Category: Kingdom Theology
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Lust, Love, and the Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms
Content warning: Sex, sexual assault, violence, war, imperialism. Sources indicated with an * are negative examples that are not cited by name, but linked for reference. Series Introduction Recently, A Better Way ministries was featured by the Associated Press for an exhibit highlighting the evils of sexual abuse and assault. The clothing of sexual abuse…
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The Temptation of Bibliolatry
I often read the Bible with an air of arrogance. Sometimes I elevate myself above the foolish Israelites who, even after seeing God part the red sea or deliver them from empire, still choose to rebel against this omnipotent and benevolent God. At other times I am appalled at the Ancient Near East’s barbaric practices…
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More with Less: The Politics of Jesus in Everyday Living
The question we need to ask is, are we operating by the world’s definition of “politics” and Kingdomhood, or Jesus’s? What did He do that was political, that threatened Herod, Pilate and Caesar? The Kingdom of God is not merely to be proclaimed, it is to be lived. Our lives, our communities, our social interactions,…
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The Temptation of Power
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” –Lord Acton Yes, sooner or later – later, if he is strong or well meaning to begin with – but neither strength nor good purpose will last – sooner or later the Dark Power will devour him.” — J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring The…
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(Book Review) Bonhoeffer’s “Cost of Discipleship” and the Deconstructing Church
I shall never forget the first impression my twelve-year-old self had of a yellowed, tattered paperback copy of Bonhoeffer’s well-known Cost of Discipleship. We were in the Bible school library, and when I flipped the book open and my eye fell on the first place I felt immediately that here in this book was something…
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(Video) Christians and Critical Race Theory: Debunking Myths with Dr. Drew G. I. Hart
Does Critical Race Theory conflict with the gospel? Is it divisive and harmful to the church? What is its relationship to Marxist theory? Where does Critical Race Theory come from and what is it used for? Dr. Drew G. I. Hart is a prolific author on Anabaptism and racial justice. Today, he joins us on…
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The Transformative Power of a Cross-Carrying Life
The call to “carry our cross” is… intense. I don’t know that talking and thinking about it means as much as just doing it, but then Jesus did leave us not only His example but also His words. We have to understand what He calls us to do; we have to count the cost. Reading…
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Face to Face with the Consuming Fire
Three verses have long been troubling to me: Exodus 33:20, I Timothy 6:16, and John 1:18. Each of these verses declares that God cannot be seen, either because he is invisible and spirit, or because if we saw him we could no longer live. What is particularly troubling about these verses is that they seem patently…
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Racism and the Way of the Cross
Guy Hershberger wrote “The Way of the Cross in Human Relations” in 1958. In the book, he explored the cross as a definition of life in the Kingdom of God and applied it to contemporary challenges. Today, we share an excerpt on the subject of racism. His views on this subject reflect a refusal to…
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From leaven to loaf: the Kingdom in 2022
It’s quite interesting watching yeast at work. It is everywhere, ostensibly – on the peel of pears and grapes, in the air, etc. Medieval bakers did not quite know what it was, but they knew what it did. They would set a bowl of flour and water out in the field or under an apple…
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