One of my favorite verses in the Bible to meditate on is Mark 9:24. Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” The context is a father of a boy who is described as demon-possessed. The disciples of Jesus have been unable to provide help. Jesus questions the father, …
Category: Faith and Doubt
How Do We Dialogue Among Faiths?
I will be teaching Inter-religious Dialogue this next semester at seminary. First time I have ever taught such a course. I look forward to it. But it is challenging to find good sources within the Evangelical Realm as far as how to do Interfaith Dialogue. I think some of this is because there is a …
The Hopeful Pessimist
I am a self-described pessimist. Some find this troubling... believing that optimism is healthier, and makes one happier. As a melancholic, I am not all that sure I want to be happier... I want contentment... I want peace,.. I want purpose... I want belongingness. I think I can generally do with just a small bit …
The Taxidermic Minister
I come from a rural community in upstate New York in the United States. It is not known for its art culture. However, one art form that is quite strong there is taxidermy. I haven't really seen it practiced here in the Philippines. For those who don't know, it is the art of making the …
New Evangelism?
A new evangelism, expressed in terms of contemporary experience, must begin with finding a new motive for mission. The imperatives of earlier centuries, particularly of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, are no longer valid or compelling. Dr. Michael Green states ("Evangelism in the Early Church", 1970) there was a three-fold …
Instilling Healthy Doubt
I saw on FB another bit of foolishness. Okay, there has been a LOT of foolishness on Facebook lately. A recent post claimed that Satanists utilize "LOL" to mean "Lucifer our Lord." So if we use "LOL" in our posts, we are endorsing Satan. Let's have a reality moment here: I don't use "LOL," so …
Moving Beyond the Post-Modern
I could be wrong, but I think the above figure is a nice way of looking at different "societies." It is a very simple way of looking at "epistemology"--- how do we know what we know (or think we know). All four look at how truth comes to us. We can start with the 2nd …
Universal Commission for Mission
I was asked to lead a commissioning service today. It made me think about what a commissioning is... or at least should be. Commissioning is an interesting Christian tradition. And it is even used in non-Christian circles. In 1987, I was involved in my first commissioning service. I was commissioned as an officer of the …
Answering the Wrong Question to the Wrong Person
Sometimes I put answers on "Answers.com". I saw the following question: How do Thinking Christians persuade modern men that it is necessary to shed blood to atone for sin that it is necessary for Jesus to die in order to reconcile men to God? It is possible that this is a loaded question... implying that …
Continue reading Answering the Wrong Question to the Wrong Person
“The Customs of Heaven” Quote of James Martineau
"The universe, open to the eye to-day, looks as it did a thousand years ago: and the morning hymn of Milton does but tell the beauty with which our own familiar sun dressed the earliest fields and gardens of the world. We see what all our fathers saw. And if we cannot find God in …
Continue reading “The Customs of Heaven” Quote of James Martineau