By Richard Beck at Experimental Theology Rod Dreher’s book The Benedict Option is now out with lots of reviews and commentary appearing online. As regular readers know I’ve made the argument on this blog that progressive Christians need their own version of the BenOp. In fact, progressive Christians already have a rich history with the BenOp, witness …
By Wm. Paul Young from Lies We Believe About God. I wrote The Shack at the request of my wife, Kim. She’d asked, “Would you someday please write something as a gift for our kids that puts in one place how you think? Because, you know, you think outside the box.” She was referring to …
By Russ Shumaker found at patheos. In Reflections on the Psalms, C.S. Lewis points out that westerners have been largely spared an age-old experience regarding our legal system: In most places and times it has been very difficult for the “small man” to get his case heard. The judge (and doubtless, one or two of his underlings) has to …
By Jeremy Myers at Redeeming God. I hold to radical, outrageous, shocking, scandalous, limitless grace. I believe there is no other kind of grace. But whenever I teach or write about this sort of grace, it is almost guaranteed that someone will object by saying, “So are you saying that we can just go sin …
By Wm. Paul Young from his new book Lies We Believe About God. Every child yearns to hear “I am proud of you,” not for performance but simply for being. Yet, most of us know what it’s like to feel the devouring abyss of disappointment, especially in the face and voice of others. My father …
Here’s an excellent piece by Richard Beck at Experimental Theology, full post is here. In the gospels we observe Jesus extending hospitality to extreme outsiders. Jesus welcomed all sorts of extremely marginalized groups, Roman centurions, zealots, tax collectors, Samaritans, women, children, lepers, sinners, the demon possessed and prostitutes. Jesus welcomed the demented, the disabled, and …
From Paul Young It is the middle of winter in northern Alberta, Canada. The temperature is well below zero, one of those days that is so cold your nose hairs feel like little sticks plugging up your nostrils and every exhalation of breath becomes its own fog bank. I was born not too far from …
From Brian McLaren at OnFaith If you are a pastor, priest, or other Christian leader in the U.S., or if you are an active church member, the election of Donald Trump has changed your life and ministry, and not just a little, but a lot, and for the foreseeable future. In the last few weeks, …