It’s true that defining what it means to be missional can be helpful in ways, but to begin to speak of the church being “on mission” can tend to smack of self righteousness and judgmentalism, if not simply usage of non biblical language to make the work of the church or Christians sound hip to... Continue Reading

If a matter of principle is involved, if factions, parties or individuals honestly differ on any problems of public or private policy, the best way is to thrash out the matter openly. The fact is that the ‘shushers’ have been the most fertile cause of wars in the past, because by their own attempts to... Continue Reading

And these paper pastors maintain the perfect distance. If you don’t want to hear something, they don’t press it — or you can instantly shut them up, snap! They never ask you to do something uncomfortable and follow up on you. They never persistently probe an area of sin, in you, in person, eyeball to... Continue Reading

On the one hand pandering can refer to one’s yielding or catering to the needs of others, while on the other hand it most often is used of manipulation or exploitation of others through gratification of their weaker, less noble, or immoral desires. The relationship between the preacher and the people to whom he speaks... Continue Reading

It is our task to discern whether or not the familial language – specifically that of adoption – in Scripture possesses essential, irreplaceable, and transcendent theological significance. As Colin Hansen recently reported in a Christianity Today article, in some biblical translations, selected vocabulary has been removed to eliminate cultural stumbling blocks. [1] For example, missionaries... Continue Reading

When I am informed that a book by the Rev. Tommy Tweedlethumb is the most important piece of Christian literature since Augustine’s Confessions, I can politely stifle a yawn behind my hand and go back to reading the newspaper, for I know full well that in a hundred years time Tommy’s complete works will be... Continue Reading

I am grateful that most Evangelical Christians have condemned Pastor Jones’s burning of the Koran. True, he had a constitutional right but something can be constitutional and stupid at the same time, especially when we consider the red alert atmosphere related to Muslim relations these days. This does not mean people should hold Jones responsible... Continue Reading

The theology of a Sovereign God who demands authority over all spheres of life has been lost. Depression is rottenness in the soul. I am depressed – not clinically depressed – but depressed nonetheless. As a Minister of the Gospel, I’m not supposed to get depressed, but let’s get real; Ministers are not immune from... Continue Reading

Any discussion of Christian freedom must ultimately note that our greatest and highest freedom is to draw near to God in holiness and love. Or, in terms of adiaphora, we must realize that we must never be indifferent to the glory of God in all things and our love for others. A year ago or... Continue Reading

My American temperament when it comes to living here is tempered by that existence’s tenuous nature. In that, I relate closely with my many Arab and Berber friends, some with visas, some without, almost all poor. So it makes me all the more aware of the precarity that marks the lives of most of this... Continue Reading