What is the Goal of the Human Life? The Answer May Surprise You
One might think the goal of the human life is to die and go to heaven. To go and get our eternal reward! The goal of the human life is not to die and go to heaven. The goal of the human life is to be like Jesus. One cannot be like Jesus without the […]
4 Words that Connect Deuteronomy 6, Psalm 1 and Ephesians
Dueteronomy 6:4-9 is one of the most popular passages in the entire Old Testament. Those verses serve as instruction about intentionally passing on faith to the next generation before the Hebrews enter the promised land. There are four words in Deuteronomy 6 that are later echoed in Psalm 1 and Paul’s letter to the Ephesians…I […]
Jay Guin’s Article on the Future of Progressive Churches of Christ
Thought provoking article and comments on Jay Guin’s recent article the Future of Progressive Churches of Christ. I believe part of the way forward is in us being in tune with how the timeless Gospel intersects the present times. Said another way, how are the eternal truths of the Gospel actually applied and lived out […]
Missional Renewal and Congregational Change Part 1: The Gospel is Born At The Margins
While Wineskins is undergoing some maintenance, some of the recent articles are not currently accessible. I am posting this article by Fred Liggin here so people can access it until the Wineskins re-design is complete. Thanks to Fred for contributing this! In my Gospel and Cultures class while at Rochester College, Mark Love often reminded […]
Finally Read Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright
I finally got around to reading Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright on the trip to Bakersfield this weekend. The book could have been called “Surprised by What the Bible Actually Says About Heaven and Resurrection and What That Has to do with the Mission […]
Easter, Bodily Resurrection and the Immortality of the Soul
One really common belief across religions is that existing comes with an inalienable right to continue to exist in perpetuity (forever). That is called the immortality of the soul. That view didn’t come from Judaism or Christianity but from the Greeks. Socrates and Plato both influenced this idea and it has had a heavy influence in […]
Frank Viola’s Kind Words Toward the Church of Christ And Restoration Movement Heritage
Frank Viola recently spoke at the NCY Ministers Conference. All of you guys from a Church of Christ/Restoration Movement background should hear his presentation, especially the introduction. I appreciate his kind words regarding the contribution churches of Christ have made to Christianity (first 10 minutes or so of the talk). I also appreciate Frank’s willingness […]
Two Questions that Are Essential For Discipleship
Last year we created an evangelistic study of Mark called Jesus 101. The study is designed to be used with seekers so that they can discover who Jesus is by studying Mark. Mark is the perfect book for that because it is a little bit of a mystery until chapter 8. At that point in […]
A Few Things I Don’t Get About Calvinists
Be forewarned, the following post contains broad generalizations based on what could be an unrepresentative sampling of Calvinist authors. I have been reading from various Calvinist authors recently and one of the things I have noticed time and time again is that they don’t talk about “Christianity.” They talk about “Calvinism”. Where most of us […]
Why Mormonism is Not Christianity – Ben Witherington
Have a read – Why Mormonism is Not Christianity It is a really good read but if you don’t have the time the thumbnail sketch. It all boils down to trinity of “ologies”: theology, Christology, and soteriology. According to Dr. Witherington, the differences are significant enough to question whether we would consider them Christians as […]