I still love the church. I love the church universal, as well as the church local (red brick, white-columned with deacons smoking in the parking lot). With all of its dysfunction and flesh marks, with all of its confusion and humanity, it is still the best thing God...
We all make errors in our theology; you and me both. So my recommendation is to err on the side of love. Why? Because...God is not doctrine. God is not denomination. God is not war. God is not law. God is not hate. God is not hell...God is love.
Before conversion, we tend to think that God is out there. After transformation, God is not out there and we don’t look at reality. We look from reality. We’re in the middle of it now; we’re a part of it. This whole thing is...
When we limit our understanding of neighbor to our church, denomination, nationality, or religious persuasion, we take Jesus' name in vain. When we lift up this commandment of Jesus--to love our neighbors--we draw all people to God and one another. The chief...
The effectiveness of a liturgy lies in its humility, in the absence of self-proclamation—”I am the liturgy, notice me.” The Word of God is the gathering point for all the content and all the action. If there is a high point or seasonal emphasis in a liturgy, this is...