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
-
Lesson 11: The Gospel Community in History
Read MORE: Lesson 11: The Gospel Community in HistoryLast week, I suggested there is a subversive aspect to the Gospel. “Counterculture” might be a better word as it conveys promoting values that are counter to those of the establishment but not necessarily working actively for its overthrow. Even…
-
Lesson 12: Now
Read MORE: Lesson 12: NowI suspect most people think the role of the Church is to offer the means of grace made available by Christ Jesus. They associate this primarily with local gatherings where people worship but also with the larger, even international institutions…
-
Lesson 13: Sharing Wealth
Read MORE: Lesson 13: Sharing WealthAfter reading the gospels, you realize the early church understood their relationship with the Risen Christ meant they could continue enjoying the community they shared with Jesus of Nazareth. Even a casual reading of the first chapters of Acts indicates…
-
Lesson 14: Love Enemies
Read MORE: Lesson 14: Love EnemiesMy intention was to draw up marks of a gospel community, intending to come up with characteristics of a community that followed Christ Jesus. It seemed simply common sense to begin with accounts of what Jesus himself identified as his…
-
Lesson 15: Community Beyond Family
Read MORE: Lesson 15: Community Beyond FamilyIt is obvious one difference between Jesus’ community and the modern Church has to do with his band treating its members with the intimacy usually associated with the biological family. They shared their money and loved unconditionally as would be…
-
Lesson 16: Eating Together
Read MORE: Lesson 16: Eating TogetherAnother mark of the church evident in the Gospels is eating together. Luke points to that in Acts when he describes the early church worshipping at the temple on the Sabbath and sharing meals with each other in their homes…
-
Lesson 17: Eating Together, part 2
Read MORE: Lesson 17: Eating Together, part 2After receiving the response to last week’s lesson, I decided to comment further on eating together as a mark of the church. It was an easy decision as I think it addresses one of the biggest spiritual problems in our…
-
Lesson 18: Communion
Read MORE: Lesson 18: CommunionThe church has always maintained that one place where the Risen Christ encounters us is in the Eucharist. In the gospels, Jesus was constantly sharing meals and this has continued with his coming to us in the Communion meal. One…
-
Lesson 19: Summary
Read MORE: Lesson 19: SummaryPerhaps it is time to wind up this little experiment. Five months ago, I set out to discern some marks of a gospel community. At the time, I was not sure where I was going. People kept telling me the…
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.