Homebrewed Theology » Entries tagged with "Christian life"
Shaking The Dust From My Sandals
If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave. – Matt 10:14 Jesus gave this instruction to his disciples as he sent them out, two by two, to heal the sick, raise the dead, and proclaim the Good News that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. At first glance, this seems to be a rather odd instruction. Even in its historical and cultural context, its still odd. When the Jewish people returned from visiting a foreign land, they would “shake the dust from their sandals” so that the land of Judea would not be ‘polluted’ with dust from Gentile lands. What makes this passage more interesting is that Jesus gives them the specific instruction to go only … Read entire article »
Filed under: Religion
The Price Jesus Paid And The Value Of A Person
As mentioned in a previous post, I had the pleasure of hearing Shane Claiborne speak at Tempe First United Methodist Church on Saturday night. He was funny, irreverent, emotional, philosophical, and, most of all, thought-provoking. Prior to his speaking, a musician named Matt Beem played and spoke to the crowd. One of the things he said really struck me and has been rumbling around in my head since then. “Because of the price Jesus paid, we know what every person is worth.” That seems like a pretty simple statement, but simple truths are often unmatched in their profundity. We know, because of the price Jesus paid on the cross, what the value of each human life on this planet is. You, me, the homeless guy on the corner, the wealthy business man in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Religion
Youth Ministry For The Millennial Generation
It’s a gorgeous Saturday morning here in Arizona. I’m up, the house is quiet, the organic fair-trade Peruvian coffee from Sprout’s Market is brewed, all is seemingly well. That is, until I sit down at my laptop and fire up the old Tweetdeck. One of the first tweets I read this morning is from Rick Warren‘s Toolbox (rwtoolbox) and it says this: Shorter attention spans means higher standards for context, relevancy, and cultural literacy. Here are keys http://bit.ly/8ZYTsV I think to myself: Context – ok, I’ll buy that. Relevancy – depends on what you mean. Cultural literacy – what does this mean? So, curious as a cat, I click the link and start to read the article. The first thing I notice is that it is from a blog called “Millennial Marketing”, which makes me a little … Read entire article »
Filed under: Randomness
Abandonment
If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. – Luke 17:33 Jesus often talks about how, in order to inherit the kingdom, we need to abandon our worldly ambitions. The passage from Luke, quoted above, is just one example of this. From the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus calls his followers to abandonment as a requirement of following him. For example Mark 1:16-20 – In calling the first disciples, they abandon their boats, their fishing business (which, in the 1st Century was probably pretty lucrative), and two of them even abandon their father. Mark 2:14-17 – In the calling of Levi (Matthew), after he answers, he invites everyone to a meal for dinner. This shows great respect to Jesus and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Religion
Theological Illiteracy In The US On The Rise
Via Yahoo News: A new survey of Americans’ knowledge of religion found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths. Respondents to the survey were asked 32 questions with a range of difficulty, including whether they could name the Islamic holy book and the first book of the Bible, or say what century the Mormon religion was founded. On average, participants in the survey answered correctly overall for half of the survey questions. Atheists and agnostics scored highest, with an average of 21 correct answers, while Jews and Mormons followed with about 20 accurate responses. Protestants overall averaged 16 correct … Read entire article »
Filed under: Religion
The Epistle of Mathetes To Diognetus
I haven’t ever really explored early Christian writings the way, say, my good friend Joel has, but I thought I would share my thoughts on something I just happened to come across one day. I was searching for inspiration for a ministry idea I’ve been kicking around in my head, I had no name for it and only a skeleton of a vision, but it was a vision burning in my heart. So, like any good theology geek, I dug into my knowledge of first century Greek for inspiration. It was there that I came across this word: μαθητής – mathetes – a learner, pupil, disciple Beautiful in its simplicity. One word that summed up everything. Digging a little farther, I found this gem. The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus. This epistle, written … Read entire article »
Filed under: Church history, Religion
A Different Kind Of Church
It’s a typical Arizona Sunday afternoon. It’s been hot, and since its monsoon season, it’s been humid, too. Today a bunch of people are gathering to celebrate the birthdays of two members of this eclectic group of what some would consider malcontents and heretics. In this group there are ex-Pentecostals, ex-Catholics, ex-seminarians, ex-pastors, and a recently ordained minister, among others. It truly is an eclectic group of people, of faiths, of backgrounds, yet there is an overall sense of love, of acceptance, of family in this group. As I sit in the swimming pool, looking around I can’t help but think that this is what church was really meant to be. Reading the scriptures, we see that church, as Jesus laid it out, wasn’t exclusively some sort of … Read entire article »
πίστις – An Introduction
Walk into any bookstore today and you’ll see row upon row of “Live Your Best Purpose Driven Life Now” type books. Books that teach you how to be the best you you can be. Books that tell you that God wants you to be rich, and here’s 7 easy steps to take your piece of God’s abundance. Books that tell you how awful the world is and how your faith is under attack. This isn’t going to be one of those books. Thousands of years ago, a group of people escaped slavery and started a community that was radically different than what they had known for generations. It was a community based on equality, on respect, on service, on mercy, on compassion, and on justice. It was a community that ensured everyone … Read entire article »
Ultra-Conservative Christians and Government
Craig at Simul Iustus et Peccator asks the following question: Anyways, I would like to ask a question of the ultra-conservative Christian bloggers. In light of passages like Romans 13: 1-3, Matthew 22: 15-22, Titus 3: 1-2, and 1 Timothy 2: 1-5, how do you justify your attacks against the government and those in power? This is the same question I’ve asked here. Go read: Simlu Iustus et Peccator: Ultra-Conservative Christians and Government … Read entire article »
What’s In The Bible
On this page you will find all the materials made available to me from the gracious and wonderful people of Tyndale House Publishing for the newly released children’s series “What’s In The Bible?” from VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer. FTC Note: Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this DVD for review. … Read entire article »
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