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Atonement Attachment Neuroscience Recent Posts

Did God Turn His Face Away From Jesus? or, Why the Neurobiology of Rupture and Repair Matters for Salvation

This time of year, many progress-liberal minded Christians criticize the idea that God “turned away from” or “abandoned” Jesus on the cross.  And most conservative minded Christians take the idea for granted, because God can’t look at sin.   Did God abandon Jesus on the cross?Did the Father forsake the Son in death? Did God turn […]

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Atonement Recent Posts

How is Jesus a Ransom for Many?

What does RANSOM mean when Jesus says he is a “ransom for many” in Mark 10:45? And how do we figure out that meaning in order to understand what Jesus’ life and death means? Steps in interpreting a Bible passage FIRST STEP: Look to the immediate context and see if the the Gospel of Mark […]

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Atonement

Does the Good Son Step Between Us and the Wrathful Father-God?

Today I’m wondering why so often there is such a big gap between what everyday Christians think about the “atonement” (the reason why Jesus died for ours sins) and what theologians and preachers mean by it, especially those who are part of “penal substitutionary atonement” churches and traditions. This gap is seen in the answers […]

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Atonement Easter Recent Posts

Is God Cruel For Sending the Son to Die?

What would make God cruel, for you? Is God CRUEL for sending the Son for our salvation? If the Father knew Jesus was going to die, was it cruel to send him? Here are some thoughts in the shadow of Good Friday and Easter. Just yesterday someone called me out on Twitter (shocking, I know) […]

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Atonement

What We Get Wrong About the Blood of Jesus

While it might seem gross and barbaric, all Christians confess that salvation is through the blood of Jesus (Eph. 1:7). But what does that really mean? Does God demand death? Is the blood a symbol of something else? Does it speak of a price paid? Or a gift given? And what is this price? This […]

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Recent Posts

The Evangelical Preaching of the Cross: The Blood

Focusing on blood is tough for us modern people—especially sacrificial blood. We don’t really have any category for that. And yet, if we are to celebrate our redemption in Christ as we did in the previous post on the Evangelical Preaching of the Cross: Redemption, then we must affirm that—in some way— our redemption is […]

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Lent Liturgical Calendar Recent Posts

Lent and Human Limitations

I often always tell people the best spiritual thing they could do is get a good night’s sleep.   Sleep is a necessary limitation to human striving, to the pride of achievement, or of the folly of wasted time.  Eventually we have to sleep. And I hate that.  I find it hard to take my own […]

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Uncategorized

The Cross: More than a Trinket?

Fashion Statement? Good Luck Charm? Sign of Love?Symbol of Hate? What is the Cross to you?  

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missional prayer spiritual disciplines Uncategorized

Absorbing the Cross: Lenten Reflection

(Reposted from last year). Last week I attended a conference in D.C, missing the Ash Wednesday service at our congregation in Chicago.  Instead I attended one offered by the conference.  The service was beautiful and well thought out.  Some words were offered by Dallas Willard, but the only phrase I remember is when he said, […]