I wrote this reflection for my seminary’s blog at http://www.TalkingPointsGR.com this past Easter. I had recently read a book by Bruce Longenecker called, “The Cross Before Constantine”. I thought it was a beautifully written historical analysis of how the cross was used as a Christian symbol in antiquity and what it must have meant to … More The Cross and Christian Identity
Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14b-15 I’ve always struggled with how the logic of God’s Kingdom works. Where is it explicitly? How does one experience it? How “much” of it is actually here? And most practically… … More Midwives of New-Creation
I’ve been meaning to get back to blogging on a regular basis. As it turns out, I write semi-regularly for my seminary’s blog: http://www.TalkingPointsGR.com. I just wrote this piece for an upcoming post about a new book written by a faculty member at GRTS. So I thought I would re-post it here as a move … More “The Apostle Paul and the Christian Life” – A Short Review
Recently, the internet has been full of inflammatory and incendiary rhetoric (surprise surprise). However, I have had several conversations in person as well that have also become both highly toxic and politically motivated. Many of my friends are expressing their dismay with the recent SCOTUS decision and are going as far as to prophetically pronounce … More Evangelicals and Nationalism
I’d like to share a quote from a passionately written book by Eugene Peterson. I pray that it will help us put good use to our reading–especially our reading of Holy Scripture. As a graduate student, this quote served as a good reminder to be present, open, receptive, and above all, gracious in my readings … More The Gift of Reading
Originally posted on Faith Improvised:
I used to teach evangelical undergrads who were not only well-versed in a scientific reading of Genesis 1 but were thoroughly saturated in the highly-charged rhetoric of the culture wars. In one course I included a few sessions that focused on the text of Genesis 1-2. I’d typically begin by…
On Tuesday, my small corner of the internet erupted with controversy and emphatic support of polarized ideologies, when the famous creation apologist, Ken Ham, debated Bill Nye “The Science Guy”. I’ll admit that there was also a healthy degree of cynical dismissal of the event too. I know I contributed my fair share of passive-aggressive … More Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham
The Church is the answer. (So is Jesus but that’s assumed) I’m currently taking a class on the book of Ephesians. It’s been such a joy to mine the complexities of Paul’s vision for God’s people as I’ve dissected the letter from various angles. During the course of the class, I’ve learned to approach Paul–particularly … More The Role of the People of God in Ephesians
“Let us begin again for up until now we have done nothing” -St. Francis Life is full of new beginnings. I feel like it’s time to begin again. The past season of my life has been one of profound turbulence, change, depth, and growth. In the last three years alone I’ve gotten married, graduated from … More Pilgrimage
Its hard to put words to this simultaneous feeling of extreme apprehension and excitement in my life right now. We leave for Palestine June 17th, trading the world as we know it for another. In preparing to leave I have taken a lot of comfort in a prayer written by Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann. … More Exchanging one world for another.
