Monday, December 30, 2013
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013
Friday, December 20, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Friday, December 13, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
Friday, October 18, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Society of Evangelical Arminians
A Concise Summary of the Corporate View of Election and Predestination
Society of Evangelical Arminians
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Friday, October 4, 2013
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Don’t Know Much About History | The Federalist
This would be funny if it wasn't so true. Now it is just sad.
Don’t Know Much About History | The Federalist
Don’t Know Much About History | The Federalist
Friday, September 20, 2013
Covenent or Contract
Consider the way most Christians think about “salvation.” They
think of it primarily in legal and contractual ways. God the Father is
the judge, we are the guilty defendants, and Jesus is our lawyer. In
this view, the Father was going to send us to eternal prison (hell),
which we deserved, until Jesus stepped in and worked out a strange deal
with the Father in which he somehow takes on our guilt and our
punishment, while we are acquitted, assuming we can believe these things
are true with a requisite degree of certainty.
It’s of course true the Bible uses some legal metaphors to describe salvation, but as I demonstrate in my book, the primary framework, and the framework in which even the legal metaphors should be understood, is covenantal. This dramatically changes everything! Understood as a covenantal concept, salvation, isn’t about a deal that takes place between us and God. It’s rather about entering into a marriage-like relationship with God – a relationship that involves us pledging ourselves to him in response to the pledge of himself he offered us on Calvary. So too, whereas the legal model was focused on belief and therefore didn’t involve our character transformation as a central consideration, the covenant model is all about character, for its anchored in faith, and as I’ve said, covenantal faith is about our willingness to trust another and to live in a trustworthy way in relation to another.
You can also see the significant difference between these two models of salvation by the sorts of questions they inspire. If a person is thinking in terms of the contractual model, there are all sorts of legal-type questions that need to be addressed. For example, since salvation is a legal deal, it makes sense to wonder if the deal can be “undone” (the debate about eternal security)? If it can’t be “undone,” it makes sense to wonder what, if any, are the negative consequences for living in ways we know God disapproves of?
On the other hand, if the “salvation-deal” can be undone, it makes sense to wonder what are the precise legal conditions that would undo it? Is the “salvation-deal” undone if a person fornicates, for example, and dies before they can repent? And (here’s one I’ve found Christian engaged couples ask frequently), what exactly does it mean to “fornicate”? How close to “vaginal penetration” can you get before you “cross the line? In the contractual framework, it naturally makes sense to want to get away with as much as you can without “crossing the line,” for contracts, recall, are predicated on a lack of trust and are about what individuals can get from one another.
The mindset behind these questions makes perfect sense in a contractual, court-of-law framework, but that make no sense whatsoever in a covenantal framework. No one in a remotely healthy marriage would ever wonder about how much they could get away with before their spouse would divorce them, for example. And if a spouse ever did wonder about this, it would simply reveal that he or she was already dishonoring their covenant. For one only resorts to contractual thinking when the covenantal pledge to give of oneself to another and to trust and be trustworthy toward another is absent.
In this light, and in light of how pervasive the legal paradigm is in contemporary Christ thinking, is it any wonder we see so live covenantal trust and trustworthiness in the lives of professing Christians today?
From Greg Boyd
It’s of course true the Bible uses some legal metaphors to describe salvation, but as I demonstrate in my book, the primary framework, and the framework in which even the legal metaphors should be understood, is covenantal. This dramatically changes everything! Understood as a covenantal concept, salvation, isn’t about a deal that takes place between us and God. It’s rather about entering into a marriage-like relationship with God – a relationship that involves us pledging ourselves to him in response to the pledge of himself he offered us on Calvary. So too, whereas the legal model was focused on belief and therefore didn’t involve our character transformation as a central consideration, the covenant model is all about character, for its anchored in faith, and as I’ve said, covenantal faith is about our willingness to trust another and to live in a trustworthy way in relation to another.
