Letter 19 Themes: God’s love, competition, being in love, marriage, exploitation of anything for sinister purposes.
Letter 20 Themes: Attacks on chastity; unequally yoked marriages; sexual “tastes” of males and females; idealism.
Letter 21 Themes: Irritability (peevishness); sense of entitlement; value of time; ownership verses stewardship.
From the book: “Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community” by Brett McCracken In our last chapter, Uncomfortable Worship, we discussed how our personal preferences and individualism impact our worship practices. This same attitude can also impact our theology. “. . . when one’s own personal narrative, experience of God, feelings, and desires…
From the book: “Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community” by Brett McCracken “I love Jesus but not the church.” “I’ll go to church but only as long as it meets my needs.” (p. 179) How often have you heard the statement “I am spiritual, just not religious”? As stated in last week’s…
Letter 7 Themes: Materialism (evolutionary thinking), skepticism, belief in demons; factions and cliques; spiritual distraction through social causes, movements, or policies. Letter 8 Themes: Ups and downs of spiritual life; growing during the dry times; the walk of faith and obedience. Letter 9 Themes: Spiritually dry times; sensual temptations during these times; the enticements and…
From the book: “Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community” by Brett McCracken Growth only comes when there is a challenge, and challenge is not comfortable. This is something that begins every morning when we decide whether to stay comfortably in bed or get up and start the day. A couple of historical…
This gospel, as titled, is attributed to Lucan authorship “the beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14) and companion of Paul (2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 24). Its composition is typically placed in the later part of the first century, depending on the source and approach to placing Luke in its historical context though an actual date is not clear. Luke is widely accepted as the third of the four canonical Gospels. This Gospel, like the others,…
From the book: “Resident Aliens – A Provocative Christian Assessment of Culture and Ministry for People Who Know That Something is Wrong.” By Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon. Preface “The church is a colony, an island of one culture in the middle of another.” (p. 12) The poem No Man Is an Island by…