Category: Uncategorized

Beyond traditional non-traditionalism

Reading through a couple of chapters in Jim Belcher's Deep Church, the question of how to deal with tradition came up. Belcher rightly reminds his reader that the issue of tradition starts with the very definition of "tradition." Low-church theology, sta… more »

Five criteria for Pentecostal Theology

Reflecting on what criteria Pentecostal theological thinking would need to fulfill in order to be acceptable (or even accessible?) to a postmodern mindset, all the while staying Pentecostal, the following list is what I came up with so far. I'd love to h… more »

The Shack -- or: how the story of a meeting with God becomes a theology book

When I first opened William Paul Young's The Shack, I was fully aware of the controversy and discussions surrounding this new Christian best-seller. I had read some strong arguments for and against its depiction of God (and a lot of nit-picking, too). So I determined from the beginning not to read a theology book, but accept its form as a novel in order to avoid getting caught up in theological details and miss the main message (a concept that somehow sounds familiar from another major Christian work, if you know what I mean :-)). However, I quickly found out that this is impossible: The Shack is a theology book -- just in disguise. more »

Ecclesia semper [reformanda]: A plea for the church

One of the basic tenets of the Protestant Reformation, particularly of Martin Luther is ecclesia semper reformanda, the position that the church always has to keep reforming itself. In many areas where tradition and institutionalization have done their w… more »

Should Evangelicals Embrace or Resist Postmodernism?

Should Evangelicals Embrace or Resist Postmodernism?I can't believe that people still see this as an either/or question. After all, postmodernism is here, which doesn't really make it an option if you want to reach the world. Which is not to say we… more »