HOW CAN WE PRACTICE EVANGELISM? We spent a lot of time last week talking about what evangelism is, why we struggle with it, and the need for us to “plan to stop not evangelizing.” This week, we are going to focus on some specific practices and attitudes that will aid us in our...
WHAT IS EVANGELISM? One might expect that evangelical Christians would not need to spend a lot of time on this point. Evangelicals have long been known, and rightly so, for their emphasis on evangelism. So, it would be reasonable to conclude that there would not be any disagreement regarding...
BUT I ONLY BELIEVE IN SCIENCE Neuroscientist Steven Pinker in his book Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism and Progress, makes the rather bold claim that science has demonstrated that all of the belief systems of the major world religions are “factually...
ISN’T RELIGION BAD FOR PEOPLE? Religion in our culture is often presented as a dangerous thing for individuals to cling to. Some see it as a cause of anxiety, relational strife, ignorance, and intolerance. As one blog post claims, “Religion is like a slow poison, and just as poison...
IS THE WORLD REALLY LOSING ITS RELIGION? (Or is it just Michael Stipe?) It is commonly supposed that as the world becomes more economically prosperous and educated, religious belief will inevitably wane. Some have even written songs and delivered impassioned speeches picturing a...
LEARNING TO LOVE | SESSION FOUR INHABITING THE GREAT STORY: THE FORMATIVE POWER OF LITURGY Stories form our identities and give us a sense of place. “They stir our imaginations and help us to experience love, betrayal, hatred, and compassion that might be otherwise...
LEARNING TO LOVE | SESSION THREE WHAT THE HECK IS WATER? LEARNING TO EXEGETE OUR CULTURE In 2005, David Foster Wallace was invited to deliver the commencement address at Kenyon College. He began his speech with a parable that went like this: “There are these two young fish...
LEARNING TO LOVE | SESSION TWO SO TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT | WHAT YOU REALLY, REALLY WANT… Jesus made the above request long before the Spice Girls came around. We see this request take shape in the form of Jesus’ question to two would-be disciples in John 1:38, which...
CHRISTIAN FORMATION? It is good and right for Christians to talk about, remember, and celebrate our salvation. We have been saved by grace through faith. God has reached out to us in love, he has brought us in and made us his own. This is the good news of the gospel, and it is worthy of our...