect on the connection between the gospel and our work. Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of […]
October 3, 2007 by 8 Comments
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons