on the walk

This is really an example of the False Promises test, but it is such a common and relatively easy one to spot that I thought I should mention it.

If a book or preacher teaches a worldview or a doctrine that does not call you any sort of sacrifice then it is not biblical. Jesus offers grace as we die to ourselves. He offers us himself as a sacrifice for our forgiveness and calls us to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice as an act of worship to him.

So if you are reading something that teaches you how to get, and get, and get some more and never calls you to sacrifce, well then it may seem like good advice, and you may want to follow it, but don’t pretend it is Christian.

on the walk

-Ethan

I heard a fascinating story on NPR this morning. It describes students at MIT who are engineering new life forms by altering the genes of E. coli.

Listen for yourselves and let me know what you think.

Minty E. Coli and Other Bioengineering Feats

I can’t reconcile the part of me that thinks “Wow, that is cool,” and the part of me that thinks, “Wow, that is terrifying.”

What are you thinking?

on the walk

-Ethan

The promises of Christ are wonderful. In fact they are so wonderful that I often fall short of fully comprehending his great promises for my good. But nevertheless they are not always what I wished he would promise.

For instance Jesus makes this promise in Matthew 10:18-20,

On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Now that is an amazing promise, but it isn’t exactly the promise I would have asked for. I might have preferred this promise, “Don’t worry, they won’t arrest you” or maybe, “Don’t worry about what to say, just pass out fliers.” Continue Reading »

Here are a few links to a great conversation on suffering. The dialog partners are Bart Erhman and N.T. Wright. Erhman is a biblical scholar and former Christian who is making his living these days teaching and writing books which try to debunk or counter Christian faith. Wright is a British scholar and one of the leading voices of New Testament scholarship today. You can catch up to the conversation with the following links.

Bart Ehrman: How the Problem of Pain Ruined My Faith

N.T. Wright: God’s Plan to Rescue Us

Bart Ehrman: What About the Actual Suffering?

N.T. Wright: What it Looks Like When God Runs the World

Bart Ehrman: God’s Kingdom Has Not Come

N.T. Wright: The Bible Does Answer the Problem–Here’s How

It may raise more questions than it answers for you, but it is an important conversation and it would be hard to find two better people on whom to eavesdrop.

on the walk

-Ethan

I got to hear two great sermons today. The first was at our main service. I hope to post on it in a couple of days. The second was at Fuel which is the Sunday evening youth service at Mountain. Seth Harkins was the speaker and he spoke on Jesus walking on water. Continue Reading »

Here is a great post from Ben Witherington on our temptation to want less from God than God desires for us.

on the walk

-Ethan

This post continues from signs 4a In that post we were reflecting on Luke 8:40-56 and the sermon based on that topic. We are noticing that this is miracle that happens in a context of access issues. (We did not get to the biggest access issue of all which is also dealt with in this passage: death.)

The flip side of these access issues is the issue of faith. Jesus credit the women’s faith as instrumental in her healing. Then when the bad news comes for Jairus, he challenges, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” Just believe. Just do faith. This is the new access card. Trust Jesus. Faith in Jesus is all that a leprous woman needs. Faith in Jesus is all that a desperate father needs. Continue Reading »

The Internet monk recently posted a challenge post on disappointment with God. He reflects on the reality that we often in our head imagine unrealistic deals with God. (ie. If I serve God faithfully my family will not get sick.) It is a long post but it is worth it if you are struggling to understand where God is in you life.

Here it is.

on the walk

-Ethan

I have been asked to review several secular books lately by well-meaning and sincere Christians who are wondering if the book is consistent with Christian teaching. Even more troubling, I occasionally have godly people recommended books to me that are in many ways significantly opposed to scripture. This has demonstrated to me that many Christians lack skills of discernment to distinguish truth from error. Certainly the most important way to develop such skills is through frequent biblical study in the context of a wise Christian community. However there are some particular questions that form an arsenal of sorts to help Christians confidently asses most texts. I hope to explore these issues in a series of posts. Perhaps these ideas will help you read with more wisdom. Continue Reading »

Our final sermon in our series on Luke was this week. You can find the whole series here. This week we encountered two miracles wrapped up into one story. Our text was Luke 8:40-56. It is a wonderful story with two great miracles wrapped into one story. I hope to reflect on the sermon itself in a following post, but first a reflection on the miracle. Continue Reading »