One of the great questions of our age goes like this: “If God is good — and all-powerful — why does He allow evil and suffering?” Just yesterday I say down with a college student and discussed this. For a few years I’ve been able to read and grate first-year seminary students’ attempts to answer that question, in light of Scripture. The theological term for this discussion is theodicy, as in the justice of God. It is asking God to justify Himself for what we see. (Note the irony in the phrase: we should be on trial, not God, for being inconsistent and limited.) The...

I enjoy recommending the The Jesus Storybook Bible (by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jago) because as the subtitle states, “every story whispers His name.” The point of the Bible is Jesus. While reading the stories of Scripture to our kids the connections to Christ become more vivid … aha! That’s why that was this way … Oh, now I see! (Parents and adults, you should read this book.) It’s a great read and we’ve given it as gifts to many. Helps us to enjoy the Bible so we can enjoy the One about whom it is written. Here’s a video version of the...

Here’s a book review Lost & Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches that Reach Them by Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley and Jason Hayes (B&H, LifeWay Research, Nashville, 2009). (Originally wrote most of this as a response for a seminary course.) — This book is fascinating. It is a great mix of solid research (science and numbers) and cultural engagement (arts). I eat up the numbers side (as a left-brainer), yet appreciated greatly the wise commentary throughout. There were a number of characters whose stories were engaging, and although fictitious and fleshed out from homogeneous...

Here’s what I’m reading these days: A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World, by Paul Miller The Relationship Principles of Jesus, by Tom Holladay (for our current Love & Relationships series at WCC, for group life; just finished) Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional, by Jim Belcher College Ministry 101: a guide to working with 18-25 year olds, by Chuck Bomar (recently finished) The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission, by Lesslie Newbigin (just finished) Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches that Reach Them,...

“The quest for a contemplative life can actually be self-absorbed, focused on my quiet and me. If we love people and have the power to help, then we are going to be busy. Learning to pray doesn’t offer us a less busy life; it offers us a less busy heart. In the midst of outer busyness we can develop an inner quiet. Because we are less hectic on the inside, we have a greater capacity to love … and thus to be busy, which in turn drives us even more into a life of prayer. By spending time with our Father in prayer, we integrate our lives with his, with what he is doing in us. Our lives...

Below are some of my thoughts after reading Your Jesus is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior. [Read the book interview with author Jared Wilson in the last post.] It’s a great book, and may now be in my top 10 favorites. Seriously, I read many dead guys, and am constantly dabbling in a few books at a time. This one made me put down all others and dive in. There are only a couple other authors who can do that to me (one is my gifted writer wife). What’s the purpose of this book? Wilson writes: “to remind us, for the glory of God and the hope of the world, of the...

A new book arrived a month or so ago: Your Jesus is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior by Jared C. Wilson (Kregel Publications). With an advance copy in hand, I was happy to participate in the Your Jesus is Too Safe Blog Tour. It’s a great book — read on! About the Author Jared Wilson is a faithful husband and devoted father, plus a pastor of Element in Nashville. He blogs at The Gospel-Driven Church, and is on Twitter, Facebook (become a fan of the book), and MySpace (why MySpace?). Anyway, he’s connected and has a bent for all things literary (more at The Thinklings,...

Watch this excellent take by Bishop Tom. Indeed, for every hour of online navigation we should invest the same quantity and quality with people, in 3-D interaction. Appreciate the fact that he linked TV watching as a similar danger — sitting and watching a screen for hours on end in the evenings. Get out and be with people! NT Wright on Blogging/Social Media from Bill Kinnon on Vimeo. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "NT Wright on Blogging + Social Media", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2009/07/23/nt-wright-on-blogging-social-media/" });

No one is humble by nature. In fact, the person who appears naturally humble is usually too lazy to be ambitious or too fearful to take risks. If a person is not tempted to control, especially in a crisis, this is often a symptom of despair and fatalism. Humility comes from humiliation, not from the choice to be self-effacing or a strong urge to give others credit. Humility that has not come from suffering due to one’s own arrogance is either a pragmatic strategy to get along with others or a natural predilection that seems to befit only a few rare individuals. For most leaders, humility...

“The shattered relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at the cross provides the basis for our reconciliation. No other relationship ever suffered more than what Father, Son, and Holy Spirit endured when Jesus hung on the cross and cried, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Jesus was willing to be the rejected Son so that our families would know reconciliation. Jesus was willing to become the forsaken friend so that we could have loving friendships. Jesus was willing to be the rejected Lord so that we could live in loving submission to one another. Jesus was willing to be...