You can also see the significant difference between these two models of salvation by the sorts of questions they inspire. If a person is thinking in terms of the contractual model, there are all sorts of legal-type questions that need to be addressed. For example, since salvation is a legal deal, it makes sense to wonder if the deal can be “undone” (the debate about eternal security)? If it can’t be “undone,” it makes sense to wonder what, if any, are the negative consequences for living in ways we know God disapproves of?
On the other hand, if the “salvation-deal” can be undone, it makes sense to wonder what are the precise legal conditions that would undo it? Is the “salvation-deal” undone if a person fornicates, for example, and dies before they can repent? And (here’s one I’ve found Christian engaged couples ask frequently), what exactly does it mean to “fornicate”? How close to “vaginal penetration” can you get before you “cross the line? In the contractual framework, it naturally makes sense to want to get away with as much as you can without “crossing the line,” for contracts, recall, are predicated on a lack of trust and are about what individuals can get from one another.
The mindset behind these questions makes perfect sense in a contractual, court-of-law framework, but that make no sense whatsoever in a covenantal framework. No one in a remotely healthy marriage would ever wonder about how much they could get away with before their spouse would divorce them, for example. And if a spouse ever did wonder about this, it would simply reveal that he or she was already dishonoring their covenant. For one only resorts to contractual thinking when the covenantal pledge to give of oneself to another and to trust and be trustworthy toward another is absent.
In this light, and in light of how pervasive the legal paradigm is in contemporary Christ thinking, is it any wonder we see so live covenantal trust and trustworthiness in the lives of professing Christians today?
From Greg Boyd
Friday, September 13, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Friday, August 23, 2013
Dead souls of a cultural revolution
Painful truth that many chose to ignore.
Dead souls of a cultural revolution
Dead souls of a cultural revolution
Monday, August 19, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Thursday, July 18, 2013
I Am Not a Sex-Fueled Robot | Redemption Pictures
Interesting take on men and women.
I Am Not a Sex-Fueled Robot | Redemption Pictures
I Am Not a Sex-Fueled Robot | Redemption Pictures
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Daily Christian Living Articles, Devotionals, and Faith Inspiration
Does the Bible Condone Slavery and Sexism?
Daily Christian Living Articles, Devotionals, and Faith Inspiration
Daily Christian Living Articles, Devotionals, and Faith Inspiration
Monday, July 8, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
Chief Rabbi: atheism has failed. Only religion can defeat the new barbarians » The Spectator
Chief Rabbi: atheism has failed. Only religion can defeat the new barbarians » The Spectator
Even so, the costs are beginning to mount up. Levels of trust have plummeted throughout the West as one group after another — bankers, CEOs, media personalities, parliamentarians, the press — has been hit by scandal. Marriage has all but collapsed as an institution, with 40 per cent of children born outside it and 50 per cent of marriages ending in divorce. Rates of depressive illness and stress-related syndromes have rocketed especially among the young. A recent survey showed that the average 18- to 35-year-old has 237 Facebook friends. When asked how many they could rely on in a crisis, the average answer was two. A quarter said one. An eighth said none.
None of this should surprise us. This is what a society built on materialism, individualism and moral relativism looks like.
Even so, the costs are beginning to mount up. Levels of trust have plummeted throughout the West as one group after another — bankers, CEOs, media personalities, parliamentarians, the press — has been hit by scandal. Marriage has all but collapsed as an institution, with 40 per cent of children born outside it and 50 per cent of marriages ending in divorce. Rates of depressive illness and stress-related syndromes have rocketed especially among the young. A recent survey showed that the average 18- to 35-year-old has 237 Facebook friends. When asked how many they could rely on in a crisis, the average answer was two. A quarter said one. An eighth said none.
None of this should surprise us. This is what a society built on materialism, individualism and moral relativism looks like.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
Friday, June 7, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
Friday, May 31, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Magic in Media: Where Should We Stand? - Christian Art and Culture
An excellent article on how to determine if "magic" in the media is unhealthy or not...
