When I started studying Mark’s Gospel many years ago, I learned that, in Mark, faith is not contrasted with unbelief, but with fear. The command to “not be afraid” was common in Mark. The disciples are constantly choosing between faith and fear as they journey with Jesus. It is fear, not unbelief, that cripples theContinue reading “Jesus, Faith and a Universe of Fear”
Category Archives: Evangelical Anxieties
With all due respect….
UPDATE: Piper “clarifies” his tornado comments by referring to his bout with prostate cancer. The message of every event is repentance: “That is the message of every calamity (Luke 13:1-5). And every sunny day (Romans 2:4).” It seems to me we are simply not going to get past the issue of how we can say,Continue reading “With all due respect….”
The Devil’s Sermon
Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Jesus is the constant mediator.Continue reading “The Devil’s Sermon”
Evangelicals In the Star Trek Universe
For those of you keeping score, we gave up the television about 4 months ago. We discovered that, for $60 a month, we were watching one episode of House, M.D. a week and I was watching baseball. Not worth it, especially with MLB.com and Hulu. Everyone is fine, we’re using Netflix, buying some DVDs andContinue reading “Evangelicals In the Star Trek Universe”
When All The Answers Weren’t In The Lecture
Some of you may not know that I moderate and contribute at Boarsheadtavern.com, one of the longest running group blogs in the blogosphere. Often, we will have a question addressed to the group as a “Question of the Day.” Yesterday, one of the “fellows” asked a question about how a Christian married couple could resolveContinue reading “When All The Answers Weren’t In The Lecture”
Does the Gospel Change The Way You Look At The People The Culture War Tells You To Fear and Dislike?
2 Cor. 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From nowContinue reading “Does the Gospel Change The Way You Look At The People The Culture War Tells You To Fear and Dislike?”
iMonk 101: The Sin We Love To Hate
iMonk 101 posts are replays of previous Internet Monk posts. This piece comes from February of ’07 and was written in response to comments by then NBA player Tim Hardaway about gays. I’ve never republished it. Hardaway apologized for his comments, but Jewish pundit Michael Medved wrote a column that gave the Jesus-subtracted culture warContinue reading “iMonk 101: The Sin We Love To Hate”
My Highest Recommendation: Love Is An Orientation by Andrew Marin
Here’s a previous IM essay on this topic: “What Do Gays and Lesbians Hear? (When They Are With Evangelicals.)” UPDATE: I appreciate Andrew’s kind words in the comments. I have to confess that I’m a little disappointed that the emphasis of Andrew’s book- relationships and conversations- seems to be lost, and the discussion is drawnContinue reading “My Highest Recommendation: Love Is An Orientation by Andrew Marin”
Where is Church Discipline When You Need It? Part 2: What does Matthew 18 Teach?
Without any intro, I’d like to get right into what I would be saying about Matthew 18 if I were lecturing on the “What does Matthew 18 tell us about church discipline?” I’d begin by noting that the church discipline material in I Corinthians 5 predates Matthew 18 in composition. Assuming Markan priority, it’s safeContinue reading “Where is Church Discipline When You Need It? Part 2: What does Matthew 18 Teach?”
Where Is Church Discipline When You Need It? Part 1: A Better Approach
Down through the years, I’ve been part of a few in-church discussions about church discipline. They were all memorable. Almost everyone was against it and treated me like I was going off the deep end for bringing it up. Being against church discipline was an issue worth yelling over, and I’ve been yelled at moreContinue reading “Where Is Church Discipline When You Need It? Part 1: A Better Approach”
The Internet Monk Archives 