Geoffrey Holsclaw
As I continue reflecting and growing in my awareness of God’s love for me, I’m thinking of enemies. Seems Christians on both sides are done with their enemies on the other side, would rather they just disappeared (or were destroyed). But God demonstrates a different kind of enemy-love. What Enemies Reveal Like weakness, the presence […]
Something surprising happens in a wedding ceremony. The bride and groom, after great preparation and full of love for each other, step forward to be united in marriage. And at the climax of that ceremony, they put conditions on their love for each other. These conditions are exchanged as vows. These vows take the unconditional […]
On Sunday we started new class on “God with Us: Being the Temple for the World”
I know that not everyone at Life on the Vine could make it, and perhaps others on the inter-webs might be interested, so I’m going to try and write up quick summaries of each class.
We started with the question of “What does the phrase ‘God with us’ make us think about it”? Answers ranged from this being a comforting promise to it being a truth that can seriously let us down. Is God ‘with us’ in our ideas, opinions, our community, the world? And really, how, when, and where is God ‘with us’? Is “GOD with us” or “God with US”? And what does this have to do with “salvation”, and “eschatology”, and all those other theological words?
God With Us
After this discussion I began to set the terms and outline for the class. The first is “God with us.”
Those brought forcibly to America for slavery are now forcibly carried away through imprisonment. Colorblind Racism Two weeks ago I talked about how in my journey of sanctification I seem to be really working only on two or so deeply ingrained sins that seem to keep popping up in different ways. Just when I think […]
For the poor you will always have with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish: but you will not always have me. (Mark 14:7) From crude realism to hopeless resignation, this quote from Jesus is confusing at best and disheartening at worst. What? So poverty and inequality are just a fact […]
I am worried about the rising popularity of Bonhoeffer in the United States. Very worried. I’m worried not because of his theology, or his political views, or his activism. I’m worried because so many people are interested in him…so many different people. Some people laud him for his non-violent pacifism, and other for his violent […]