The following is a message I shared in response to several questions regarding the violence of God in the Old Testament. This message was preached at Crossroads Church in Bemidji, MN, Oct. 13, 2019. The title of the message is “The Divine Command: Love Him, Kill Them” (Deuteronomy 7). Click here to listen or download.
In the course of any given day, I may receive various questions regarding Scripture or theology. I personally love these as they are chances to reflect with others about what God has revealed and might be making known to and in us. I received the title of this blog post as an email subject line… Continue reading ‘What Does It Mean By “Submit”?’: A Question and a [Theological] Response
I just received word today that my second paper proposal to the 2020 Society for Pentecostal Studies annual meeting was approved. I submitted the following proposal to the Ethics Interest Group. “Bonhoeffer Meets Macchia: Toward a Pentecostal – Pneumatic and Embodied – Christocentric Ethic” This study will propose to bring two theologians’ Christologies into conversation… Continue reading Second 2020 SPS Paper Approved
I received notice this weekend that one of my paper proposals for the 2020 Society for Pentecostal Studies meeting hosted by Vanguard University was approved. Following is the title and brief summary: “On Ladies, Women-Folk, and Wives’ Tales in 1-2 Kings: A Pentecostal Literary-Theological Retelling” This study will examine the texts of 1-2 Kings concerning… Continue reading 2020 SPS Paper Approved
I believe part of the issue in our current debates about women preaching is rooted in part in both the Catholic and the Reformed traditions of “preaching” which see such as a specific form of formal congregational instruction that is believed to be excluded by Paul’s instruction to Timothy for women. Setting aside specific engagement… Continue reading Let Your Daughters Prophesy: A Call for Women to Preach
I was asked by a pastor friend what my thoughts were on Michael Brown and Craig Keener’s Not Afraid of the Antichrist: Why We Don’t Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture (Chosen Books, 2019). For the record, I understand that the Fellowship with which I am ordained holds to “The Blessed Hope” as one of our… Continue reading Not Afraid of the Antichrist: A Short Response
I was asked today by a pastor friend what I might think it means to be “Spirit-led” or “Spirit-empowered”? Here is my brief response: It is to see and hear what the the Spirit is doing/saying, and to find ourselves participants of such by faith. It is to bear witness to the one the Spirit… Continue reading What Does It Mean To Be Spirit-Led? A Response
I was recently asked the following question about the genealogies of 1 Chronicles (which are not typical for a verse-of-the-day reflection): “I am going through a devotion to read the Bible in a year. A part of that means reading the Chronicles. I’ve read up to chapter 8, but I still don’t get why they… Continue reading Why Do We Need the Genealogies of 1 Chronicles?
What follows is my “theological response” delivered today at the annual meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies as one of four panel respondents to Joy E. A. Qualls’ God Forgive Us for Being Women: Rhetoric, Theology, and the Pentecostal Tradition ( Frameworks: Interdisciplinary Studies for Faith and Learning; Pickwick, 2018). “God Forgive Us for… Continue reading God Forgive Us For Being Women: A Theological Response
What does it mean to “be human”? Have we given sufficiently careful consideration to this topic? Or have we simply made the assumption that it is whatever we are doing? Is it to be rooted only in description of how “we” are or prescriptive of how “we” ought to be? Or is it yet some… Continue reading To Be Human: Thinking with Bonhoeffer
