So forgiveness pre-requires understanding the mistakes of the past? here hear re this opposing this me-first, America-first, white-first, male-first approach>…
Weekly lessons in theology and public life • Since 2011
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Lesson 1: Creation in the Old Testament
Read MORE: Lesson 1: Creation in the Old TestamentWe tend to understand the confession “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth” from perspectives that miss its main points. Creationism and Intelligent Design advocates react against modernity and present the confession as a crude,…
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Lesson 2: Creation in the New Testament
Read MORE: Lesson 2: Creation in the New TestamentIf you think of creation only as the origin of the physical world, the New Testament has little to say about it. It does speak quite a bit about a broader concept of creation. It builds on the Old Testament’s…
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Lesson 3: Creation Now
Read MORE: Lesson 3: Creation NowI’ve been trying to get beyond the public Christian discussion about creation to what the Bible really says. Quite frankly, I think most of that debate consciously or unconsciously tries to divert us from central biblical teachings. We attack the…
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Lesson 4: Sin in Genesis 2-11
Read MORE: Lesson 4: Sin in Genesis 2-11The Bible could succinctly be summed up with: Humans find themselves suffering because of sin; God offers them salvation from this. Genesis 1-11 sets this up by picturing God creating everything good and then four pictures of sin with the…
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Lesson 5: Sin in the Mosaic Law
Read MORE: Lesson 5: Sin in the Mosaic LawThe Mosaic Law found in the Torah, the first five books our Bible, spells out in some detail what it is to live as God wills. The First Commandment, “Love your God with all your heart, mind, and soul (Exodus…
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Lesson 6: Sin in the Prophets
Read MORE: Lesson 6: Sin in the ProphetsThe prophets are obviously important. They wrote almost half of the Old Testament, 17 of the 39 books. They answer the critical question, “If we are God’s people, how come we suffer?”, claiming the people brought pain on themselves by…
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Lesson 7: Sin in the Gospels
Read MORE: Lesson 7: Sin in the GospelsJesus like the prophets sees sin as injustice. The similarity is obvious when he describes the Last and Ultimate Judgment based on giving food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger and clothing the naked, caring…
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Lesson 8: Sin in Paul
Read MORE: Lesson 8: Sin in PaulNot everyone agrees, but I think a terribly significant change takes place with Paul. He transforms the common story when he moves from a Hebraic to a universal vision. Previously, it was the Exodus that remembered the Jews were slaves…
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Lesson 9: Sin in Our Time
Read MORE: Lesson 9: Sin in Our TimeIt is easy to define sin as not doing God’s will or being separated from God, but what does that mean? If you turn to the Bible you can find rigid laws but also flexible love. You still have what…
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Lesson 10: Public Porn
Read MORE: Lesson 10: Public PornLast week two of my face-to-face classes discussed “Is it a sin to view pornography in public, especially if children are nearby.” This problem was reported in a Washington Post article “Publicly, a Whole New Lewdness” by Monica Hesse. We…
Recent Comments
An extremely timely topic. Thanks, Fritz!
yes we need to forgive our leaders yet make sure they do the right thing – which they aren’t.