While studying for an upcoming sermon series on the kingdom of God, I came across this gripping description of Jesus' invitation to the kingdom from Old Testament scholar John Bright: Christ, then, has come to call men to his Kingdom. His mission was not to instruct men in a better and more spiritual ethic, to …
Theological Blind Spots: Paul Hiebert’s suggestion for an international hermeneutic
Yesterday I wrote about blind spots in our individual lives. It is difficult to see them and just as challenging to address them. The same thing is true in our theology. We often have blind spots that are evident to others but hard for us to see ourselves. Many years ago, I came across Paul …
Discipline is the Price of Freedom
I came across this excerpt from D. Elton Trueblood's 1970 book The New Man for Our Time on the topic of spiritual discipline. It caught my attention as I continue to give attention to the disciplines of grace necessary for us to grow in the spiritual life, drawing upon the influence of writers like Eugene Peterson, …
It Needs to Get Inside of You: Eugene Peterson on the Spiritual Disciplines
One of my favorite authors is Eugene Peterson. Peterson is best known as the author behind the paraphrase of the Bible, The Message. As a pastor, his works on pastoral ministry for our contemporary era, such as Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity, Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work and Under the Unpredictable Plant, are unparalleled. …
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What Is the Essential Virtue?: further insights about the easy yoke from Dallas Willard
Yesterday I shared an excerpt from Dallas Willard's Renovation of the Heart about what Willard sees as the essence of discipleship in the easy yoke of Jesus referenced in Matthew 11:28-30. I wanted to share one additional thought from Willard on this, which flows directly from living as a disciple of Jesus within His easy …
Matthew Erickson 