Yesterday at the Tulsa Emergent Cohort we talked about evangelism. I tried to stoke the conversation by bringing some quotes from one of the best books on evangelism I’ve read: The Logic of Evangelism by William J. Abraham. What is especially striking is the way in which the gospel of the kingdom initially spread. It […]
Embracing Grace
Another great book I read in 2005 is Embracing Grace by Scot McKnight. Scot’s blog is a must read and I listed another book of his, The Jesus Creed, in my official 2005 favorites list. I’ve become quite a fan of McKnight’s work over the last six or seven months. He’s also become an important […]
January 6, 2006 by 3 Comments
The Secret Message of Jesus: Part 2
The second section of McLaren’sThe Secret Message of Jesus is called “Engagement: Grappling with the Meaning of Jesus’s Message.” In chapter six, McLaren gives a brief introduction to the parables, which he calls the medium of Jesus’s message. He writes, “Human kingdoms advance by force and violence with falling bombs and flying bullets, but God’s […]
December 12, 2005 by 6 Comments
The Secret Message of Jesus: Part One
In part one of The Secret Message of Jesus McLaren attempts to excavate Jesus’s Kingdom message that he claims has long been buried. In chapter one, he makes a case for why recovering the essence of Jesus’s message is essential for those who do and don’t follow Jesus. He writes, “In one of my previous […]
December 6, 2005 by 1 Comment
Missing the Point of Salvation Part 3
Part 1 Part 2 I recently conducted an informal poll in which I asked a number of people, “What does the word “salvation” mean to you?” or “What comes to mind when you hear the word “salvation?” Just about everyone I asked said that “salvation means going to heaven when I die.” One person said, […]
November 21, 2005 by 6 Comments
Missing the Point of Salvation Part 2
Part One Let’s take a look at several more stories from Luke. First, Luke 7:36-50. Jesus tells Simon that the explanation for the woman’s radical/over the top/scandalous behavior is that she understands what it means to be forgiven and he doesn’t. She has a radical response to the radical love of God. What really interests […]
November 17, 2005 by 4 Comments
Missing the Point of Salvation
Luke 7:11-17 tells a story about a young man Jesus raises from the dead in the village of Nain. If I were a journalist covering this story, my headline would read, “Jesus Raises the Dead!” Yet I think my headline would miss the point Luke is making by including this story in his gospel. Raising […]
November 15, 2005 by 7 Comments
The Face of God
Imagine that you and God are standing face to face. When God looks at you, what expression do you see on his face? Is he mad, sad, glad? Do you make God frown, scowl, or smile? I heard somewhere that the majority of college students who are asked this question say that God is angry […]
October 25, 2005 by 8 Comments
Just As They Are
Jesus said it would be hard to get people to trade in the old wine for the new (Luke 5:33-39). 2000 years after Jesus first started eating with sinners we still find ourselves gravitating toward the old. One of the ways in which we are most unlike the Jesus we follow is seen in our […]
October 23, 2005 by 11 Comments
Losing Jesus
In Luke 2:41-52, Joseph and Mary lose Jesus. They find him three days later in the temple area. They obviously didn’t have a rendezvous point they could go to in case they were separated. The young Jesus assumes that the temple would be the obvious place to rendezvous. Where else would he be? Nevermind that. […]
September 25, 2005 by 6 Comments
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons