Category: Uncategorized

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 »

A look at emergent ecclesiology

After the Emerging Church tried to "reinvent" the church (McLaren), theologians take a critical look at the new emergent ecclesiology (if there really is such a thing). The Knox Centre's freshly installed Kevin Ward did exaclty that in his rece… more »

Oh Lord, won't you buy me ...

Time.com has an interesting article on the relation between prosperity gospel and the economic crisis. Although their title blows it way out of proportions by suggesting that God might be to blame for the whole mess, the article is an interesting read wi… more »