Why Does the Church Exist? If you were to catch someone on the street and ask them what church is about or why it exists, you’d probably get a bunch of different answers. Some people might say it’s a club.
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Church’s Vision?
Become Fully Human
As many of you know, I’m fairly active in many different community activities. One of them is something called “New World Brewing.” This is an intentional conversation. Each month, there’s a selected topic. Two “conversation starters” get the ball rolling
Read moreHow Church Makes Us Sin
Do you feel set up for failure by the stringent fasting regulations of the Church? Do you feel like prayer rules or “putting your time in” at church is just false piety? Have you ever noticed an inconsistency between the
Read morePulling Back the Curtain on Pentecost
At the Orthodox celebration of Pentecost, the Gospel reading comes from John 7, which is a story about Jesus celebrating the Feast of Sukkot? But, if it’s Pentecost, why would the Church have us read about Sukkot? How does that
Read moreThe Superhero vs. The Crucified
Today is Thomas Sunday, the day we remember how Thomas wanted to put his finger in the marks made in Jesus’ hands by the nails and his side by the spear. He wanted to confirm that this man, the crucified
Read moreTo Be or Not to Be… Yourself
In our world, we’re told to “be yourself.” In fact, this is probably the 21st-century American mantra. And it plays itself out in all sorts of ways. For some, it leads them on specific career paths. For others, it leads
Read moreForgive or Die
In January, it was good to own stock. Prices soared and, recently, the Dow hit a record high. For many of us, this is where we place our trust: it’s our financial security, our 401(k) retirement, our indication of good
Read moreTo Be or Not to Be… a Loyal Citizen
We live in a time of nationalism. Red, white, and blue flow through our veins. Recently, we had a national debate: is it patriotic to protest racial inequalities in America by kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner, or is it
Read moreCelebrating an Unjust God
It’s human nature to want a just world. Indeed, our view of justice is Lady Justice who is blindfolded, showing that she doesn’t pursue any special interest. Everyone is to be treated equally. She enforces her decrees with a sword
Read moreCosmic Salvation
In American circles, I often hear salvation spoken about in an individual way. “I’m saved.” “Jesus is my personal savior.” But the Bible casts a much bigger picture. We’re actually meant to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
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