'church' Tagged Posts
The Church As Forged Family
“…in the ancient Near East the idea of a single community across the traditional boundaries of culture, gender, and ethnic and social groupings was unheard of. Unthinkable, in fact. But there it was. A new kind of ‘family’ had come into existence. Its focus of identity was Jesus; its manner of life was shaped by Jesus; its characteristic mark was believing allegiance to Jesus.” — N. T. Wright, Paul: A Biography If there’s one thing about the church that almost…
“To Become One” – Christena Cleveland
The relationship between racism and the church is a complex one. It touches on many aspects of our experience, from the sense of welcome we receive in the church, to our theology of the cross, to what we imagine the purpose of the church to be—and more. Christena Cleveland (PhD) is a social psychologist who has helped the church confront the ways we are divided by racism for many years. She is the author of Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the…
Subversive Peace: Reading Romans Backwards
Romans isn’t a theoretical, systematic theology; it’s a letter written by the apostle Saul/Paul to a specific set of house churches in the city of Rome in the middle of the first century. Far too often, Romans has been taught as if its teaching can be abstracted from time and space. But that’s not how Romans is best understood. Instead, Romans is best understood as a loving, pastoral epistle to real people who were learning how to follow the Way…