Posts Tagged “sanctification”
There is a strain of Christianity that promises material blessing as a sign of God’s favor: cars, homes, bank accounts, etc. Given the economic downturn over the last few years, this strain should strain all credibility. Did God decide to withhold 30 to 40 percent of his favor across whole neighborhoods as their housing values [...]
One of Jesus’ many well-known parables is the parable of the sower, which imagines a man with a bag of seed, casting the kernels this way and that. The seed, which represents the gospel, lands on different types of soil, which represent human hearts, human lives. We often think of this parable as speaking primarily [...]
My son Fionn held up two toy cars. “Which one is faster?” he asked. I gave him my answer and he said, “No. Neither is faster. It depends on who is driving them.” Trick question. I confess to being a little irritated in that moment by this answer. “Then why ask me which one?” I [...]
Augustine of Hippo: Man is properly understood to be made in God’s image. This is the higher part of his nature that transcends the lowly animals and brings him nearer to the Supreme. But while the human mind is naturally capable of reason and intelligence, it is crippled by habitual sin so much that it [...]
Our days are marked by trouble. Illness in the family, perhaps dire, a child struggling with unbelief, a bad job situation, turmoil in a close relationship — the list is as long and varied as you want to make it. We’re all facing something, a unique trial, a particular pain. And it’s not surprising. “Beloved,” [...]
Whether it’s the political activism of the eighties and nineties or the social activism of today, Christians want to make a difference in the world. But are we starting in the right place? Often we see a crisis or a need and jump to fix it. We raise funds, join a movement, buy a T-shirt, [...]