Take & read: New books in theology
To speak words of grace, we must first name the powers and principalities that hold us captive.
sin
When Christian practice (de)forms us
Do practices make us better people? Lauren Winner isn't so sure.
Take & read: New books in New Testament
Can we read scripture critically and theologically at the same time?
N. T. Wright’s creative reconstruction of Paul and his world
Wright tells a great story. Would the apostle recognize it?
It is the church's work.
Thirty years later my petty crime came back to haunt me.
"It's a sin problem," goes the slogan, "not a gun problem." Whatever definition of sin is operative here, it isn't Paul's.
Sin distorts the reciprocity for which God made us.
There are two sure things in life: death and sin.
People do terrible things. So does the biblical God. Is there value in naming those things?
“I tried to remember that these are human beings, not caricatures.”
Redemption revisited
Faith is formed in us by the Spirit and the life of the church. It renews our elemental confidence and creates our disposition toward the world.
The power of small sins
Far from being meaningless slights with minimal harm, microagressions intrude on the spiritual lives of those who are already marginalized and oppressed.
The satisfaction theory of the atonement centers on debt, humanity’s debt to God. It’s often criticized for its gruesome picture of God. But it also paints a weird picture of Jesus: Christ the Debt Buyer.
Standing Naked Before God, by Molly Phinney Baskette
Molly Phinney Baskette's book is not a robust example of the Christian practice of confession. But she does offer a glimpse into the life of a church that is thriving against the odds.