The first sermon series I ever preached as a newly minted United Methodist pastor back in 1984 was a series on the Seven “I Am” sayings of Jesus found in John’s gospel : Jesus said, “ I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the gate, I am […]
Charge to Asbury Theological Seminary’s 2013 Graduates
If shepherd is used as a verb – “to shepherd” – it means to lovingly care for. To shepherd is the opposite of “to abandon” or “to leave in danger”. You are called to shepherd God’s flock. Many of you will be pastors. Love your flock enough to faithfully preach God’s word. Don’t waste your […]
Honoring the Past. Forging the Future. Happy 90th Birthday Asbury Theological Seminary
In 1923 the Lord used Henry Clay Morrison to establish a school committed to spreading scriptural holiness throughout the world. From the outset it was clear that Asbury was not birthed to become merely another institution of higher learning that would grace the pages of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Nor was Asbury established to […]
Psalm 87: Anomalous or Apostolic
Psalm 87 (see below) may strike a first time reader as an odd psalm. Why would an entire psalm be dedicated to people from various forgotten nations like Rhab (a name for Egypt), Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Cush? Furthermore, why would they be found boasting that they were “born in Zion” as declared in verses […]
You’re Going to Win this Game! A lesson for the Church from the Final Four.
Kentucky is college basketball country! It is no mistake that last year’s NCAA champion was from Lexington (Wildcats) and this year’s winner is, of course, from Louisville (Cardinals). Coaches Rick Pitino and John Calipari are probably the closest thing we have to real “celebrity status” here in Kentucky. If you followed the recent championship you […]
Why did St. John flee the bath house?
There is a much beloved story (passed down from Polycarp to Irenaeus to us) about St. John the Apostle. According to the story, John, the Apostle of love, was inside a Roman bath house getting cleansed, as was the custom of his day. However, through the hot steam he suddenly realized that the heretic Cerinthus […]
Book Review: What we talk about when we talk about God by Rob Bell
Rob Bell, author of Love Wins, has recently published a new book entitled, What We Think About when We Think About God. Those who are regular readers of my blog will recall that when Bell published Love Wins I wrote a four part blog series exploring what I liked about Bell’s book and, mostly, where […]
Three Cheers for Southland Christian Church
From time to time I have blogged about some of my concerns about mega-churches in North America. It is not hard to find examples of how contemporary Christianity in North America has been co-opted by the culture and by a whole host of market driven assumptions. I have observed on several occasions that mega-churches are […]
Slaves, Women and Homosexuals
Over the past few decades, some Christians began comparing the legitimization of homosexuality and the legalization of same sex marriage with earlier struggles in our society over slavery or the status and role of women in the church and society. One of the more recent examples of this argument can be found in an article […]