Tag Archives: sin

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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Psychiatry and Ministry (sort of)

Pretend this piece on Slate Star Codex isn’t about psychiatry but about ministry. Alexander describes two ways of understanding psychiatry: Attitude 1 says that patients know what they want but not necessarily how to get it, and psychiatrists are there … Continue reading

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I Want a Principle Within

The Charles Wesley hymn, I Want a Principle Within, isn’t sung as often as it used to be. It’s a powerful tool in our quest for holiness, however, so it’s well worth recovering. At first glance the “principle” we “want … Continue reading

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Preparing for Communion

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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“If a brother sins (against you)…”

This Sunday I’ll be looking at Matthew 18, spiraling outward from v. 20. If you look at v. 15, chances are your Bible, assuming it’s a modern translation, likely has a footnote about a textual variant. What’s a textual variant, … Continue reading

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Jesus, (Not a) Friend of Sinners?

Though our experience in church might incline us to think so, this is not how Jesus operated. Jesus intentionally, strategically, and lovingly, spent time with sinners. If we’re going to walk in the way of Jesus, i.e., be Christians, we’ll need to do … Continue reading

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