Against Liberal Theology: Putting the Brakes on Progressive Christianity

Review of Against Liberal Theology: Putting the Brakes on Progressive Christianity (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2022) In the introduction to Against Liberal Theology, author Roger E. Olson states that his goal in writing the book was to provide “a warning aimed mainly at those who think of themselves as progressive Christians,” a warning about “not sliding into true liberal …

“Identifying and Holding the Line”

I earned my Master of Divinity degree at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS); was ordained in the American Baptist Churches USA; pastored churches for nearly twenty years; served as a visiting professor of world religions and spiritual formation at GCTS and was an Assistant Professor of Evangelism and Renewal and Director of the D.Min. in the …

Welcome Happy Morning!

John 20:1-18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 Welcome Happy Morning, age to age shall say. Hell today is vanquished, Heaven is won today. Lo! The dead is living, God forevermore; Him, their true Creator, all His works adore. Come then, true and faithful, Now fulfill Thy Word! Tis Thine own third morning, Rise O Buried Lord! Show …

Not Just a Lifeboat for Stranded Intellectuals

“But Christianity is not just a useful lifeboat for stranded intellectuals. If it isn’t literally true, it isn’t valuable. Whether Jesus Christ actually rose from the dead matters. It mattered to St Paul. ‘If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.’ And it should matter to us…As …

From Acclamation to Crucifixion

Mark 11:1-11 and Matthew 27:45-61 Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday, is the day on which we recall Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem; it is also the day on which we recount the sufferings of our Lord Jesus in the week that followed. This Holy Week began with Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem where He was …

The Fire of Love

Luke 11:33-36 Richard Rolle (1290-1349) writes, in his The Fire of Love, about the spiritual flame that feeds the soul: “I cannot tell you how surprised I was the first time I felt my heart begin to warm. It was real warmth, too, not imaginary, and it felt as if it were actually on fire. …

The Light

From 50 years ago comes a story about the power of light. Darrel Dore was working on an oil rig one day in the Gulf of Mexico when suddenly it began to wobble. Before too long it tipped to one side and crashed into the water. Darrel found himself trapped inside a room on the …

HOPE FULFILLED

Isaiah 9:1a, 2, 6 and 7; Luke 2:11; Romans 15:4 Hope. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines hope as the wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment or the theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with the help of God.  Emily …

Point to the Prince of Peace: Prepare the Way

Mark 1:1-8 His name was John. People knew him locally as the Baptist. Some would say of him that he was a religious eccentric. Others, less kind, would dismiss him as a flake. He wasn’t a "how to win friends and influence people" kinda guy. He seems something of an odd choice of one to …

Christmas Bells

I just placed a Christmas flag at the end of our drive that reads: "Joy to the World, the Lord has come." And, at the center of the front lawn, I set letters that spell out the word "JOY." In the "O" of JOY is a rendering of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and alongside the …