[Tweet “Why dig a well when it would be most helpful to have running water instead?”] If you drive through rural communities of El Salvador, and many other countries around the world, you are bound to see what I call a Development Monument. Sadly, however, the projects are no longer being used for what they […]
Kennedy* enters the classroom and takes a seat in the usual place. He’s not in a hurry, because he doesn’t look forward to his religious education class. Some things are written on the board, but Kennedy only recognizes the word “son.” The teacher begins to lecture, speaking to the class and writing more things on […]
Read part 1 Is Salvational Transactional? Read part 2 Unpacking the Story No one is born with a fully-developed set of values. We’ve seen—through the story of Nicodemus—that as values develop, so does a depth of faith. We use a value development scale to delineate the 5-stage series an individual moves through as they strengthen […]
Read part 1 Is Salvational Transactional? I’ve been scrutinizing my epistemology through the lens of Nicodemus and his question of, “what does it mean to be born again?” This is one of the best definitions of born again: When translator Des Oatridge, working in Papua New Guinea, came to the words “born again” in John’s […]
John 3 is a very familiar passage, but recently it got me thinking about salvation through the character Nicodemus. Nicodemus is best known for being the first to brazenly ask Jesus, “What does it mean to be born again?” A question we ought to be asking ourselves anew today. The phrase born again has devolved […]
As churches look to the changing landscape of the future, explosion of choice is clouding a clear sightline. With so many opportunities for ministry, how do you choose what will make a lasting impact? Psychologist Barry Schwartz describes the shackles freedom of choice binds us with in his book The Paradox of Choice. “… choice no longer liberates, but […]