All tagged sin
I refer to it all the time: a Christian worldview. But what is it? What essential elements go into such a worldview? How does that worldview compare to common philosophic and religious worldviews? Or, how does it compare to a postmodern worldview? I explore how the Bible presents reality, the infection, and the topic of agency. Come laugh with me!
If we don't experience some risk, danger, knee-scrapes, falling and failure as children we don't learn how to process the big problems of adult life. That's not only true spiritually, it's true physically, socially, and brain-neurologically. Obviously, then, this affects parenting, teaching, and pastoring. But what about God? What does the Bible show us about his perspective on our failures? And then, on a more positive note, how does playfulness shape us while we are young? How does playfulness lead to innovation and success?
In this conversation with my son, John, we explore the topics of money and cultural relevance. Low churches face the conundrum of needing large donors but not wanting to be controlled by those same donors. How should they go about walking that dicey tightrope? And then, everyone wants to be culturally relevant, so how might Low churches seek relevancy without losing their souls, on the one hand, or seeming like cloistered cults, on the other? Tough questions that deserve our consideration.
We have no biography about Jesus' boyhood. We do, though, have boat loads of info about life in the ancient world. What would it have been like to live then? What advantage did Jesus have for living in that world? And then, what was the meaning of Jesus' baptism? Did he need forgiveness of sins? Subsequently, what is the meaning of our water baptism?
Christians seem leery of talking about homosexuality. And so they usually just get swept up by the larger cultural trends. Yet, Jesus called us to an often difficult way of life, one characterized by grace and truth. How do we live that out? How should Christians show love on sensitive matters? For instance, should one go to a homosexual wedding? What is the core issue for one's identity: sexuality or Christ? Or, can one be a Christian and a homosexual? Are people born gay? Is it possible that one's homosexual temptations are one's cross to bear? Is it wrong to have feelings for someone of the same sex? I ask and answer several uncomfortable questions in this episode.
What did Jesus teach and imply about human sexuality? Was he merely silent on the matter? Was he different from his Jewish background? Did he follow other rabbis on the matter? Was he permissive and lenient? Or, was he legalistic and strict? We do well to know what our Lord taught. How might we replicate Jesus' own m.o. regarding sex, dealing with sin and sinners, and our own heart's attitude?
Why am I a Christian? Just why do I believe? This is the first half of a two-part delineation of why I embrace the Christian worldview. I speak variously to spiritual, existential, and philosophical issues that are profound for me. To that end I describe an automobile accident I was in, why and that beauty is so gripping to me, and what the Bible has to say about human nature.
