We dont understand the gospel. We must go back to scripture and discover anew the meaning of the Good News. If merely considering the possibility that our understanding of the gospel is inadequate makes you anxious about the state of your everlasting soul, then your anxiety is making my case for me.

Just spent a few a hours at the Osage Monastery outside of Tulsa. I went out with a few of my preacher buddies. We took a walk through the woods, spent some time in contemplative prayer, and then ate with the sisters one of the healthiest meals I’ve had in a long time. What a […]

I’m not a card-carrying pacifist in the strictest sense of the word, although I’d like to be. I tried to be for awhile, just after graduate school, but then I got my card taken away for beating up a guy who ridiculed my convictions. Here is a breathtaking quote from the final page of Volf’s […]

I spoke about politics yesterday. The question I asked was: How should Christ-followers who happen to be Americans participate in the political process of their day? It was full of fuzzy thinking and questions without answers. I thought it went pretty well. My guess is that most heard me say what they wanted to hear […]

Ok. I’m thinking out loud here. One of my biggest struggles with evangelism is related to what we understand the gospel to be. The way evangelicals articulate the gospel goes something like this: We’re all hell-bound sinners in need of salvation. Through Jesus, God has made an atoning sacrifice for our sins and made salvation […]

Punk Monkey reminded me of this quote from “The Matrix.”Agent Smith: The purpose of life Mr. Anderson is death. . .So why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you’re fighting for something? For more that your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do […]

I got back from Atlanta yesterday at lunchtime. I really enjoyed my time at Catalyst. I thought the second day’s programming was a little weaker than the first, but the best part of the whole thing was not the speakers or the worship or the comedy. It was getting to be with Rob and Pat. […]

Lots of good stuff yesterday. McLaren, McManus, and Stanley were great. One of the more interesting moments came when Pine and Gilmore spoke about their book, The Experience Economy. They got up and gave the summary of their book and then essentially said, “This is a book about business not church. Stop trying to make […]

I’m at Catalyst in Atlanta. The arena is hot so I’ll be posting updates from time to time. I’ve told the two guys I’m with that I’ll buy dinner for the one who shouts during one of the main sessions, “Do you even read the Bible?” They have to do it loud enough for the […]

A quote from John Bennet (via Jason Clark) “An indispensable characteristic of healthy learning communities, intellectual hospitality involves welcoming others through openness in both sharing and receiving claims to knowledge and insight. The sharing is marked by considerateness toward others and recognition that others’ distinctive individualities and overall experience are inherently relevant to their learning. […]