Category Archives: Jesus Shaped

Alone, and Not Alone: Meditations From the Evangelical Wilderness

We talk about the evangelical wilderness around here a lot. It’s sometimes academic, and sometimes it’s very personal to all of us. These are some of my thoughts from there today. If God has taught me anything, it’s that you (yes YOU) are out there, and I’m not the only one. This post is forContinue reading “Alone, and Not Alone: Meditations From the Evangelical Wilderness”

Jesus Shaped Spirituality Returns with the Gospel of Mark

My other blog, Jesus Shaped Spirituality, has been neglected lately, but that will be changing. I’m going to be publishing a series of Bible studies I wrote several years ago (the first thing I actually did on the internet actually) on the Gospel of Mark. There are 35 studies, going through chapter 8. The introductoryContinue reading “Jesus Shaped Spirituality Returns with the Gospel of Mark”

The Missing Voice of the Christian Counter-Culture

(For N.T. Wright, Bono, Bob Dylan, Sara Groves, Derek Webb, Steve Earle, Larry Norman, Johnny Cash, Michael Been and Steve Taylor) Floating somewhere around the web is a picture/mp3 of Anglican bishop and theologian N.T. Wright, complete in lavender shirt and bishop’s collar, playing Bob Dylan’s sixties anthem, “Blowing In the Wind” on an acousticContinue reading “The Missing Voice of the Christian Counter-Culture”

What Could Southern Baptists (and other evangelicals) do to promote Spiritual Formation?

I mean, besides read their Bibles. Southern Baptists can’t really do anything about this kind of thing because, as any real Southern Baptist knows, the denomination isn’t a church and actually the “Southern Baptist Convention” only exists a few hours a year. When it gets together to elect officers, debate a few non-binding resolutions andContinue reading “What Could Southern Baptists (and other evangelicals) do to promote Spiritual Formation?”

Surprising Encouragement

Just a couple of stories about the grace that’s all around us, that appears in small ways, and might appear more often if we prayed and took notice of where Jesus said the Kingdom appears. I. On Thursday, almost everyone I work with was at a waterpark about an hour away, including my family. IContinue reading “Surprising Encouragement”

The Church Membership Question: Interview with Jonathan Leeman

UPDATE: Thanks for the good response and discussion. If you would like to read an excellent defense of the Baptist view of church membership, John Piper has written an excellent article on Church Membership and Accountability. A very good survey of the basics. This post begins several posts on the subject of the church andContinue reading “The Church Membership Question: Interview with Jonathan Leeman”

What Will It Be For The Institution? Blind Loyalty or Naive Criticism?

This may be one of those posts that ought to appear over at JSS, because it has a lot to do with what Jesus was doing when he was on earth and how it continues today. BTW, I’m not criticizing the defenders of institutions. I love mine and defend it all the time, but IContinue reading “What Will It Be For The Institution? Blind Loyalty or Naive Criticism?”

Ortland: Reduced to Jesus Only

From Ray Ortland’s blog, by way of 9 Marks. Whatever divides us emotionally from other Bible-believing, Christ-honoring Christians is a “plus” we’re adding to the gospel. It is the Galatian impulse of self-exaltation. It can even become a club with which we bash other Christians, at least in our thoughts, to punish, to exclude andContinue reading “Ortland: Reduced to Jesus Only”