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Quite Literally The Most Loving Thing

Discovering you are wrong and are committed to the wrong people and ideas is painful. So painful that each of us resist it to the outermost parts of the sea. But even there the Lord can go and snatch a creature out of the clutches of Satan. This is technically the most loving thing that can ever happen to anyone, even though it might be unpleasant in the moment. But how comfortable is it to get your cheeks pierced and your kneck tattooed? I feel like having to chat with a Christian in the beauty section of Marshalls wouldn’t even barely compete.

#195: No Longer Against the Grain: A Conversation with Shane Morris

Jady and Nick welcome Shane Morris of the Colson Center to the podcast. They consider the supposed difference between private faith and public discourse, talk about life “with the grain” of God’s good design, and discuss the new creation mandate.

#194: The Heart of the Matter: Men and Women, Body and Soul

Matt, Jady, and Nick consider the Diocese of South Carolina’s recent convention as a microcosm of the ACNA as a whole, talk about diocesan interrelationships, and discuss the importance of discussing men and women at the creation-order level.

But God…

“And you,” explains Paul, “were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience…” Isn’t it disappointing, though, that the sons of disobedience would have to be church clerics? Oh well.

#193: Sorry Not Sorry: Christ, Culture, and Apologizing for Evangelism

Matt and Jady talk about the Church of England’s recent report calling for an apology for their history of ministry in Africa. They discuss the biblical view of false gods, evangelism and the early church, and the benefits of Christian “imperialism.”

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Hate Has No Home Here

Hate Has No Home Here

The feast itself sounds glorious, satisfying, restful even. But it comes at a cost. Someone has to do the work–arranging the tables, getting the food together, deciding on the decorations and the guest list. All that takes weeks, months perhaps. But the preparations are only half of the work. The other half is making the people who come peaceable enough to enjoy what is given.

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But Behold, An Outcry

But Behold, An Outcry

What is “the white Christian nationalism” exactly? Probably I don’t really want to know. I think one thing that makes it very hard to consider what McKnight is saying is that the writing is riddled with so many unspoken and unexplained assumptions. He trusts that you, the reader, already know what he is talking about and agree with him because he is so obviously right. He doesn’t have to “do the work” of explaining what the text means or what he believes about the text.

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I am that kind of person

I am that kind of person

To which I would be inclined to say–of course not, as long as you are more generous to me. Or, to put it another way, as long as it appears fair from my angle. I do well to be angry, and I will sit here waiting for God to make it right according to my own measure of what that means.

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Forgive Me

Forgive Me

‘But Jesus,’ you complain, ‘that’s so embarrassing. And also, I am a forgiving kind of Christian and I will eventually get over my bad feelings by praying more. Also, it’s none of my business. Also, I can’t because she is so busy and so am I.’ At which point Jesus folds you in his loving arms and says, as everyone knows he does, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize you don’t like conflict. I didn’t know how hurt you felt. In that case, you don’t have to do this. This is actually for other people. Not you. Your sister is welcome to go to perdition, alienated and alone. I know the feelings of your heart are the most important thing in the world and not the real lives of other people I’ve joined to myself through my sacrificial work on the cross. You are my most precious treasure and I don’t want you to ever be embarrassed or uncomfortable or humiliated.’ Hashtag Things Jesus Is Never Going To Say.

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When The Preacher Sins

When The Preacher Sins

He has a good inkling—that it’s about forgiveness—but, like a progressive trying to work out the logic of Jesus’ encounter with the Syrophoenician woman a couple of weeks ago—because he has so fully centered himself in the narrative, Jesus ends up being the one to apologize. “It’s as if I hurt you,” says this new, abashed Jesus, “please forgive me.”

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On Leaves And Rocks

On Leaves And Rocks

Just as, for anyone who begins to wonder who, or now, in many cases, what they are, the inquiry is crushingly value-laden. Who I am is how other people will know me. If I don’t know, or you don’t know, I am admitting to the depths of alienation I experience within myself, never mind the disconnection I have with God or other people. It’s not just all the visual attributes of my appearance or character, it’s my essential being and how I am known. Who am I?

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Old Souls in a New World

Old Souls in a New World

In the real story, only Jesus is good, but the woman is exactly the sort of person who would, today, embarrass everyone who hates Oliver Anthony’s song. They think they would be on her side, but look how her very existence humiliates everyone

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