Usually I’m all about Church history and theology. But today I gave a talk to a great group of undergrads at the University of Dubuque where I teach. They are doing intensive research projects this summer as “Chlapaty Scholars,” an amazing program endowed by the generosity of the chair of the university’s board of trustees. They […]
Letters to a Young Pastor: A Reformed Approach to Divine Guidance
Dear ______: Yes, I agree, it would be awfully nice if God would speak up more often and give direct answers to our questions — like whether you are called to ministry. Most of us want divine guidance. We all face serious struggles and deep confusion at times. And it isn’t like God doesn’t care […]
Keeping Our True Orientation to Communion (Heidelberg Catechism, Q55)
Last week I posted that the church is most the church when it is in worship, on Sunday morning, receiving the Lord’s Supper. My friend and colleague Chris James left a thoughtful reply disagreeing with me. I see his point. Isn’t this actually the problem in mainstream Christianity? We neglect the mission of God in the world because we are […]
Letters to a Young Pastor: Hearing God’s Voice
Dear ______: Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you had all those problems yourself. What I wanted to say is that God’s call requires more than woundedness. So, sometimes you think you hear an actual voice telling you that you are called. That is more than woundedness! But let’s think about it. When I was […]
Church and Community: What Are You Aiming to Be?
There is a huge amount of energy right now around creating new worshipping communities. That’s good: Like all living things, the Church needs to grow or we will die. But all that ferment should prompt some questions: What makes a “community” a “church”? What are we aiming to be? I’ve blogged off and on about the many forms […]
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