Sanctification – the praxis

Danger, danger, danger: my previous post and this follow-up may easily be misunderstood by those who are not far along the Christian walk, as it can easily be interpreted as legalism, which it is not – there is a balance. Let me emphasize this: be at peace. Romans 8 affirms us that there is no […]

Sanctification – the theory

I struggle living as a Christian. I mean really struggle. I’m a hypocrit. I’m filled with anger (I wish I knew why). I don’t really live as if I have much hope. I’m very demanding of myself and often give myself very little grace, which unfortunately can sometimes extend to other people. It’s easy to diagnose […]

Loneliness and despair

I confess: sometimes I feel like punching Joel Osteen right in the face. It’s not personal. I kind of like the dude despite myself, sincere theological differences and personal style aside. But my angst has to do with those theological differences and that incessant smiling. Osteen’s is a Christian theology of prosperity (more or less) […]

Living loved?

I had an “Aha!” moment the other day while listening to my bishop’s sermon. It was one of those times when something you’ve heard several times before suddenly hits you in a different light. The realization was that there actually are moments and experiences in life we can’t force into being (who’da thunk it?). I’m […]

Mine!

Humanity often depresses me. I include myself in that broad generalization. It’s hard to see the big picture of God’s belief in our eternal value when constantly confronted with the ramifications of our temporal brokenness. I work for the U.S. federal government, and I will subtly suggest many of the stereotypes about bureaucratic inefficiency, redundancy, and endless […]

Bah, humbug!

Our society has turned the holiday season into Consumertopia. It’s impossible to think of Thanksgiving without thinking “Black Friday.” Starting in October we see stores decked out with wreaths, Santa, and elves. Come November our commercials have jingling bells and yuletide carols. The blatant over-saturation of 1950s holiday Americana (which in turn was a commercial […]

What is a Christian?

What are the qualifications for being a Christian? Is there criteria to be met? What does it mean to be considered a Christian? No surprise, the answer will depend on what kind of Christian you ask. I would like to attempt to provide the answer I think Jesus and the Apostles would have given (understanding – I […]