On:
In: Discipleship, Spiritual Formation

Short answer: Yes. However, and this may seem obvious and come as no surprise, it seems to me that for those who affirm and embrace Christianity, there is some measure of obligation to grow or mature in the faith. Consider how the image of “infant” or “children” is used inRead More

On:
In: Discipleship

It’s been said that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” I’m uncertain about the role of “sincere” flattery, but it’s more than clear that imitating others is an indication of their personal influence and impact. Imitation shows that what others do plays a significant role in our behavior and characterRead More

On:
In: Discipleship, Personal

What follows is advice I gave when someone asked how I handled my anger. I don’t pretend to have it all together in this arena and certainly do fail periodically in keeping my anger under control. But, over the years, I have gleaned some wisdom and have learned a fewRead More

On:
In: Discipleship, Spiritual Formation

Scot McKnight has a brief post pointing to Larry Hurtado‘s newest release Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World. There he highlights distinctions between political, cultural, and religious identities in the first century world and notes that a Christian religious identity was unique among them all.Read More

On:
In: Discipleship, Reviews

Slowly working through Craig Keener’s The Mind of the Spirit: Paul’s Approach to Transformed Thinking and finding it to be not only rigorous and thorough (who could expect anything less from Keener?) but personally penetrating and acute on many levels. He’s giving many reasons for me to think more carefullyRead More

On:
In: Discipleship, Fruit, Spiritual Formation, Theology

Joy and Human Flourishing: Essays on Theology, Culture, and the Good Life contains essays by Jürgen Moltmann, N. T. Wright, Marianne Meye Thompson, Mary Clark Moschella, Charles Mathewes, and Miroslav Volf. It ties joy with other biblical themes such as ecclesiology, happiness, pastoral counseling, creation, and, of course, suffering. The followingRead More