Author Archives: Richard Heyduck

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About Richard Heyduck

Pastor of Hardy Memorial Methodist Church, a Global Methodist Congregation. PhD Fuller Seminary MDiv Asbury Seminary BA Southwestern University

The Downside of Church Success

Posted on August 2, 2017 by Richard Heyduck

There is a long-standing tendency to reduce the Christian faith to ethics. In Christology this shows up when we see Jesus primarily as teacher. As a teacher – in fact The Great Teacher – Jesus gives us the information we need … Continue reading →

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(not) Enlisting Jesus as Our Political Trump Card

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Richard Heyduck

If you’re a Christian, you know Jesus is really important. We who claim to be his disciples think we ought to listen to him, follow him, and obey him. We ought to do what he did. One of our current … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Health Care, Jesus, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Taking Time for the Bible

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Richard Heyduck

One of the key moves made during the Enlightenment that paved the way for modern historical critical study of the Bible was the decision to treat it as if it were just an ordinary book. If it is only an … Continue reading →

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Heaven’s Flames & Hell’s Gates

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Richard Heyduck

For several years now, I’ve seen churches hosting a dramatic presentation called Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames. The one I went to focused on the horrors of hell, the uncertainty of life – we could die any moment, and the … Continue reading →

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What Are They Supposed to Think?

Posted on June 17, 2017 by Richard Heyduck

What are my black friends supposed to think, with yesterday’s acquittal of Officer Yanez in the shooting of Philando Castile? Blacks may (in theory) have second amendment rights, but if they exercise them they’re more likely to receive an instant … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Current events, Politics, Violence | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Church as Ecology

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Richard Heyduck

In his Ethics in the Conflicts of Modernity, Alasdair MacIntyre draws from W. Edwards Deming and Wendell Berry: “Individuals who farm need to regard themselves as contributing to a larger project, that of making their particular farm productive while sustaining its … Continue reading →

Posted in Alasdair MacIntyre, church growth, Discipleship, Ecclesiology, Leadership, United Methodism | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Preparing for Communion

Posted on May 5, 2017 by Richard Heyduck

This Sunday we celebrate communion. How can we prepare for it? Some of you will say, “It’s obvious! The way to prepare for communion is, get some bread and juice.” Well, yes, we do use bread and grape juice. The … Continue reading →

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Reviewing Meet Generation Z

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Richard Heyduck

My introduction to James Emery Miller’s recent book, Meet Generation Z: Understanding and Reaching the New Post-Christian World came through an interview on Carey Nieuwhof’s podcast. My first thought was, “I need to read that book.” Imagine my happiness when only … Continue reading →

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Reading Isaianic Prophecies

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Richard Heyduck

In church this morning we looked at a few texts that Christians have traditionally taken to be prophecies of the coming Messiah, prophecies of Jesus. Most Christians, upon reading Isaiah 52:13 – 53:  see the text as descriptive of Jesus. … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Greek for Everyone

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Richard Heyduck

I just finished reading A. Chadwick Thornhill’s, Greek for Everyone: Introductory Greek for Bible Study and Application published by Baker Books (Note: My copy of the book was provided to me by the publisher for purposes of review.) I minored in … Continue reading →

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