Author Archives: rthenderson

BLOG 6.13.19. THE GLORY OF GOD IN CARGO SHORTS? Pastor-scholar Gregory Boyd defines the glory of God as: “the radiant display of the divine nature.” So, if that is the case, then where would one expect to encounter that ‘radiant … Continue reading →

BLOG 6.11.19. THE CHURCH’S CONTEXT IS ALWAYS CHANGING Remembering the church “in the good old days” or fantasizing about the church as we would like it to be in our ideal, … is not at all realistic, mainly because the … Continue reading →

BLOG 6.6.19. THE MINISTRY OF ‘LAICIZING’ THE CLERGY The role of the clergy is rather malleable, depending whom you talk to. Early in the church’s history, the church sacralized its leadership into a priesthood, which somewhat contradicted the apostolic teachings … Continue reading →

BLOG 5.3.19. “IF THE SALT HAS LOST ITS TASTE … NO GOOD FOR ANYTHING” I have just been reading the Southern Poverty Law Center’s sobering account of the incidents of racism and prejudice against immigrants in its report Combating Nativism: … Continue reading →

BLOG 5.31.19. THE ENIGMA OF THEOLOGICAL SEMINARIES I’m engaging this Blog with a bit of trepidation, but with positive purpose—maybe I’m simply exercising my gadfly proclivity on a sacred tradition of so much of the church. I am, after all, … Continue reading →

BLOG 5.28.19. THE FORM OF THE CHURCH ALWAYS UNDERGOING CHANGE I’ve been reading, with fascination, Pete Buttigeig’s best seller: Shortest Way Home, and reflecting on the lessons it has to teach the church about the role of human institutions undergoing … Continue reading →

BLOG 5.24.19. CONFESSING OUR SINS IS TO COME OUT OF HIDING Confession of sins is one of the more difficult of Christian disciplines, and at the same time one of the more necessary disciplines. It is more than a tip … Continue reading →

BLOG 5.21.19. “JESUS, BY WHOM AND FOR WHOM ALL THINGS EXIST” The New Testament is unequivocal and repetitive: that this whole creation exists by and for Jesus Christ. Everything before Jesus’ reconciling work on the cross points toward him, … … Continue reading →

BLOG 5.16.19. “REJOICE ALWAYS, …GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES” I’ll admit to being a ‘news junkie,’… that I probably spend too much time surfing news sources, all of which easily leads me into moods of pessimism and despair, what with … Continue reading →

BLOG 5.14.19. WHY DO I THINK WHAT I THINK?  OR DO WHAT I DO? Occasionally, it is profitable to stop and take stock of our lives, … to ask the ultimate questions—which might well be a frightening experience for some … Continue reading →