For Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich each, the wall was a failed marriage that took them by surprise. Successful in everything else they had done, each had to process this new reality. Each came out of it a better believer, closer to God. They describe that process in their book The Critical Journey: Stages in …
I was teaching a class of about 30 lay pastors. On the second day, one raised his hand and asked whether you could smoke and still be a Christian. I stopped what we were doing and led a long discussion on being saved by grace, not by works that you do or don’t do. The …
“God wants to talk to you as much as he talked with David, Isaiah and other people of the Bible.” When I first read this claim, I was stunned. Could that actually be true? I thought God did his speaking through the writers of the Bible. Theologians explain those biblical truths, and so I needed …
Poet T. S. Eliot famously observed, “We had the experience but missed the meaning.” All practicing Christians have had experiences of the Spirit. Most Christians in traditional churches weren’t taught the meaning. Eliot was referring to the “sudden illumination” of meaning beyond temporary circumstances, deep meaning across generations. Christians have moments of sudden illumination of …
Recognize Spiritual Experiences When You Have Them Read More »
Mainline churches traditionally emphasize a transcendent spiritual experience, meaning above and beyond the ordinary. They meet in settings very different from weekday environments. Worship happens in special buildings (sanctuaries with stained glass windows) and in special clothing (gowns and Sunday-best) with organ music now associated only with churches. Sunday is meant to be a weekly …
What Triggers Religiously Significant Experiences? Read More »
When I was leading a group on a tour of Israel, we went out on the Sea of Galilee in a tourist boat. We could see many of the special places where Jesus taught and ministered. The operator then played a recording of “How Great Thou Art” at high volume. We all sang the three …
The “good old days” ended about fifty years ago for traditional mainline church bodies. This was the boom time after World War II. My denomination had 4,625 congregations in 1945. It grew to about 6,000 twenty years later. That is a growth rate of new congregations of about 7% per year. Now we are withering …
When Churches Wither, Turn to Christ’s Spirit for New Energy Read More »
Recall the two-sided coin with the cross on one side and a dove on the other, discussed several blogs ago (Look on the Other Side of the Coin). The coin represents God’s presence in our lives. At times Paul focuses on Christ crucified, who changes our fundamental relationship with God. We become different people “in …
When Thinking Church, Look on the Other Side of the Coin Read More »
The Trinity is a mystery. Yet the presence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is basic to Scriptures. Understanding the God in three persons becomes a lot easier with a functional view. The conventional approach is an ontological perspective that asks: Who is God and who are the three persons? Asking about the “is-ness” of …
How Well Do You Know the Spirit’s Role in the Trinity? Read More »
The field of motivational psychology was pioneered by Abraham Maslow. His hierarchy of needs is so well known that I treat it as the classical hierarchy. The first four priorities are to satisfy bodily needs, security needs, affiliation needs and status needs. The fifth is the least explored and the hardest to talk about in …
After his conversion, the Apostle Paul spent a number of silent years at home in Tarsus. I envision him sharing his personal story of God’s grace and the impact on his life, even going out on weekends to spread this new Good News. He was a genius at learning to pare down his message to …
Would you like to encourage fellow believers in their daily walk of living out new life in Christ? Sometimes we each feel we are on our own, and we’re stuck in the same old patterns of our faith life. Perhaps, like me, you will appreciate fresh evidence of Christ’s Spirit at work bringing new insights …
By Means of Mutual Conversation and Encouragement Read More »
The charismatic movement of the 1960s through 80s touched many congregations in mainline denominations. So did conflict, as traditional pastors and church members encountered something not in our Reformation traditions—experiences of speaking in tongues, as practiced in Paul’s time. Considered a gift and blessing, this experience is expected for membership in Pentecostal churches. I was …
Encouraged by Evidence of God’s Empowering Presence Read More »
I’ve heard it many times: “It was a life-changing experience.” Such is a frequent comment from participants in short-term mission trips through our church and other mission agencies. For some it is taking a step in faith and discovering rewards. For others this is a reaction to first encountering poverty in under-developed countries. For one …
The steep decline that so many mainline churches are experiencing today, is especially widespread among mainline Lutheran, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches. We are church bodies that value our Reformation heritage and share the background of being state-sponsored churches back in Europe. This heritage places us at a great disadvantage in the current American culture. …