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: Jesus
Read MORE: Lesson 1: JesusWelcome to the new course. It’ll be a little different than the first. I shall try to offer one- page, four- sessions series. Hopefully, that will help everyone to keep up, as the course will work best if we have…
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Lesson 2: The Counter Culture Church – The Radical Life
Read MORE: Lesson 2: The Counter Culture Church – The Radical LifeThis is the second of the four Christian lifestyles we’ll examine from our past. Remember we are talking about designs for living rather than theologies, histories, or even ethics. Some believe this radical lifestyle is the only genuine one, because…
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Lesson 3: The Established Church – The Balanced Life
Read MORE: Lesson 3: The Established Church – The Balanced LifeWhen Constantine accepted Christianity in the 300s, the counterculture community became one of many institutions performing their functions for the common good. This Established Church took the role of providing religion for conventional society. She has been part of the…
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Lesson 4: The Free Church – The Gracious Lifestyle
Read MORE: Lesson 4: The Free Church – The Gracious LifestyleAfter 1300 years a revolution took place within the Established Church. The Protestant Movement led to a number of different church types. Some tried to recapture the Countercultural model, some simply to reform the Establishment, and others to develop the…
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Lesson 5: The Plan for Salvation – Are You Saved?
Read MORE: Lesson 5: The Plan for Salvation – Are You Saved?The second unit looks at four characteristics of modern Christian lifestyles that are deficient and even perverted. The first is “The Plan for Salvation” usually presented in four simple steps: 1) God loves you. 2) Sin separates you from God,…
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Lesson 6: Laws of Creation – Insider Knowledge
Read MORE: Lesson 6: Laws of Creation – Insider KnowledgeIn the last lesson I suggested when “The Plan for Salvation” reduces salvation to a four-step technique, it becomes part of the Fundamentalism movement. Although we usually associate fundamentalism solely with the claim that the Bible is free from error,…
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Lesson 7: Expect Your Miracle – Magic
Read MORE: Lesson 7: Expect Your Miracle – MagicPerhaps the most dangerous contemporary bad doctrine believes faith provides miracles, in the sense that faith makes miracles happen. The salvation of the individual sinner is the greatest one but this is followed by a lifetime of unending supernatural acts.…
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Lesson 8: The Power of Positive Thinking – Self Esteem
Read MORE: Lesson 8: The Power of Positive Thinking – Self EsteemThe fourth feature of a deficient modern lifestyle, the Power of Positive Thinking, also stands traditional Christianity on its head. Robert Schuller calls for a modern Reformation that updates Luther’s. However, he claims it should be based on the believer’s…
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Lesson 9: A Christian Lifestyle
Read MORE: Lesson 9: A Christian LifestyleNow we are at the hard part. It is easy to criticize the Christian lifestyle of others. It is much harder to draw up one for ourselves. A lifestyle is the description of the way we live. Whether we are…
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Lesson 10: Tradition – Faith
Read MORE: Lesson 10: Tradition – FaithI failed in coaxing more readers to make comments. However, I received more rave reviews for the three that did than in any previous week. So I am going to proceed as planned, begin building a lifestyle with hopes that…
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.