Magic in Media: Where Should We Stand? - Christian Art and Culture
Magic in Media: Where Should We Stand? - Christian Art and Culture
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Evangelicals on a Quest for a New Identity | Juicy Ecumenism - The Institute on Religion & Democracy's Blog
Just a little textual proof as to why I will never support world vision again unless this changes.
Evangelicals on a Quest for a New Identity | Juicy Ecumenism - The Institute on Religion & Democracy's Blog
Evangelicals on a Quest for a New Identity | Juicy Ecumenism - The Institute on Religion & Democracy's Blog
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Understanding the Basic Principles of Accounting - For Dummies
Understanding the Basic Principles of Accounting - For Dummies
Why has every current book changed these 8 into something else?
Why has every current book changed these 8 into something else?
Friday, April 12, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Daily Christian Living Articles, Devotionals, and Faith Inspiration
Why the Arguments for Gay Marriage Are Persuasive
Daily Christian Living Articles, Devotionals, and Faith Inspiration
Daily Christian Living Articles, Devotionals, and Faith Inspiration
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Are Conservative Churches Really Winning by Being More Orthodox? | (A)theologies | Religion Dispatches
Are Conservative Churches Really Winning by Being More Orthodox? | (A)theologies | Religion Dispatches
I like this passage: "If you water down Christianity, just telling people to be nicer to each other, or to do what the majority seems to want to do, people pretty quickly conclude that it's easier to be nice at home. Why should they go to church?"
I like this passage: "If you water down Christianity, just telling people to be nicer to each other, or to do what the majority seems to want to do, people pretty quickly conclude that it's easier to be nice at home. Why should they go to church?"
Monday, March 18, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
New Life Live, Steve Arterburn Daily Devotional, Christian Bible Devotions
Today's
Overcoming Envy
Hebrews 13:5-6
We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
A major part of recovery deals with our tendency to create and live in a fantasy world. We escape the painful realities of our lives momentarily and trade them in for experiences that feel good. The pathway that leads to our addiction is paved with desires for the things, relationships, and experiences that we see in the lives of others and don't have ourselves.
One of the lesser known of the Ten Commandments says, "You must not covet your neighbor's house. You must not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:17; see also Deuteronomy 5:21). Jesus also warned, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own" (Luke 12:15). The writer of Hebrews said, "Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, 'I will never fail you. I will never abandon you'" (Hebrews 13:5).
Modern society and commercial advertising are designed to breed discontent. This is a threat to our recovery because it leads us into an emotional fantasy world. We need to make an inventory of the greed and covetousness lodged in our hearts and minds. Then we must treat these problems like a poison that will hurt us if allowed to remain in our lives.
Since only God can meet all our needs, true contentment can only be found in him.
New Life Live, Steve Arterburn Daily Devotional, Christian Bible Devotions
Overcoming Envy
Hebrews 13:5-6
We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
A major part of recovery deals with our tendency to create and live in a fantasy world. We escape the painful realities of our lives momentarily and trade them in for experiences that feel good. The pathway that leads to our addiction is paved with desires for the things, relationships, and experiences that we see in the lives of others and don't have ourselves.
One of the lesser known of the Ten Commandments says, "You must not covet your neighbor's house. You must not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:17; see also Deuteronomy 5:21). Jesus also warned, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own" (Luke 12:15). The writer of Hebrews said, "Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, 'I will never fail you. I will never abandon you'" (Hebrews 13:5).
Modern society and commercial advertising are designed to breed discontent. This is a threat to our recovery because it leads us into an emotional fantasy world. We need to make an inventory of the greed and covetousness lodged in our hearts and minds. Then we must treat these problems like a poison that will hurt us if allowed to remain in our lives.
Since only God can meet all our needs, true contentment can only be found in him.
New Life Live, Steve Arterburn Daily Devotional, Christian Bible Devotions
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
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