The moment of Jesus’ greatest weakness was in reality the moment of Jesus’ greatest power, as demonstrated on Easter morning. The resurrection turned the taunt table on all the evil powers. Jesus won, and by the grace of God, we share in his glorious victory. Why then would we allow ourselves to be distracted by the ruses of the very spiritual powers Jesus defeated?
Seminaries at the Crossroads.5: GRTS Name Change
In an “Exciting and Important Update” email to alumni/ae on March 29, Cornerstone University President Gerson Moreno-Riaño announced that Grand Rapids Theological Seminary will now be known as Cornerstone Theological Seminary. Promotional hype and nay-saying aside, the new name on the sign will mean next to nothing unless it marks a renewed administrative commitment to promoting the seminary’s historic values, identity, and mission.
Every Road Goes Somewhere: Wendy Widder’s latest book
Wendy’s story prods all of us—whatever our view of gender roles—to pursue our calling faithfully, just like Jesus did, all the way to the cross. He loved and gave himself for the whole church, not just the half that tends to run the show. At this time of the Christian year our hearts are drawn more that ever to the cross. Jesus didn’t back down from his calling, and, supported by the Word and the Spirit, so will we.
Saint Patrick’s Confessio . . . and Ours
Larry Norman once asked “Why should the devil have all the good music?” Whether we agree with Larry about the use of rock music to praise God or not, we can ask a similar question about Padraig: Why should we let the world pretend that remembering St. Patrick is about getting drunk on March 17 every year?
Soul Care and Eternal Security: What’s a Pastor to Do?
We all know that pastors can’t deal with the threat of spiritual shipwreck simply by lobbing Bible verses like hand grenades. Isolated proof-texts aren’t intellectually convincing or spiritually edifying. We need a holistic view of the teaching of the Bible and how it has been understood historically. Are you up to wading through a post on this topic?
Seminaries at the Crossroads.4: CBTE
In this post we look at Competence-Based Theological Education (CBTE), which is probably the most promising of emerging approaches to theological education. CBTE just might be the way the churches take back the seminaries. At the very least CBTE will require churches and seminaries to get a lot more serious about working together for the kingdom of God.