The more I study the New Testament, I become more convinced that the unity of the Church is of utmost importance to God. What bothers me is that this has never been taught to me before. All of the things I’ve learned (specifically in my studies on Philippians, Galatians, and now Romans) about the importance of unity for the sake of the Gospel mission and the Kingdom of God have come as somewhat of a shock. ...
After reading The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited by Scot McKnight, who makes the claim that the gospel is the saving story of Jesus as Messiah, King, and Lord as the completion to the story of Israel, I started to notice some profound gospel messages in the Christmas carols we often sing during this season. I have found that several of these carols go much deeper (much more biblical) than the personal salvation “gospel” of sin-management that we often preach and sing about. What’s tragic is that, even though these carols are quite possibly the best-known Christian songs, their familiarity (and the fact that we only break them out for 1/12th of the year), makes it quite easy to ignore their substance. ...
(Note: for a more recent piece on the relationship between Church and State, see my essay: “Improvising Church and State.”) I just read an article by Kevin DeYoung at The Gospel Coalition: “Thinking Theologically About Memorial Day”. Listen to his intro: This post probably has something to make everyone unhappy. But here goes. With Memorial Day on Monday (in the U.S.) and, no doubt, a number of patriotic services scheduled for this Sunday, I want to offer a few theses on patriotism and the church. Each of these points could be substantially expanded and beg more detailed defense and explanation, but since this is a blog and not a term paper, I’ll try to keep this under 1500 words. ...
Introduction: Poverty and Wealth In contrast to the affluence of mainstream American culture, poverty is a harsh and painful reality. It can be found in abundance in the urban centers of this country, and in countless other places around the globe. Modern day slavery “more cruel than any beast of prey” (Wright 2005, 136), it traps human beings created in the image of God in a lifestyle of hunger, sickness, anger, and darkness. ...
Here are some of the books, people, and resources that have most shaped me as a person: Jesus of Nazareth The Bible The Christian tradition Karl Barth Dietrich Bonhoeffer C.S. Lewis J.R.R. Tolkien Jürgen Moltmann N.T. Wright Reading Rainbow Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Bill Nye the Science Guy Wishbone Libraries The Internet ℹ️ Note This /canon page is just one of my many “slash pages.”
(Note: Since writing the essays below, I’ve left the academy and now work as a software engineer. Nevertheless, I’m keeping these around for posterity.) Wheaton College Graduate School (2017 - ) (Here’s the elevator pitch for my dissertation proposal: “Scriptural, But Not Religious: Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and a Biblical Critique of Religion.”) The Guilt of Karl Barth: Strengths and Weaknesses of Barth’s Römerbrief Reading of Romans 9:30–10:21 The Tree of Religion: Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the Tree of Knowledge in Genesis 2:4–3:24 When will Thy Kingdom Come? The Timing and Agency of the Kingdom of God in the Lord’s Prayer Theological Hermeneutics Essay: The Hermeneutical Implications of Scripture’s Theological Location ℹ️ Note More About Me: About • CV/Resume • My Story • What I’m Doing Now • Sermons • Philosophy of Ministry Beeson Divinity School (2013-2016) To Be or Not To Be Religious: A Clarification of Karl Barth’s and Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Divergence and Convergence Regarding Religion A Crucicentric Credo What Does It Mean To Be Human? Divided Desires? Or Divine Discourse? Disunity as Ecclesiological Impossibility: A Barthian Analogy Dogmatic Essay on Scripture Cedarville University (2009-2013) Reconciliation and the Lack Thereof: Atonement, Ecclesiology, and the Unity of God Creation and Doxology: A Portrait of Biblical Creation Theology Exposition Paper: Deuteronomy 6:1-15 Yahweh’s Rîb Against Israel: Gerichtsrede and the Message of Micah Exposition Paper: Micah 6:1-16 Romans 13:1-7 - A Contextually-Appropriate Reading The Argument/Story of Romans Exegetical Paper: Hebrews 10:19-25
“Devs in the Details: Devs Who Give a Damn” A new version of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense for the 21st century. A new version of Karl Barth’s Theological Existence Today for the 21st century. A new version of the Barmen Declaration for the 21st century. Amazon affiliate link AI assistant for inserting affiliate links into blog posts. ℹ️ Note This /ideas page is just one of my many “slash pages.”
ℹ️ Note More About Me: About • CV/Resume • My Story • What I’m Doing Now • Essays • Philosophy of Ministry ( Click here to view all posts that have been categorized as sermons on my blog.) Why Haven’t You Torn the Sky Open Yet? Your browser does not support the audio element. Isaiah 64. November 28, 2020 (First Sunday of Advent). Preached at Church of the Savior in Wheaton, IL (via Zoom). Who Really Cares about the Trinity? Matthew 28:16-20. June 6, 2020. Preached at Church of the Savior in Wheaton, IL (via Zoom). ...