ProtestantBeliefs.com

Let me be forthrightly clear: to follow a Christologically conditioned reading of Holy Scripture is not to be, at the same time, an implicit Marcionite. It is also not to suggest that the Old Testament history is simply the Hebrew peoples’ progressive knowledge of God, and thusly their writing thereof, as if it isn’t in fact heilsgeschichte, or the story of God’s in-breaking activity all throughout ‘salvation history,’ providentially and actively orienting and working through the events of said history in order to eventuate the actualization of his pre-destination in Jesus Christ to be for the world and not against…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here. Prayer prompts: For those caught in the midst of warfare and conflict, especially in Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar,…

Created to Be At the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering where the theme “Created to Be” inspired young people to be their brave, free, authentic, disruptive, and discipling selves, there was a place in the Interactive Learning space that invited them to be “Drawn In! Moving Out!” It was an absolute joy to once again bring the vision of a worship learning experience I brainstormed in 2016 to life for the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans. We staffed the booth with an incredible team from the ELCA Worship Staff, Lutheran Summer Music, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, and…

“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds. –Jeremiah 17:9–10 This is going to be a very brief screed on the inscrutable reality of sin and evil. As the prophet Jeremiah speaks for Yahweh, or as Yahweh speaks directly through Jeremiah, something is quite clear about the human fallen heart: i.e., it is beyond our comprehension. The only commentary or explicator provided for its depths comes in the incarnation of God in Jesus…

Warm-up Questions What is your favorite thing to eat? What happens if you have too much of it? Olympic Bread With the Summer Olympics in Paris this summer, bread is playing a central part in the tourist experience. After all, France is known for their bakeries, from crunchy baguettes to sweet pastries and so much more. One bakery went so far as to imprint Olympic rings on the fifteen pound loaves they were baking. You can read more about that here or watch a short video on it here.  There’s something strange in that first paragraph. A loaf of bread…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here. Prayer prompts: For justice and peace among nations where war and conflict rage, especially Palestine and Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq,…

I am currently reading Megan Basham’s recently released book Shepherds For Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda. She goes after folks who I have identified as mainstream evangelical leaders (to one degree or another), such as: Russell Moore, Ed Stetzer, JD Greear, Gavin Ortlund, and many others. I have only made it through chapter 1, on climate change. But I know the basic thesis of the book, and that there is leftist money intentionally being funneled into the evangelical environs in order to soften evangelicals to progressive themes; such as: climate change, the LGBTQI+ agenda,…

Tuesday, July 16 – Created to Be Brave Today, the streets of New Orleans were alive with color and energy as over 16,000 youth and their adult leaders filled the city. Excitement buzzed in the air as old friends reunited with joyous screams and new connections began to form among youth and adults arriving at the airport and engaging in Holy Play in Community Life. Community Life was vibrant and full of energy. All five gaga ball pits were filled with not only youth but their leaders as well. Students played inflatable wack-a-mole, hungry-hungry hippo, and ran through giant inflatables….

Confusing the various subcultures of Christianity, with the Gospel itself is fleeting. Each Christian tradition has its own idiosyncratic ways of liturgizing, and various parochialisms, and its just straight up weird stuff that they do. For my respective “tribe,” broadly speaking, as an American evangelical, what has become weird is driven by its slavish commitment to consumerism at all costs. Whether it be professional worship bands leading worship (like the folks who didn’t quite make the American Idol cut), the pastor wearing skinny jeans, sporting a mustache, with a man bun, or just the self-help sermons and programs that run…

Thursday, July 18 – Created to Be Free Today, over 5k Gathering participants in bright orange shirts launched into the city for “Accompaniment Day,” a day dedicated to walking alongside and supporting the people of New Orleans. Participants engaged with community leaders who are making significant impacts locally and globally. Each project was crafted by local leaders to deepen their missions, highlighting the importance of partnership and continued impact. Accompaniment involves more than physical tasks; it includes learning about culture, food, and justice-centered work. As we engage in God’s mission, building relationships is essential to proclaiming the Gospel. Participants cleaned…