Stand With Wendell Berry And Reject The Dualism That Plagues The Church

If we are, in our generation, to recover a robust and holistic expression of our devotion to Jesus as our Lord and Master – we must become aware of these entanglements that have reduced the Gospel to salvation as a hyper-individualized flight to a disembodied heavenly state. How you view the future and the end of the story means everything in how you live now. We have been praying: “Our Father who is in Heaven, please send your Son back quickly so we can be home with You” when Jesus told us to pray: “Our Father who is in Heaven, holy is your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven…”

(more…)

Continue ReadingStand With Wendell Berry And Reject The Dualism That Plagues The Church

Jesus Taught Renewal, Not Removal

The Bible teaches that when Christ comes back, it will be Good News!  “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’” (Revelation 21.4).  Surely we cannot erase judgment from the picture, but the hope is that those in Christ will be raised to eternal life and everything that is wrong with this world will be made right.

This world renewed is going to be our home for eternity, and we have the opportunity to reflect that future in our present.  Rapture invites us to escape this world: the last thing that Jesus would have ever taught! “On earth as in heaven” is what he said, not “in heaven away from the earth!” Our world’s future is hopeful. Let’s tell that story and not the escapist narratives that many of us grew up with.

(more…)

Continue ReadingJesus Taught Renewal, Not Removal

You May Want To Leave Behind The Eschatology Of Left Behind

On October 3rd, 2014 American movie theaters will again be flooded with yet another Christian movie– a remake of the Left Behind cash cow that has taken Western Christianity hostage for more than a generation. Perhaps you’re thinking of going to see the movie– or even worse, maybe you thought of bringing a friend who might actually take the movie seriously. If this is you, please take a moment to consider these 5 things about the Left Behind movie and the theology associated with it.

(more…)

Continue ReadingYou May Want To Leave Behind The Eschatology Of Left Behind

If Your Eschatology Leads To Hopelessness Then You Have The Wrong Theology

On a regular basis, whenever there are reports of moral collapse in our country or of wars and crises worldwide, someone will say to me, “This is it! Jesus is about to return! Everything is coming down!”

Could it be that we have a wrong mentality about the end of the age? Could it be that we’re missing something very important?

What I want to address here is a potentially dangerous mentality that breeds despair and hopelessness, that leads to capitulation and escapism, and that almost encourages believers to throw in the towel.

(more…)

Continue ReadingIf Your Eschatology Leads To Hopelessness Then You Have The Wrong Theology

End of content

No more pages to load