Geoffrey Holsclaw
The middle can be messy and misunderstood. It can also be apathetic and atrophying. It all depends on whether this “middle” is merely ignoring and hiding from important issues, or taking a reasoned stand in a different place. A recent study by Baylor University suggests that the “messy middle” among evaneglicals is growing, specifically in regard […]
The conflation of “evangelical” and “reformed” is so typically that more often than not it is taken for granted. We see it in Dr. D.A. Carson’s recent rebuttal of “kingdom” theology which he sees as too focused on communal ethics rather than individual salvation (it is found in Themelios, the academic arm (journal) of The Gospel […]
I think that much of theology works with the assumptions expressed by Matt Damon’s character in “The Good Shepherd” (about the CIA). When asked about what “you people have?” he answers, “We have America. The rest of you are just visiting.” (FYI, racial slurs in the dialogue) (My thoughts below). I think many pop theologians […]
Here is the official beginning of our “More than Splitting the Difference” video series where I hope to press a bit deeper into the radical evangelical middle, exploring a prodigal kind of Christianity. In order to push beyond the polarity of right and left, conservative and progressive, we must also push beyond the ambiguity of […]
I love this explanation, so upsetting to those who heard it. To update it, Jesus is saying: The kingdom of God is like dandelion seed, which, when someone took it and sowed it in their lawn….” In their lawn, dandelions! Mustard shrubs were viewed like weeds. A Jewish Mishnah, which is an explanation of the […]
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 […]
“The heart says stay and the head says leave,” comments Richard Beck in his sympathetic response to Rachel Held Evans piece on why Millennials are leaving the church. Many of us have had that experience within a church. We find the theology lacking, but have a strong emotional connection to the people, style, songs, and sacraments. […]
Why was Jesus killed? Answering this question really gets to the heart of who we believed Jesus to be, what his mission was, and why it matters for us. But too often answering this questions falls into a polemic between two camps. And Kevin DeYoung’s recent post perfectly illustrates this.As he says, “Among the many sweet […]