What does hope look like? “Hope is a dangerous thing.” (The Shawshank Redemption) Hope presupposes that all is not well with the world, as we see it. It presupposes an ideal (or, at least, a preference) that conflicts with present circumstances. The Apostle Paul asks, “Who hopes for what he already has?” (Romans 8.24). But […]
Read More The anatomy of hopeIf a person desires to participate in the Lord’s Supper, s/he must meet three criteria. That is, to approach the table of the Crucified One, we must be able to say three things: 1. “I am a sinner.” Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I have not […]
Read More Who is welcome at the table of the Crucified One?When I first took my daughters through the first five books of the Old Testament, their favorite story was “the Joseph story.” (Btw, if you want to watch a dated but still well acted movie adaptation of the Joseph story, the 1995 TNT version is actually quite good; Ben Kingsley plays Potiphar and he, of […]
Read More No thanksAs a minister I am regularly asked if I have a preferred Bible translation. Here’s my usual response: Every method of translating has its advantages and disadvantages. And disagreement over which bible translation is best comes (in good measure) from disagreement over which advantages are more important than others. Generally speaking, translations that seek to “mirror” the original […]
Read More Is there a “best” Bible translation?This past year has been one of the best years of my marriage. And that’s saying a lot. We’ve wrestled. A lot. There have been lots of ups but lots of downs. Through some of the really hard times we adopted (and have come to adopt) a mantra that is, well, somewhat embarrassing to […]
Read More Not against flesh and bloodDietrich Bonhoeffer provides convicting but clarifying observations on the nature of true Christian community. Are you in a small group? Do you have a close circle of friends? Bonhoeffer helps us discern if we are experiencing genuine community. He writes: “Genuine community is not established before confession takes place.” – Pastoral Care, p. 63. […]
Read More Bonhoeffer on genuine Christian communityAfter having the pleasure of talking recently to some really thoughtful undergrads at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill about religious pluralism, I received some very provocative follow-up comments and questions. Here is one of them, along with my response (I hope to blog on another comment in a bit): “Dr. Clark said that only someone […]
Read More Q&A re pluralism1. The best lies are mostly true. If we think that a small deviation from the truth is a small matter, we fail to understand that a one dollar bill with even a minor deviation is a counterfeit. Consider the following sentence: “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the […]
Read More Two reflections on lyingA Canadian friend of mine, who is a husband and father, called me the other day to talk about Canadian regulations concerning corporal punishment in the home–what is and isn’t allowed (they are, generally, more strict than federal or state laws Stateside). As caring, well-educated parents (both have graduate degrees), he and his wife have […]
Read More Corporal punishment?True confession… recalls Jesus’ example (“Jesus would have done…”): the standard of behavior comes from Jesus, not me, not you… recounts our failures & the harm we’ve done (“…but, instead, I did…”): it does so specifically, with no excuses (“it’s been a hard day”), no blame-shifting (“if you hadn’t…”) requests others’ forgiveness (“Will you forgive me?”): […]
Read More What does confession of sin look like?
Hope Unbroken 