On Sunday, I preached on James 3:13-18, contrasting true, godly wisdom with wisdom that is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. I had a section that came from my personal devotional reading that I cut for time. False wisdom, or worldly wisdom, often has a veneer of genuineness to it because it gets results. But it doesn't … Continue reading Cutting Room Floor: That’s just the way things are done.
Just War in Christian Theology
As an undergraduate, I studied Political Science at Houghton College with aspirations to become a lawyer in the Marine Corps. Midway through my time in college, I shifted my career path towards ministry but kept the major, adding a minor in Bible and Theology. My senior thesis combined my minor and major, political science and … Continue reading Just War in Christian Theology
The Imperial Cult of Rome, and America
My dad had eclectic music tastes, ranging from Country Western (ie. Marty Robbins) to oldies (i.e Beach Boys) to oddities (i.e. we listened to Bette Midler's 'The Rose' on repeat one year driving from Florida to NY). And then there were the church songs, the Christian songs. A song I remember from my childhood had … Continue reading The Imperial Cult of Rome, and America
Spiritual Dump Truck
On Sunday, I preached from the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). There's lots of details and lots of theology there, so I had to cut out a discussion of an odd Hebrew word. In Leviticus 16, a word appears 4x, and it is the only time the word appears anywhere in Scripture. The word azazel … Continue reading Spiritual Dump Truck
Nuance is Needed: Foreigners in Israel, America, and the Church
Nuance is an endangered species. Few people offer it, few people seem willing to tolerate it. But a lack of nuance leads to a confusing cognitive dissonance. On the far right of the Christian political spectrum are those who contend America was and should be again a Christian nation. This group wants to reintroduce biblical … Continue reading Nuance is Needed: Foreigners in Israel, America, and the Church
God Entranced 