Pastors’ Equipping Series: Sample Sermon on Christian Exclusivism vs. Pluralism — Christmas Themed!
Christians aren’t supposed to say we have the one truth, right? So goes the opinion around our culture, anyway. We’re supposed to be “humble” about our beliefs; to give equal worth and respect to all other beliefs. That’s what culture tells us, but what does God say? Clearly Jesus...
Episode 11: To Be Surprised Again by Jesus’ Birth
Is it possible to be surprised all over again by the story of Jesus’ birth? Believe it or not, yes! Sure, it’s just September, but we’re taking things in order as we walk through the Gospel of Luke to discover the extraordinary again in Jesus’ life, ministry, and teachings....
Episode 10: Jesus’ Birth, and the Expectation of the Extraordinary
How can we ever hope to relate to a God as great as our God? I’ve asked myself that question and found my hope in Jesus, who came to be one of us. He himself, the hope of Israel, the hope of all the nations, is extraordinary beyond any...
Jesus Christ Came To Turn Theocracy Upside-Right
Right at the heart of the Christmas story, in Luke 1:26-33. ESV, we read of the coming True Theocracy: the kingship of Jesus Christ. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man...
Reposting: The Incarnation of Jesus Christ
Merry Christmas! This is the first of three previously published posts I’m reposting in celebration of the coming of Jesus Christ–his first coming, that is. This was originally posted on February 21, 2012, as part of a teaching series, not as a Christmastime article. I was surprised when I...
Spoilsports: Rethinking the “Christmas Wars”
We’re just two weeks from Christmas, and thankfully I’m hearing less about the so-called Christmas Wars this year. Not that there aren’t instances, like the banning of creches in Santa Monica, but there seem to be fewer of them. What I did hear a few days ago was a...
It Must Be Christmas: I Agree With Jerry Coyne!
I’ve been quite critical of University of Chicago biologist Jerry Coyne on more than one occasion, so I was quite surprised to find myself nodding in agreement with him today on a religion-related topic. He opened up this blog post saying, There’s a pretty dreadful piece by Tim Padgett in...
A Christmas Reflection: Incarnation, Mission, and Worldview
Here’s a completely different kind of Christmas reflection for you: my BreakPoint column, Incarnation, Mission, and Worldview. It begins, It was about a dozen years ago that our church’s pastor came back from a pastors’ conference and told us our denomination was growing rapidly everywhere in the world except...
Wishing and Celebrating
The Starbucks coffee cup reads, We invite you to listen to your desires and to renew your hope. To see the world not as it is, but as it could be. Go ahead. Wish. It’s what makes the holidays the holidays. Wishing, it says, is “what makes the holidays...
