Reflections of an Undeconstructed Pentecostal
I’ve recently been involved in a study of the Pastoral Epistles. I’ve long appreciated these three small letters. Anyone who has read the Pastoral Epistles is familiar with the various “trustworthy statements,” the first of which is: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all” (1 Timothy 1:15).
Continue reading “Defending the Faith”
There’s a lot of talk about the “unconditional love” of God. On most occasions the context of this conversation is someone who admits to their sinful condition, even revels in it, but considers any suggestion of repentance to be judgmental.
Continue reading “The Love of God”
Pope Francis’s recent address to the Italian bishops was a call to be models of discipleship, not masters over persons.
“The consequence of the love of the Lord is to give everything—exactly everything, even one’s own life—for Him: This is that which ought to distinguish our pastoral ministry. It is the ‘acid test’ that bespeaks the profundity that we have embraced, the gift we have received. By responding to the call of Jesus, we show how much we are bound to the persons and the communities that have been entrusted to us.”
Continue reading “Lessons on Leadership from the Bishop of Rome”
The most sensitive and critical moments of pastoral ministry are times of sorrow in death. This is especially true when the people we are seeking to comfort and encourage are members of our family. I have been here many times. I have presided or spoke at the funeral services of all four grandparents, my father, uncles, aunts, cousins, a nephew, and a niece. Most recently, I presided over the service for my brother, Randy. The past two weeks have been very tough. First, we lost two uncles. Then, two days after Uncle Mike died we received the news that Randy died suddenly and unexpectedly. Our grief has been profound.
Continue reading “Shades, Angels, Memories, and the Resurrection”
The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church (1 Corinthians 14:34-35).
Paul’s words have been employed as a universal statement that denies any role to women in the ministry of the gospel. While I admit that at first reading they seem rather straightforward, when taken in the context of the narrative of Scripture, they seem out of place. So, I wonder, what if women had been silent?
Continue reading “If Women had been Silent…”
I often feel that I’m stuck in the middle, walking down a path between two fools – those who reject knowledge and those who have made knowledge an idol – both for whom I have great affection. There is an old hit song from the 1970’s that I have adopted as my new anthem. Stealers Wheel wrote and performed Stuck in the Middle with You, a song that made Billboard’s top ten in 1973. The lyrics of the chorus include these words: “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right; Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.”
Continue reading “Stuck in the Middle”
Water baptism is participation “in Christ.”According to the apostle Paul, baptism is a paradigm for the believer’s participation in the redemptive work of Christ. To be saved is to be “in Christ,” and the church is the “body of Christ” (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:12). In the teaching of Paul, baptism is an important motif for understanding Christ’s redemptive work. Paul’s audience was familiar with the rite of baptism since most of his hearers had been baptized. Therefore, the analogy between water baptism and being “in Christ” was significant in the early Christian community. In the baptism of John the Baptist, Christ took upon Himself the sins of humanity. Likewise, in water baptism the redeemed participate in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
Continue reading “Dying in Christ”
