'Jesus' Tagged Posts (Page 2)
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…
Spoke in the Wheel: Dietrich Bonhoeffer & Kingdom Allegiance
On October 11th, Roots will kick off a new and timely teaching series called “Spoke in the Wheel: Dietrich Bonhoeffer & Kingdom Allegiance.” In 1933, Dietrich Bonhoeffer delivered a lecture to a group of pastors who were uneasy about the way the German state was exercising its power, but were “good Lutherans” and so did not speak out. “Dietrich mentioned three possibilities of church action towards the state: ‘In the first place it can ask the state whether its actions…
Ears to Hear: The Parables of Jesus
Why Parables Now? This week Roots is starting a new teaching series on the parables of Jesus called “Ears to Hear.” We’re going to be taking another look at these enigmatic stories with an ear for what they might be saying to us now. Jesus told these parables as a way of drawing people in, and as a way of shifting paradigms. You see, not only are we daily being formed by the practices in which we participate, we are also…
New Teaching Series: ReFind
In a time and place where the religion of Christianity no longer enjoys unrivaled social privilege and power, a lot of people are questioning fundamental Christian beliefs—including Christians. Many are calling this “deconstruction” and it has caused some to fear that Christian faith is under attack. However, deconstruction doesn’t have to feel threatening, because not all deconstruction entails rejection. Some deconstruction is a precursor to rejuvenation. For example, Good Bones is a show in the fixer-upper genre. It follows a…
“Kingdom Hybridity” (Ephesians 2.11-22)
In the second half of chapter 2, Paul teaches that the cross of Jesus does more than just reconcile people to God, it also reconciles people groups to one another. Namely, Jesus’s life of self-sacrificial love shows us the way to peace and tears down the divisions between people of different cultures. The Way of Jesus creates an entirely new kind of human community. But, multiethnic churches might fall into the trap of thinking “multiculturalism” is what this text prescribes.…