Posts relating to a wide-range of doctrinal matters
The geography was made for the moment. Caesarea Philippi, located 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, was a place of unusual significance. No mere spot on the road, this city had been built up by Philip II, the son of Herod the Great. In honor of Caesar Augustus he called it Caesarea, and READ MORE
My beautiful and Christ-like mom, Susan St. John, passed away suddenly on May 13, 2020. Here are a few simple words upon which I meditated as we laid her to rest at the National Veteran’s Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is not suppose to be this way. After all, the Lord God “looked at all READ MORE
The blood of Christ, shed on Calvary’s Tree, creates the holy space for spiritual victory–for our soul’s greatest satisfaction. Ephesians 1:7-8 tells us that “we have redemption through [Christ’s] blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.” The blood of READ MORE
At a global ministry conference in Beirut, Lebanon, I was asked to share my reflections on the state of the American church and the implications of my observations for global ministry. Here is a survey of what I shared: First, evangelicalism, which is a rich theological construct, has been co-opted by American politics and is READ MORE
Not long ago a helpful book regarding the problem of mass incarceration was shared around our community–Dominique Gilliard’s work, Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice that Restores. His writing does a noble job of highlighting many of the tragic dynamics shaping what I tend to think of as the “Incarceration Complex.” I commend the work to READ MORE
The Christmas story portrayed in Luke 2:1 and following is well worth the read (or re-read!). It begins, of course, with the famous decree of Caesar Augustus, prompting Joseph and Mary to make their way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It proceeds to her giving birth to this most unusual child—Jesus—and wrapping him in swaddling cloths READ MORE
