I recently posted on John Wesley’s “Basic Christianity,” looking at the rock-bottom standards he insisted on for members of the early Methodist movement. True enough, Wesley’s baseline was to avoid obvious sin, do a lot of good, and practice basic Christian spiritual disciplines. However, Wesley was very clear that toeing the mark on these things […]
What Do You Hope For? Three Promises In Christ’s Resurrection
Years ago, when I was a pastor, I stood with a family who had lost a loved one — a husband, father, and grandfather. His widow, whom I’d not previously met, was overwhelmed. She hardly spoke in the week I saw her, so wracked she was by the pain of grief. It is hardly surprising. […]
John Wesley’s Basic Christianity, or, How Does a Methodist Stay a Methodist?
I’m at the plate. The ball whizzes by, right at elbow height. That’s one. The second pitch goes the same way. That’s two. I swing at the third, but I don’t know if the “whoosh” of the ball or the “whoosh” of the bat is clearer in my ears. “You’re outta there!” Baseball has clear […]
Guest Post on Patheos, “A Test Case in Passing on the Faith: The Children’s Sermon”
I have a new blog post in the Patheos Symposium on “Passing on the Faith to the Next Generation.” I hope you’ll click through and see it. Better still it would be fantastic if you left a comment over there so it could gather some interest. My piece is “A Test Case in Passing on […]
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall: Heidelberg Catechism and the Law of God
You see someone looking in the mirror. Looking. Looking. What is he thinking? Better still, what are you thinking? Too much attention to his reflection — easy to suppose he likes what he sees. We mock the self-absorption of mythical Narcissus, falling in love with his reflection in a pond. But we also fear what […]
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