2009/12/12
current issues, hot topics, theological reflection Leave a comment
Allen Perdue, Pastor of Fireside Church and a good friend of mine, posted some thoughts to challenge all of us who are a part of/care about The Wesleyan Church movement. Take a few minutes to read his thoughts and engage the conversation. We need a fresh wind of God’s Spirit compelling us outward to accomplish Christ’s mission.
http://firesidechurch.blogspot.com/2009/12/are-we-asking-right-questions.html
2009/10/28
hot topics, link, post, question, scripture, theological reflection Leave a comment
This is part 2 in a series of posts on the good news of Jesus. Read part 1 here: What Is the Good News? [Part 1]
When I was a young child, as soon as I could talk, my parents taught me a little bedtime prayer. It was a rhyming prayer, the words of which I still remember vividly…
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
Even as a child I remember that this prayer evoked some deep theological thinking. Each night I went to bed with a profound sense of my own mortality…I might die before I wake. I also remember thinking that this life doesn’t really matter…what matters is what happens if I die. And I recall more than one night pulling the covers up over my head and wondering if God would take me if tonight was the night I died. That’s why I “got saved” 100,000 times before I turned 10…I was never quite sure if God would take me if I died.
It’s been a while since I’ve prayed that prayer at bedtime, and I even taught my kids a kinder, gentler version of the prayer. I am older now but that childhood prayer still evokes some serious theological reflection in my mind. It captures, in a nutshell, another key point about the evangelical gospel that I was taught.
The gospel, according to this prayer, is not about here and now; it is about then and there. In other words, the gospel has very little to say about this life or this world. It is really about issues related to eternity…specifically the “H” words…heaven and hell.
Sinful people are doomed for hell. And hell is hot and eternity is long, I remember hearing preachers say as a young church goer. Of course, nobody wants to go to hell. That’s why the gospel is good news. Jesus came and died so you won’t have to go to hell. If you believe in him, you will get to go to heaven.
There are lots of shortcomings with this message, not the least of which, is that Jesus never talks about his own gospel using terms of heaven or hell. There is not one place where he calls someone to believe in him or follow him where he threatens them with hell if they decline or entices them with heaven if they accept. In fact, this view of the gospel totally misses out on the essence of what Jesus taught.
Questions:
2009/10/23
current issues, hot topics, post, video Leave a comment
Extreme global poverty is one of the biggest issues facing our world. The stats can be staggering and the problem can seem impossible to solve, so we get overwhelmed and we do nothing. Fight the urge to do nothing. Stand up for the world’s poor. Give one day’s wage…0.4% of your annual salary…to fight global poverty.
Let’s do something to help our world become different and better!
2009/10/20
current issues, hot topics, link, post Leave a comment
2009/10/20
hot topics, link, post Leave a comment
I have been following a blog set up by a friend of mine for a class at Delmarva Christian High School. The class is about formulating biblical perspectives on current issues. All of the discussions have been engaging, but this week’s is particularly sensitive and important. I’ve weighed in over there as one voice among many. Take a look and add your insights.
Twitter
Facebook
RSS