Jesus calls us into the adventure of mission. He calls every disciple, every church, every ministry. This mission looks different in each context, but we are always called out. “As the Father sent me, so I am sending you” (John 20:21). The question we must ask of ourselves is this: Are we a sent people […]
View PostPietism for today’s evangelical church I am increasingly convinced that Pietism has something important to say to the church today. Philip Jacob Spener (1640-1705) was a German Lutheran minister who called the church to a more heartfelt commitment to Christ. He offered six proposals to correct conditions in the church. These are found in his […]
View PostRemembering those who have no voice in a noisy and overly-abundant world–these words again… He was born to an unwed teenage girl Born in substandard housing He was first greeted by some of the most marginalized people in his culture. Under fear of death by a powerful politician, this boy and his family fled to […]
View PostCONGREGATIONAL FORMATION IN CONTENTIOUS TIMES We live in difficult times. Our country is divided over some tough issues: the presidency, Ferguson, sexual orientation, abortion, racism, immigration, poverty, healthcare, violence, gun control, and the list goes on. There was a time in American Evangelicalism when these issues were often discussed outside the church but never within […]
View PostThe priesthood of all believers was a key principle advanced during the Reformation. However, by the time of the Pietistic renewal movements, a new clericalism had emerged especially in state churches. Pietism elevated the laity to a new position in the church. The early Pietists still held onto an ordained clergy, but they were no […]
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