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Bible Faith

The Psalms: Overcoming Certainty Seeking

What cured me of my modern evangelical-fundamentalist certainty seeking?

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Attachment Bible devotional Love Recent Posts

When “Do Not Worry!” isn’t Harmful but Helpful

Jesus tells—commands us—not to worry. But this isn’t about attacking our emotions. But attaching to God. This command isn’t about changing how we feel. It’s about changing our perspective.  This command isn’t about denying our emotions. It’s about shifting how we see and what we seek. This shift comes from looking down, up, and around.  Read Luke […]

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Bible discipleship

Map Your Victory and Defeat to the Geography of Discipleship

Can we live in victory and defeat while following Jesus?Can we live in power and in weakness?In success and in suffering? When we start to follow Jesus we are so full of the Spirit, optimism, and hope for radical change in our life.  And that might last for awhile, but in a month or a […]

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Bible discipleship God Recent Posts Scripture

Rest Might Not Mean What You Think

What if rest doesn’t really mean what we think it means? Rest in the Bible doesn’t mean “not working.” It means to begin the regular rhythms and routines that are present in a time of safety and stability, when we have enough, when we are with people who love us.  God always wanted his people […]

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Bible Gospel Recent Posts

On Universalism: Is God Defeated If All Are Not Saved?

I’ve stated some of my major objections to David Bentley Hart’s new book on universalism, That All Shall Be Saved, elsewhere on Scot McKnight’s blog. But there I didn’t do much summarizing, quoting, or detailed engagement.  So I want to add that here for those who want to dig deeper into Hart’s arguments for Christian […]

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Bible Recent Posts theology

Is the Bible Just Humans Updating God as it Goes? Part 1: On Wisdom

At some point in my childhood I remember hearing the story in the Bible of King Solomon’s asking God for wisdom (1 Kings 3).  I really wanted wisdom—but probably not for the right reasons. God comes to Solomon in a dream and says that he can ask for whatever he wants and God will do […]

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Bible Liturgical Calendar Scripture

How Your Whole Worship Service Can Proclaim the Gospel

Where is the Proclamation? Sometimes older church leaders will look at younger innovative churches and wonder if the proclamation of the gospel is being lost. They wonder if there is still a place for preaching in these new church models. It is true that churches like mine—which often rails against preaching that is individualized, overly rationalistic, […]

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20 For 20 Bible Glory of God theology

In All Things, For God’s Glory

Obviously my mind is stuck on the theme of God’s glory (see previous posts here and here). Which way does God’s glory flow? Back to God? Or out from God? This is today’s question. The glory of God’s keeps bouncing around in my mind as I feel out objections to the view I’m often put […]

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20 For 20 Bible Glory of God Recent Posts theology

Made for God’s Glory? another on the Nashville Statement

Is there a better way to understand the idea that God made us for his glory?   Yesterday we focus at this phrase from the Nashville Statement:   “Many deny that God created human beings for his glory.” ~ Preamble to Nashville Statement.   I ended my post asking this question. And, “Yes,” there is a better […]

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Bible discipleship ecclecia ecclesiology evangelical evangelicalism God Recent Posts Scripture

Mastering Objectivity? Or Subject to the Bible

Tim Challies ended a recent post criticizing the practice of Lectio Divina by saying, “This, then, is a danger in Lectio Divina, that it may teach us to approach the text subjectively rather than objectively.” But what is the big deal about reading the text subjectively as opposed to objectively? 3 Subjects of Scripture It is […]