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Jesus Creed

In my 22 years of teaching I’ve had some students with great names, but #1 on that list is a student now: Lightning. Last night Lightning and Sarah invited Kris and me over for dinner and fellowship. They are planning — “plotting” would be a better term — on planting a church, and will both…

Kingdom of God is Jesus’ favorite expression for his mission and his aim. But what does it mean? Scholars have gotten trapped into two boxes. First, many are preoccupied with the issue of time: did Jesus think the Kingdom was imminent, inaugurated, or entirely in the future? Far too often what that question of time…

I have this week accepted two speaking engagements. One for the Civitas lectures at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, at a Conference called After Evangelicalism, where I will join a set of speakers. My topic, on late Friday afternoon, will be on the Emerging Movement. Also, in February, I will be speaking at the National…

Stephen Shields pours gentle words all over the recent discussion with Australia. There’s a lot to learn here. Thanks Stephen.

In this post on conversion, I want to look at the sixth dimension of conversion: consequences. The first five dimensions, which are not “steps” but dimensions that often are intertwined and dialectical — like any good relationship, are (1) context, (2) crisis, (3) quest, (4) encounter-interaction, (5) commitment, and (6) consequences. One of the issues…

In their 2004 book, If Grace is True, Philip Gulley and James Mulholland make a case for universalism and this is their essential creedal contention: I believe — on the basis of their experiences;God — who is the gracious, loving Father Jesus revealed;will — this is what this God wants;save — ultimately, finally, perfect;every person…

In the fifth dimension of conversion (commitment), a person makes it clear that she or he is now committed to a relationship with Jesus. Conversion theorists say they are three “manifestations” of commitment: decision, surrender, and witness. We need to keep commitment all wrapped up in a relational mode instead of wandering into a judicial…

I was impressed with much of what I read on Sivin Kit‘s website about Chris Erdman‘s “preaching on the run.” Makes me a bit nervous, but I’m also quite sure that Jesus didn’t sit down and take notes, or that Paul did much of that sort of thing either. Maybe, but maybe not. A word…

A final thought on Peter. Let us accept that there are sudden or at least cataclysmic conversions like Paul’s. We know little about Paul’s experience prior to his conversion, but it is entirely possible that he had heard the gospel before his life-changing trip to Damascus. Even if that is the case, his conversion made…

The blog has been pretty busy today, so it is about time for me to jump and in and give my two cents worth. First, I believe that question, which is innocent in itself, assumes what I will call at this point a judicial sense of conversion. That is, there is a point in time…
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