One of the consistent themes that emerged this summer in our series on Romans was the continuity in the ancient world between the language of politics and the language of religion. Both were ultimately about power and allegiance, making it difficult to discern how much the New Testament was intentionally critiquing Imperial propaganda, and how … Continue reading Let the People Tremble: A Reflection on Psalm 99
There are few passages more relevant to Christian life than the so-called Hymn of Humility in Philippians 2. So imagine my surprise when I discovered this week that, while I have cited it no fewer than seventeen times in the almost nine years of this blog, I’ve never dedicated a post to the passage in … Continue reading The Joy of Humility: A Reflection on Philippians 2.1-13
[As I was preparing this week's Sunday post, I realized that my heart was basically writing the same post as I'd already written three years ago. So here it is once again.] Last Sunday, we looked at Jesus’ controversial words that he was (and is) the way to the Father and “no one comes to … Continue reading Another Advocate, Another Coach: A Reflection on John 14.15-21 [Re-Post]
In the most recent post in this series celebrating the strengths of different Christian traditions, I talked about how I appreciate the room that the ancient Christian mystical tradition has for manifestations such as visions and dreams. In some ways, today’s post, about why I am charismatic, is part two of that post. At the … Continue reading Why I am … Charismatic
A recurring theme on this blog (and indeed in the New Testament) is that being a Christian means living a radically different life. There is supposed to a marked difference between life following Jesus and life following our own impulses, between life with the Spirit and life outside of the Spirit. There are few places … Continue reading Life in the Spirit: A Reflection on Romans 8.12-17
