"Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know." Job 42:3b
Tragedy does a lot of things - not the least of which is to challenge our theology.
When something horrific happens "over there" - in some place that doesn't touch my place - then we have a lot of pat answers about the what and why it all occurred. But when a commercial airline flightcrashes down on someone's house, near enough to your own house, then your theology isn't as airtight anymore. And that is exactly what happened here in our Buffalo…
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Theology
"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." Ephesians 3:10-11
The above passage is one of the most thought provoking and awe-inspiring passages that I have encounteredup to this point in my journey of faith. I have taught on it (see message titled "Mystery" in the media content of this site), but obviously I can only scratch the surface of what could be said…
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"In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." Ephesians 2:21-22
Sometimes things happen that remind me of the importance and scope of the mission God has called us to embrace. One of those things happened recently.
My friend, Karl Eastlack, who has spent the last 22 years pastoring Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church in Clarence, NY, has sensed that God is leading him to take the role of CEO of World Hope…
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"As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you." Matthew 24:3-4
I haven't blogged in a month and a half, so I am pretty sure that nobody is going to read this.
If, however, someone chooses to forgive my extended blogcation, here are a few of the things I have been wrestling with (and since I am pretty sure nobody is actually going to read this,…
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I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! Romans 11:1a
I just got back from my 4th trip to Israel late last night. As I type this, my body is on a different clock (so if anything seems unusual or is a run-on or seems non-sensical or zany or goofy or partially unintelligible or superfluous or a cacophony of paradoxical juxtapositions....well, just blame it on jetlag..).
I love Israel, and I love the people. And, I am bothered by some things. Specific things. Like doctrines that teach that God is done with Israel. I must admit…
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Ok, so there’s a lot of commotion around the recent book from Rob Bell called “Love Wins.” Rightly so. Rob wanted to influence the dialogue surrounding questions of heaven, hell, and the fate of everyone who has ever lived. I have received a fair amount of questions asking about my thoughts regarding this, so I will offer a few. But, before I get to commenting about the book (which I have read in its entirety), allow me to note a few things.First, I really don’t have any question that Rob Bell loves Jesus. Nor do I have any…
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Thought I would post for you an article that Dr. Dwight Smith and I wrote about the gospel. It's long, so I won't be mad at you if this is not something that fits your appetite. Here you go:
Toward a more Holistic Understanding of The Gospel
Jerry Gillis and Dwight Smith
The Purpose
Any attempt to fully articulate the idea of the “gospel” will undoubtedly be found wanting, and this brief document will be no different. Our posture is that the whole of Scripture must be considered in the construction of the idea of the gospel because…
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