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“Come to him, a living stone though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house,” I Peter 2:4-5. Hmmm. What does it mean to be a living stone that can be built into a spiritual house? Perhaps the best clue is found by ignoring the chapter breaks in the Bible and consider what the writer said just before he mentioned the living stones.
How are we to understand the male and female, image and likeness of God, within the human creation? The name, Elohim, Creator of all that is seen and unseen, is introduced in Genesis 1:1, as a Hebrew noun in masculine form. Ruach, the Spirit of Elohim that moves about over the waters, is introduced in Genesis 1:2, as a Hebrew noun in feminine form. Thus, from the beginning of the priestly story of Creation, both masculine and feminine gender terms are present, within the context of Elohim’s stated existence.
The idea of biblical inerrancy is one of the most invasive weeds in Christianity’s wheatfield. The weed might produce lovely looking flowers wherever it is allowed to grow, but the notion of inerrancy ultimately chokes out the inherent goodness of the Bible. Notice the defining difference between biblical inerrancy and the inherent goodness of the Bible.
People wonder if Christianity can survive the major spiritual shift, away from religion, currently underway around the world. Oh yes! Not only can Christianity survive—the heart of the gospel will begin to beat like never before. The human spirit is just waking up to an increase of light filtering into crevices formed by the earthquake rattling the walls of our institutional structures.Read more
Peace on earth. Is it attainable? I believe it is! But first, humanity must deal with its unwavering allegiance to the human clock—a crafty invention that, for better or worse, encourages the repetition of time-honored behavior. Time is both a gift and a curse. The 24-hour clock is not the problem. The measurement of time is not evil. Yet our awareness of time’s passage, along with our desire to keep track of time, has placed the human spirit in a state of bondage that most of us don’t realize.
I offer three tools for humanity’s spiritual garden—a Clock, a Key, and a Net. The tools are universal in nature, but they are contained within the ancient writings of the Judeo-Christian faith perspective. These tools address the subjects of time, language, and organization, respectively. I like to think that the tools will help us on the road ahead, if we trust them enough to use them.
What is your personal credo? Have you thought about creating a statement that defines who you are, what you believe, and how you see yourself interacting with the world? Many of us have been given such statements based on religious identity. Yet when people choose to shed the traditional creeds attached to denominational doctrine, or the beliefs associated with non-denominational movements, one’s tribal identity and credo is also shed.
Humanity’s spiritual waters are being stirred in mighty ways right now. The commotion is carrying people to very different places of understanding. There is no right or wrong place to be at the moment. We simply are where we are. Everything is in a state of flux because spiritual waters are being stirred. Thus, the traditional model of the church resembles a woman in travail. She is struggling to understand the times. Why are her efforts not yielding sweeter fruit?Read more
To Christian citizens in the United States of America:
Can we talk? I’m concerned about where we are headed in our nation, if we don’t. Our nation is deeply divided. It seems that the motto, “E Pluribus Unum” no longer applies to life on Main Street. “Out of many – One!” has turned into “Out of many – Two!” and never the two shall meet.
“Traffic Go! Traffic Stop! All Must Heed the Traffic Cop! When I’m grown, I shall be, just as fine a cop as he!”
These were the words of my very first piano piece when I was five years old. Thinking back on this early memory, a traffic cop is the perfect analogy for how the spirit of God might be guiding, and directing Christians, who are navigating through this important intersection, in the life of the church.