Geoffrey Holsclaw
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 […]
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 […]
In the older evangelical (and fundamentalist influenced) mindset there was often a split between “culture” and “society” (albeit, not a conscious one). Culture was usually viewed with suspicion leading to separation or withdrawal. But society was viewed neutrally leading to capitulation. Let me explain. Culture Culture is often viewed by older Evangelicals as the field […]
Last month, at the Ecclesia National Gathering, I had the privilege and honor to preside over communion for the whole group. I led through the time as we usually do here at Life on the Vine, but many people not from a more liturgical background asked about the prayer leading into the Table. Many commented […]
Headline news is usually bad news. Viral blog posts are usually polemical. And those “way-too-long” conversations on Facebook and Twitter are often based in controversy. Pain, division, and anger drive on-line traffic and often directs the content. And church news is little different: pastor so-and-so is embroiled in a moral failing; church such-and-such fired its […]
Misogynists? Was Paul faithlessly capitulating to the social norms of his day? Was Paul really a supporter of subjugating women in the home? Was Peter again reverting to his old ways when he offers commands to wives? Were these stalwarts of the faith hopelessly captive to their culture? This is often how we react when […]
The evolutionary mut of the Protestant Reformation, the Anabaptist tradition is like the Platypus, hard to classify (see here for more). But, I believe, this tradition could be the secret agent of renewal everywhere. Just like an unbecoming platypus could become “Agent P”, so too the Anabaptist tradition is on a covert mission. What do […]
