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 […]
Why the Cross? (Heidelberg Catechism Q39)
We Protestants tend to be pretty focused on the Cross. We hear Paul saying that he wanted to know nothing among the Corinthians but Christ, and him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). We transmogrify it to mean we should preach nothing but the Cross, even on Christmas (when the Cross was thirty years in the future) […]
What’s the Big Deal About Pontius Pilate? (Heidelberg Catechism Q38)
When you set out to comment on a centuries-old document, sometimes your topic is at the heart of your passions. Sometimes, not so much. You just have to deal with each bit, even if it is outside the range of your interests. Or your confidence. Or whatever. I know this: I’ve been blogging my way through […]
Cooking, Wrath, and the Suffering of Christ (Heidelberg Catechism Q37)
Yesterday I made a batch of strawberry jam. (Those who follow me on Facebook know jam making is something of an obsession.) Well, I walked away at the wrong moment and the jam burned. The bottom layer went beyond “carmelized” to “carbonized.” Charred black, fused to the stainless steel bottom of the pan. I just hate […]
Letters to a Young Pastor: Are You Called to Ministry?
Dear _______: I was so glad to get your email. Seeing your faith develop has been a highlight of these last two years. It has been a great privilege, actually. And now you tell me that you are feeling called to the ministry, or wondering if you are. You ask whether I think this could possibly […]
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