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Dedicated to the legacy of bold thinking Christianity through the writings of George MacDonald and Michael Phillips.
Episodes
Monday Jul 27, 2015
Monday Jul 27, 2015
The great moral teacher interpretation of the life and impact of Jesus Christ is surely one of the most naive perspectives ever proposed for such an important historical figure. C.S. Lewis has memorably argued that anyone making the claims Jesus did must either be a lunatic, a madman, or what he claimed to be. It is not merely Jesus' claim to be one with God that is astonishing and revolutionary, however, so too is much of the rest of his teaching. Far from being a traditional "moralist," a great deal of what Jesus said turned conventional wisdom upside-down.
Thursday Jul 23, 2015
Thursday Jul 23, 2015
The enormity of this Command is of such scope and magnitude that it is impossible to overstate. If Love is the first Command, this surely represents one of the most important dimensions of Love itself. Indeed, unity with our fellow man is one of Love's significant visible expressions. If we would "Be righteous," this is where it begins.
Wednesday Jul 22, 2015
Wednesday Jul 22, 2015
It has been mentioned before that Jesus occasionally uses overstatement and exaggeration to get his point across. This is obviously again the case here. No one seriously believes this Command is to be obeyed literally. None of Jesus' own disciples, to our knowledge, obeyed this Command as it stands, nor did Jesus expect them to.
Monday Jul 20, 2015
Monday Jul 20, 2015
The Commands of Jesus seem to come in two broad categories: Those that are straightforward and relatively simple to obey...and those that are impossible to obey.
Friday Jul 17, 2015
Friday Jul 17, 2015
There are fewer more perplexing, misunderstood, misappropriated Commands in the Gospel than this. How many disappointments have been based on grandiose prayers for healing, for financial provision, for restored relationships, and for thousands of other good and worthy things... that have not happened? We have all experienced the ache, frustration, and confusion of unanswered prayer.
Wednesday Jul 15, 2015
Wednesday Jul 15, 2015
It is sometimes difficult to know how to live in the practical reality of Jesus' admonition in the latter half of Matthew 6: Consider the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. They neither sow nor reap, yet your heavenly father cares for them. So don't worry about what you shall eat or drink. We are all familiar with his words. But do they not often sound just a little too idealistic?
Monday Jul 13, 2015
Monday Jul 13, 2015
Jesus does not stop with commanding belief in general, not even belief in God. He zeroes in with yet more precision and specificity by also commanding belief in him. This further dismisses the notion that Christianity may be equated with being a kind person and trying to do good in the world. Those are good things. But they are not Christianity.
Friday Jul 10, 2015
Friday Jul 10, 2015
We find ourselves looking at a series of Commands subject to widely varied interpretation as we attempt to navigate the conundrum between the temporal and spiritual components of the Christian life - Love God, Love man... Give to the poor, Believe.
Wednesday Jul 08, 2015
Wednesday Jul 08, 2015
From probably the most down-to-earth, if we may even phrase it thus, a most unspiritual among Jesus' Commands, we turn to one of the most spiritual: Believe.
Monday Jul 06, 2015
Monday Jul 06, 2015
Observe how much of Jesus' time was spent among the infirm, sick, destitute, crippled, blind, and demon-possessed.