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While Christians generally acknowledge that the Bible is God's Word, many of us lack robust confidence in the reality of its trustworthiness. We may not be sure if we really believe what we read. But the more we understand how Scripture came to be, the more we discover its power and truth.
Historian Susan Lim unpacks how the history of the Bible bolsters our faith and anchors ...
How can Christians live as citizens of God's kingdom while also fulfilling their responsibilities as citizens of political communities? David Koyzis, author of Political Visions and Illusions, offers a brief, practical guide on political engagement and citizenship.
During numerous conversations with students and readers of his books in Canada, the United States, ...
"Sonship" is an important, yet often overlooked, theme throughout the Bible. Adam, the first human being, is identified as a "son of God"; Israel is God's "first-born son"; the covenant with king David is cast in father-son terms; Christians are children of God, "adopted as sons"; and the same designation brings Scripture to a triumphant conclusion: "He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I ...
Most of us are familiar with the golden rule: "Do unto others as you want them to do unto you." And if people treat us well, we generally do the same in return. But what about when others hurt us? Jesus gives us an even higher calling: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:27-28). David Anderson shows us how we can ...
Navigating Trauma in the Church
It's time for church leaders and believers to stop offering prettily packaged responses from a safe distance. It's time for us to sit in the ashes with the hurting, our Sunday clothes covered in dirt and grime, our faces lined with tears. Trauma brings people to the ash heap, so that is where the church needs to go.
The church ...
How are Christians viewed in the broader culture? We blush at the possibilities. Brainwashed fanatics? Out-of-touch dogmatists? Buffoons? The task of bearing faithful witness to Jesus is complicated by persistent—and not altogether baseless—cultural stereotypes. ...
The early church fathers were great theologians--though they did not think of themselves as such. They were working pastors, involved in the daily life and leadership of their congregations. Yet they were wrestling with many of the great and formative questions of the Christian faith, such as the Trinity, the incarnation, the providence of God and the nature of the church. These beliefs were ...
There is a reason artists tend to feel a sense of the sacred in their work. It's the same reason those on the path of spiritual formation find that creative exercises lead them into a deeper, more authentic experience with God. Creative work is soul work, and soul work is always creative work. Feeding one while neglecting the other will leave you restless and unsatisfied. Nurturing them both will ...
Luke's Gospel was written to transform. In its original context, readers would have seen a portrait of Jesus as an ideal teacher and king, able to shape his people through exemplary leadership. They would have come to the Gospel expecting to be changed for God's purposes through the imitation of Jesus' lifestyle and adoption of his teaching. When today's readers approach the text ...
The Gospel of John was beloved by the early church, much as it is today, for its spiritual insight and clear declaration of Jesus' divinity. Clement of Alexandria indeed declared it the "spiritual Gospel." Early disputers with heretics such as Cerinthus and the Ebionites drew upon the Gospel of John to refute their heretical notions and uphold the full deity of Christ, and this Gospel more than ...