Author Archives: rthenderson

About rthenderson

Sixty years a pastor-teacher within the Presbyterian Church. Author of several books, the latest of which are a trilogy on missional ecclesiology: ENCHANTED COMMUNITY: JOURNEY INTO THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH, then, REFOUNDING THE CHURCH FROM THE UNDERSIDE, then THE CHURCH AND THE RELENTLESS DARKNESS. Previous to this trilogy was A DOOR OF HOPE: SPIRITUAL CONFLICT IN PASTORAL MINISTRY, and SUBVERSIVE JESUS, RADICAL FAITH. I am a native of West Palm Beach, Florida, a graduate of Davidson College, then of Columbia and Westminster Theological Seminaries.

BLOG 4/20/18. PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS ARE FOR REAL

Posted on April 20, 2018 by

BLOG 4/20/18. PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS … ARE FOR REAL Reading Cory Booker’s (junior senator from New Jersey) fascinating recent book United is a graphic reminder that the Biblical teaching about the sinister and subtle and subverting presence of principalities and … Continue reading →

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BLOG 4/17/18. “BY THIS TIME YOU OUGHT TO BE TEACHERS OF OTHERS”

Posted on April 17, 2018 by

BLOG 4/17/18. “BY THIS TIME YOU OUGHT TO BE TEACHERS OF OTHERS” OK, let’s get this on the table right up front: Christ’s followers are called to be contagious with the reality of God’s New Creation, which he came to … Continue reading →

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BLOG 4/13/1. YOUR LIFE IRRELEVANT TO HISTORY? SAY WHAT?

Posted on April 13, 2018 by

BLOG 4/13/18. YOUR LIFE IRRELEVANT TO HISTORY? SAY WHAT? My last blog precipitated some response that requires a follow-up. I quoted a missions professor whose statement was: “If you can’t relate your life to Christ’s Great Commission, then your life … Continue reading →

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BLOG 4/10/18. “IF YOU CAN’T RELATE YOUR LIFE TO THE GREAT COMMISSION …”

Posted on April 10, 2018 by

BLOG 4/10/18. “IF YOU CAN’T RELATE YOUR LIFE TO THE GREAT COMMISSION, THEN YOUR LIFE IS IRRELEVANT TO HISTORY” Doesn’t that sound like an outrageously extreme proposition? It’s worth chewing on. It comes, as I recall, in something similar to … Continue reading →

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BLOG 4/6/18. THE ENIGMA OF THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY

Posted on April 6, 2018 by

BLOG 4/6/18. THE ENIGMA OF THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY It inevitably comes up in conversation, once that conversation turns to politics, and that is how so many ostensible Christian persons can be so dedicated to a person whose whole demeanor contradicts … Continue reading →

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BLOG 4/3/18. WHAT FOLLOWS EASTER? HOPE AND PERSECUTION

Posted on April 3, 2018 by

BLOG 4/3/18. WHAT FOLLOWS EASTER? HOPE AND PERSECUTION! It is worth a brief reminder, that historically what followed that first Easter was something like four centuries of persecution … and what made that persecution endurable was the incredible hope that … Continue reading →

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BLOG 3/30/18. “HE DESCENDED INTO HELL”

Posted on March 30, 2018 by

BLOG 3/30/18. “HE DESCENDED INTO HELL” How to even approach this classic affirmation of our Christian faith, which the church has professed in its creed for nearly two millennia? For those who are the followers of Christ it is quite … Continue reading →

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BLOG 2/27/18. CAN A CHURCH BE PART OF THE DARKNESS ?

Posted on March 27, 2018 by

BLOG 3/27/18. CAN A CHURCH BE PART OF THE DARKNESS? In the morally and ethically confused period through which we are currently living, what with issues of gun-control, homelessness, huge prison populations, record number of refugees worldwide, hunger, immigrant status, … Continue reading →

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BLOG 3/23/18. ME? A PROTESTER?

Posted on March 23, 2018 by

BLOG 3/23/18. ME? A PROTESTER? Tomorrow, all over this country, thousands upon thousands of (primarily) young people will be marching in protest about this nation’s failure to enact stricter gun control laws. They will be primarily young because the older … Continue reading →

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BLOG 3/20/18. “HOW EVANGELICALS LOST THEIR WAY …”

Posted on March 20, 2018 by

BLOG 3/20/18. “HOW EVANGELICALS LOST THEIR WAY …” For those of you who are the regular readers of these blogs, you would know how totally dismayed, even undone, I am over the phenomenon of this present administration, and the way … Continue reading →

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