Author Archives: Richard Heyduck

Spiritual Warfare – Our Armament

If, as we saw last week, our “warfare” is for people, not against people, how can we understand the military images Paul uses to describe the Armor of God?

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Confirmation Class Syllabus

I’m developing content for our confirmation class. Here’s a draft of the syllabus. Any opinions? Confirmation Class Syllabus Purpose of the Class: Students will learn the basic content of the Christian faith and our Methodist tradition, learn how to practice … Continue reading

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Spiritual Warfare – Our Enemy

Spiritual Warfare has been a popular topic in some segments of American Christianity. In the age of Christendom we were prone to take the “warfare” aspect too literally. Though many instances of “killing people for Jesus” come to mind, just … Continue reading

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GMC Catechism Class

Since our congregation has recently transitioned to the Global Methodist Church, I thought it would be a good idea to look at the basic doctrine of the denomination. The class uses the GMC Catechism which is based on the Nicene … Continue reading

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Deepening Accountability

One of the ways to look at the genesis of the Global Methodist Church is as embodying a desired “return to accountability.” Some hear this and think, “Now we will have bishops and leaders who are accountable and not just … Continue reading

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Wrath, Judgment, and Love

John Wesley said that the only requirement to join the Methodist Societies – the movement was not yet a “church” at that time – was a “desire to flee from the wrath to come, and to be saved from their … Continue reading

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Positive and Negative in United Methodism

Since reading Alasdair MacIntyre’s Whose Justice? Which Rationality? thirty-something years ago, I’ve found great value in the definition of a tradition that he he offers there (p. 12). A tradition is an argument extended through time in which certain fundamental … Continue reading

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The Spirit of the Disciplines, chapter 3

In this chapter Dallas Willard talks about the salvation we have in Christ as a “full life” phenomenon.

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Love, Jesus, and the Bible

I saw this cartoon on Facebook this morning and found it stimulating. First thought: Who are the people in the picture? Reading left to right, as we do in English, we see five people who are dressed in modern western … Continue reading

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Being Human

Sunday’s message was on theological anthropology – the Christian view of what it means to be human. I made two broad claims: Humans are made in God’s image. Being made in the image of God is better understood functionally or … Continue reading

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