In his last solo race as an Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer of all time finished tied for second. I was struck when I heard people saying that Phelps “lost” the race.
Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons @freaktographyI recently had a friend ask me a question about a verse in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Paul will have passages where every verse seems to have different possible interpretations and where they can seem impossibly difficult. As I was researching this complicated passage, I couldn’t help but think “The Old Testament is so much simpler!” (more…)
In 1 Corinthians 9, the Apostle Paul gives an insight into how he approached ministry. After discussing how he related to Jews, gentiles, and those whom society had looked down upon, Paul sums up how he related to each of these groups by saying that he became “all things to all people.”
For the Jewish people, they had the Law. In the early church, there was still some uncertainty over which (if any) aspects of the Law people were required to follow. (more…)
Fox aired “The Passion” tonight which was the passion narrative in a contemporary setting, told with popular music. Songs from groups and artists like Whitney Houston, Jason Mraz, Imagine Dragons, Creed, and Jewell were featured. I think it’s helpful to see that popular songs can carry deep Spiritual themes. In a culture that is becoming increasingly less Biblically literate, it’s interesting to tell the story in this way.
All truth comes from God. When music or movies tap into these realities, I don’t think we should turn away. We should embrace these things. For some, this approach will seem too worldly. But let us remember that Fox is a television network and not a church. (more…)
At 80 years of age, Tony Campolo has been a well known speaker and pastor in Christian circles.
Yesterday, Campolo released a statement where he now affirms same-sex marriage. His more recent public position on the matter had been that it was not sin to be gay, but that it was a sin to act on it.
Gay marriage in the church is a complicated issue. It has become a major political issue in this generation.
My issue with Campolo’s arguments is that I think his reasoning is flawed. (more…)
