I can’t remember exactly when I first heard the song, but it was likely on a Sunday morning at Mars Hill Church in Orange County. Co-written by Dustin Kensrue and Stuart Townend, ‘Rejoice’ has been a song with a near-constant presence in the recent years of my life.
As the lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 drags on, questions regarding the nature and place of the Eucharist are becoming more and more important. Christians in all traditions are now forced to grapple with the reality that it may be some months before congregations and church families can meet again in person. Churches have had to scramble to figure out how they can keep on meeting, many turning to digital mediums like Zoom or Facebook Live to do so. However, the issue of whether the Eucharist may be celebrated by all members of the congregation in their homes remains hotly debated.
Last week I was given the opportunity to preach at my church during the evening service. I don’t get to preach very often, so when I do, it is always equal parts exciting and terrifying for me. The text I was given was John 7:53-8:11 or the woman caught in adultery. It is one of the better-known stories in the Bible, but sometimes this makes it more difficult to preach. It’s also difficult to preach...
The Museum of the Bible recently opened an exhibit entitled, “The Slave Bible: Let the Story be Told.” The centerpiece is a book called, “Parts of the Holy Bible, selected for the use of the Negro Slaves, in the British West-India Islands” published in 1808. Originally published in London in 1807, this book was apparently used to educate British-owned slaves in both reading and religion. The interesting thing about the work is that it features...
The news, once again, is not good. Migrant caravans or asylum-seekers are being tear-gassed at the border. An American Christian was killed when he attempted to evangelize to natives on the island of North Sentinel. A British Ph.D. student was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on espionage charges by the UAE. (Thankfully these charges have been dropped). To top it all off, Thanksgiving was this past week and the whole of America is...
Do I still like Kanye? Sure, maybe, idk. It’s Kanye season once again, and every new interview I watch only makes me more confused. Do I like Kanye or do I hate him? You probably already know your answer. He’s a polarizing figure that makes crowds salivate at any chance of absurd drama or brand new music. He’s a household name for many different reasons, but I didn’t expect for him to become a Whitehouse-hold...
Readers of the Bible may be shocked to discover that an important historical event is missing from its narrative. Most people have never heard of it, even though this event may have well changed the course of history. And more intriguing, it seems that the biblical authors and editors may have sought to suppress this event. Their reason, however, needs some exploration. The Battle of Qarqar In the mid 9th century BCE, the Assyrian Empire...
Anna Carter Florence Rehearsing Scripture: Discovering God’s Word in Community Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018. Pp. 215, paperback, $16.99 ISBN 9780802874122. In Rehearsing Scripture, Rev. Dr. Anna Carter Florence (Peter Marshall Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary) offers a compelling vision for how the Church can read scripture afresh by adopting it as a script for performance. With personal examples and biblical commentary, Florence encourages her readers to join the “Repertory Church,” a place where...
So, I’m on twitter now. My life just needed more social commentary, and my more-conservative-than-not Facebook news feed just wasn’t cutting it. Fortunately, Twitter remains the cool social enclave for many of the more-left-than-central folks, which has allowed me to follow some very interesting thinkers. It has been fascinating to watch debates and dialogues evolve around various issues pertaining to politics and religion. Occasionally, there are pictures of puppies, and I am most thankful for...
You’ve probably seen by now all the pictures of children being taken away from their parents. You’ve also probably seen the detention centers, the TIME magazine cover, the blog posts, the tweets, AG Jeff Sessions defending the practice by quoting Romans 13, President Trump saying that he couldn’t do anything about it, blaming Democrats, doing something about it, and then turning the issue into illegal immigrant crime. No hyperlinks needed; We’ve all seen them. We’ve...
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