The Shack

late last night i finished reading The Shack, by William P. Young. i found it to be a great fiction story divulging into tough questions of God's involvement in tragedy. although, i am not willing to put a blank slate of approval to all the theology depicted, i found it an amazing read that changed my perception of the relationship God wishes to have with his created. Young's depiction of God's relationship with nature made my heart sing.

seeing how i just finished, it is hard to tell how, or if it will, influence my idea of the theodicy problem. it's important to note that this work is becoming quite controversial book.

at any rate, i recommend it!!!




here are a few reviews (both pro and con):
The Ooze
Christianity Today
Greg Boyd
USA Today

religion and politics

recently Kristyn and I have received the occasional forward asking us as "Christians" to act a certain way because of the current political activities making our news.

without giving my support to either candidate all i can do is quote my professor of Preaching and Scripture, Dr. Gloer; when we spent a moment in class last week looking at Mark 12:12-15 he nonchalantly commentated, "Religion and politics always make strange bed fellows."

John the Baptizer ...not a Baptist? ...a Pentecostal?

i've been reading up on John the Baptizer this week getting ready for Sundays message, and in Barclay's commentary i read something that changes some ideals. in Matthew's gospel he quotes John the Baptizer saying, "I baptize you with/in water... he [speaking of the coming Messiah] will baptize with the holy spirit and fire." its interesting to note that whenever he said "holy spirit" he was not thinking about the third person in the trinity. rather as a Jew he was thinking of ruach (Hebrew word for spirit, breath, and wind). ruach is the Breath of life. ruach is the power of God. ruach was present at the work of creation.

Or as Barclay puts it,

"It was the Spirit of God who moved upon the face of the waters and made the chaos into cosmos, turned disorder into order, and made a world out of the uncreated mists… When the Spirit of God enters into a man the disorder of human nature becomes the order of God; our dishevelled, disorderly, uncontrolled lives are moulded by the Spirit into the harmony of God."