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KEEP READING
I thought I would share a couple of random comments from a YouTube video created by a Calvinist who was fishing for critics of John Calvin. Instead, the responses were overwhelmingly positive – Calvinists turning out to support their guy. I share them as real life proof for any who doubt that people really buy into the idea that before time begins, God chooses some people for salvation and damns all the rest. First up is Tony who repeats the Calvinist talking point that when God chooses only a handful for salvation and reserves all the rest for damnation it…
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IN CONCERT
Forgot to hit “publish” last night! … Melissa and I went to see Amy Grant in concert tonight in nearby Nashville, Indiana. Meeting my brother Russ and his wife Alecia for dinner before going to see Grant sing some of her biggest hits, a few covers, and some of her “new” songs made for a very pleasant evening. The last time I saw Amy Grant in concert was over 30 years ago. I was a youth pastor in Le Mars, Iowa at the time and – if memory serves me – we drove to Minneapolis to see her performance. Amy…
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YES, PEOPLE BELIEVE THIS
Last Sunday I was preaching on what it means to be God’s chosen people and I mentioned that some Christians (i.e. Calvinists) believe that God chooses some people – long before their birth – to be saved and He chooses others – again, long before their birth – to be damned for eternity. My impression was that many in the congregation found the idea so shocking and inconceivable, that they couldn’t believe that anyone really holds this as a theological doctrine. But it’s true. The most obvious place to find it in writing is the (in)famous Westminster Confession of Faith…
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HOW I STAY CURRENT WHILE ALSO STAYING SANE
In a discussion on politics, I recently heard someone say, “I sure miss Rush Limbaugh.” Although I would certainly be curious to hear Rush’s take on the current presidential campaign, I know that if he were still with us, I wouldn’t be listening to his broadcast. Certainly not on a regular basis and likely not at all. I use to be heavily into hearing various pundits’ opinions on current events and politics, but I weaned myself from all of them – and have been much happier ever since. These days the only pundit I listen to on a regular basis…
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AUTONOMY
As a former United Methodist and now a recent convert to the American Baptist Church, I am finding much to appreciate in the ABC. (Even beyond the beautiful simplicity of the acronym.) If you’re not familiar with the ABC system, you should know that it maintains a rather loose connection between churches. Individual congregations have a high degree of autonomy. There are regional pastors who can provide guidance and resources, but unlike District Superintendents and Bishops in the United Methodist Church, these individuals have no authority over local issues. After hearing many stories of authority being abused in the UMC,…
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OUR EXPERT SOLDIER & SIBLINGS
I’m a few days late in posting about Caleb’s latest milestone with the Army. He’s down in El Paso now for the foreseeable future and getting along well. This past week he earned “Expert Soldier” status after completing a physically and mentally rigorous 3 week program. Of the 250 soldiers who started only 80 finished successfully and earned the pin. Melissa and I and all his siblings are incredibly proud of this and all of Caleb’s accomplishments. I can’t help but notice, too, that the photos he sent show he’s no longer a boy. He’s a man now – and…
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BLESSING OUTSIDE THE COVENANT
There’s so much going on with the story of Abraham fathering Ishmael with Hagar at Sarah’s insistence – Abraham and Sarah’s impatience, the taking of God’s promise into their own hands, Abraham’s attachment to Ishmael, the bad blood between Hagar and Sarah. On an earthly level, it’s a tale employing all the worst qualities of human nature – and finding it impossible to live together. And in the midst of this domestic mess manufactured by God’s chosen couple, Abraham and Sarah, God acknowledges the suffering of the innocent victims, Hagar and Ishmael. They don’t get to be a part of…
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BEATING US TO THE PUNCH
Jesus carries the language of God “choosing” people from the Old Testament times right into the New. For example, in John 15:12-17. 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I…
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CHOSEN FOR WHAT?
When we understand that God’s plan for Abraham was to become the father of a nation which would be distinguished from all other nations because it was the one God chose for Himself after disinheriting all the nations at Babel … And when we understand that within that family line, God was working through history to bring about one particular individual who would be The One to bring reconciliation between all humanity and God … And that to be a part of that ancestral line would then be quite an honor … And that the lives of those individuals in…
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READING TEACHER
It took me a long time to realize this, but I am at heart a reading teacher. Now, I was never interested in the process of teaching someone to read in the kindergarten sense of recognizing letters and the sounds they stand for and the various ways those sounds are blended… But I have long enjoyed teaching others how to read for comprehension. Originally my focus was on great classical literature, but in time it grew to include non-fiction as well. Great fiction feeds the soul. Non-fiction feeds the intellect. Fiction is a great place to practice empathy and understanding…