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Does Being ‘Biblical’= Being Pauline?
Does Being ‘Biblical’= Being Pauline? I’ve started reading NT Wright’s book, How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. In some ways it’s a continuation of his work in Simply Jesus....
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What the Gospels are NOT About
What the Gospels Are NOT About To say the Gospels aim at telling a story from beginning to end with a single, primary ‘point’ is also to argue that there things the Gospels are not (primarily, least)...
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The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality
What does scripture say about homosexuality? Does scripture condemn loving, monogamous gay relationships? Does it? Are you sure? The NY Times ran a story on Sunday about Matthew Vines a young gay...
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Are We Saved By Our Faith In Christ Or By The Faith Of Christ?
Sometimes a preposition can make all the difference. I remember my first theology course as a freshman undergraduate, Elements of Christian Thought, with Gene Rogers. I’d just become a Christian as a...
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By Grace Alone?
For our sermon series on ‘The Seven Truths that Changed the World: Christianity’s Most Dangerous Ideas’ we’re talking about Justification by Faith (vs. Works). In Thomas Aquinas’ three-fold...
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Not Perfect But Being Perfected
For our sermon series, this weekend I’ve been thinking about Justification by Faith Alone (vs Works). There’s no way to talk about Justification without talking about Martin Luther, the catalyst of the...
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My Afternoon of Biblical Ignorance
Sermon based on Nehemiah 8.13-17 *For those non-church members out there, ‘Dennis Perry’ is the Sr Pastor of Aldersgate. Senior = Old —————————————————————– A few weeks ago Dennis threw a lot of...
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What Do the Left Behind Novels Have to Do with Christmas?
It will surprise about no one, I expect, that I loathe those Left Behind novels, the serial fiction that imagines the Rapture (while simultaneously imagining it is in any way a Christian reading of...
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An Atheist’s 10 Commandments
Alain de Botton, author of The Consolations of Philosophy, has this list of virtues or ‘commandments’ for those who can’t believe in the God of the more famous 10 commandments. This is a good list; in...
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Are the Gospels Just Filler?
This weekend is Palm-Passion Sunday and, with it, the beginning of Holy Week. We’re following Jesus to the Cross. The following is an anecdote I used to begin a sermon on the atonement a few years ago:...
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Did Jesus Preach the Gospel?
We continue our Romans sermon series, Justified, this weekend by taking a dip in Romans 3.21-31, the magna carta for the Protestant doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone: that because of Christ’s...
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The Gospel Includes You; It’s Not About You
We just arrived in Guatemala this afternoon to begin the first phase of building a sanitation system in the community of Chuicutama in the Highlands of Guatemala. If you’d like to support our work, as...
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Does Being ‘Biblical’= Being Pauline?
Does Being ‘Biblical’= Being Pauline? I’ve started reading NT Wright’s book, How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. In some ways it’s a continuation of his work in Simply Jesus....
View ArticleClik here to view.
What the Gospels are NOT About
What the Gospels Are NOT About To say the Gospels aim at telling a story from beginning to end with a single, primary ‘point’ is also to argue that there things the Gospels are not (primarily, least)...
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Nope, the Gospel Requires Words
There’s a saying (cliche) that’s floated around the United Methodist Church for as long as I can remember: ‘Preach the Gospel. If necessary use words.’ Despite how often people quote this, it’s...
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Preaching on Memorial Day Weekend
Memorial Day Weekend is approaching. Memorial Day, though it’s not a Christian holy day and though we won’t change out the paramant colors to observe it, it’s a tricky time for preachers of the Gospel....
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What is the Gospel?
This week, a group of about 45 of us are continuing our mission partnership with the community members at Ft Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona. Here’s one of my reflections from our evening...
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Shoving Authority Down and Out: Interview with David Fitch
For our 16th Crackers and Grape Juice Podcast, I sat down for a conversation with David Fitch. David teaches at Northern Seminary in Chicago, hosts the Theology on Mission Podcast, and is the author of...
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Episode 29: What is the Gospel?
The summer has been a busy time, and it’s been a while since my Crackers & Grape Juice co-conspirators have all recorded a podcast together. Morgan, Teer, and I recently got up at the butt-crack of...
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Saved by (Dis)Grace
Here’s the sermon from this Sunday’s epistle, 2 Timothy 1.1-8. “Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord, Jesus Christ.” Do not be ashamed, in other words, of the Gospel. The Apostle...
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