The Bible is More Than Stories of Morality
The simple fact is the Bible is not just a collection of stories with morals for life application; the Bible is the story of God’s grace in redemption through Jesus Christ. There is a soul-endangering consequence in virtue-based Bible study material, centered on life principles or character qualities, and ripped away from the central focus of the Bible– Jesus Christ.
John Calvin on Condoning Theological Delusion
In Calvin’s judgment, there are times when it is not only permissible, but in fact necessary, to “condone” some degree of “delusion” on the part of others, even—or especially—with regard to theological subjects. Such is the cost of maintaining unity and fellowship with persons of genuine Christian faith. “All men,” he writes, “are beclouded with ignorance.” Translation: everyone gets it wrong on some point of doctrine/practice or another. “Either,” then, “we must leave no church remaining”—i.e., we must break fellowship with absolutely everyone—“or we must condone delusion in those matters which can go unknown [i.e., in those matters where ignorance/error can be tolerated] without harm to the sum of religion and without loss of salvation.”
A Sophisticated Way Of Denying The Gospel
Don’t miss this. It was for a particular practice that Peter stood condemned–not for a particular belief. I have no doubt that Peter could have aced a theology exam on the spot. But his knowledge of the Gospel was not all that was required to avoid the rebuke of another Apostle. Paul rightly believed that how a Christian acts can and will undermine what that Christian may confess to be true.
The View from the Ash Heap: Reflections from a Hospital Bedside
- First, my eyes have been opened to the providence of pain.
- Second, my eyes have been opened to the wonders of the human body.
- Third, my eyes have been opened to the importance of family and community.
- Fourth, my eyes have been opened to the common grace of God enabling human beings to function as his image.
- Finally, my eyes have been opened to the gracious presence of God.
If you want information, teach information. If you want equipping make sure that you do more than ask questions about what could be done. Instead, get together with your group and plan something together. Work on it. Come back together and discuss what happened.
I’ve Pulled Comments from My Blog—Here’s Why
I’m grateful for the community we’ve cultivated here. You’ve been encouraging, inspiring, and challenging me for years. I’m counting on that continuing even if the comments section doesn’t. How?
I will continue to end my posts with a question, encouraging you to carry the conversation into your favorite social media channel. I will participate on Facebook page as I am able. Beyond that, I will be investing more in the Best Year Ever and Platform University communities.
Speaking of platform, this does not mean that I think bloggers and other sites should start yanking their comments sections. Christianity Today canceled comments on some of its content. Popular Science did it across the board, just like CopyBlogger. Meanwhile, Seth Godin has never featured comments.
It all depends on the behavior of your readers and what makes the most sense for your community. The stats tell me what’s right for my audience. What are they telling you?
The key thing to remember is that conversations matter. But that doesn’t mean comments sections are the best place to have them.
Public reaction to the attack in Paris has revealed that there are a lot of people who are quick to lionize those who offend the views of Islamist terrorists in France but who are a lot less tolerant toward those who offend their own views at home.
Just look at all the people who have overreacted to campus micro-aggressions. The University of Illinois fired a professor who taught the Roman Catholic view on homosexuality. The University of Kansas suspended a professor for writing a harsh tweet against the N.R.A. Vanderbilt University derecognized a Christian group that insisted that it be led by Christians.