Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’

Could Jesus Sin? The Problem of the Incarnate Temptation

The consistent teaching of the New Testament is that Jesus, “the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) is himself without sin.[1] He is a perfect sacrifice for the sins of man because he himself, unlike the rest of us, never did wrong. He is without blemish. He is not bent, crooked, or fallen. There is, however, a philosophical problem lurking in the shadows.

The Illusory Freedom of Pop Culture

Western culture is changing at an astonishing speed today. Twenty-five years ago, when I graduated from college, cell phones were barely a known commodity. Today smart phones are a staple of contemporary life. Al Gore had not yet invented the internet. Today our family panics if the Wi-Fi goes out. Socially the country was largely conservative and the values were largely biblical. Oh how things have changed. The guiding principle today is “freedom”—freedom to do and be whatever one wants. Casting off the shackles of a repressive morality—anything goes. An important question to consider, however, is this; does the new “anything goes” morality work? In other words, does the pursuit of unfettered freedom really make one free?

Christianity Is Not “Us Versus Them”

Guest blog from Lucas Shipman, Spoken Word Poet (see video below):

Election years can be frustrating for followers of Jesus.  This election is set to be one of the most divisive we have seen in recent history.  Christians have been widely misrepresented by both parties.  Politicians throw around the word “evangelical” to somehow describe every person who votes and has ever sat in a pew or darkened the door of a church. Is that who we are as Christians in America, just another voting block?

Politics, Hatred, and Leeches

You might hear around our house: “Monkey see, Monkey do.” So often children learn by watching. If I burp at the dinner table, our nine-year old, without missing a beat, summons a guttural barrage of belches. As he grins from ear to ear, is hard for the rest of us (my wife excluded) to keep from laughing. This reinforces his conviction that burping at the dinner table is acceptable. The point generalizes. What is modeled in the home, the athletic fields, and in the public square finds expression and embodiment in a watching generation of young men and women.

Christ my past, present, and future

As a Christ follower, I am not defined by my past failures. Nor am I defined by my present projects. My hope is not in my future accomplishments. The good news of the gospel—the greatest possible story of the world—is that I am part of something much bigger than myself. Christianity is true, and so I find the source of all truth in Christ. Christianity is good, and so I find the source of all goodness in Christ. Christianity is beautiful, and so my heart is filled with joy as I become captivated by the glory of Christ.

You are what you see

Do you struggle to find wholeness under the banner of Christ? Do your thoughts, actions, and emotions so often work at cross-purposes with each other? Does sin hamper your life and pull you down? Are your attempts at self-improvement short-lived and unsuccessful? If you answered yes to any of these questions, perhaps it is time to consider what fills your vision and captures your heart.

American Jesus: Pawn or King?

In Stephen Prothero’s book American Jesus, the Boston University Professor of Religion details how Jesus became a national iconoclast and icon. The purpose of Prothero’s book is to discern the “cultural Jesus:” the Jesus understood by Americans both historically and today.

Was Jesus just a Great Moral Teacher?

The question of Jesus’ identity has perplexed and fascinated us since he arrived on the scene 2,000 years ago. In our own day we seem to have a Jesus for everyone: Super-hero Jesus, Common Guy Jesus, Homosexual Jesus, Traditional Marriage Jesus, Democrat Jesus, Republican Jesus, Mormon Jesus, Oriental Jesus, and so on. Pick a cause or an agenda, and there is a Jesus waiting in the wings, ready to offer his support.[1] Why does everyone want a piece of Jesus, yet so often, not the whole? That is, why are we so ready to ascribe to Jesus the status of a great moral teacher, a teacher who we can use for our own personal or political agenda, yet we hesitate to call him Lord?

Does Jesus answer our biggest questions?

Aristotle said, “All men desire to know.” He was right. We long to be rightly related to reality. We long to know the truth and to find ourselves in a story that is satisfying. I believe that we can know the truth, and when we find it, we will find answers that satisfy our soul. The answers to our perennial questions of existence, meaning, purpose, love, beauty, morality, and God are found in Jesus Christ and the religion he founded.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and the God Who Made It

 

I just finished reading William Kamkwamba’s inspiring book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. In the autobiography (co-written with Bryan Mealer), Kamkwamba shares his childhood story of growing up in the impoverished country of Malawi, a country where magic rules and modern science is often viewed with suspicion and mystery.