The one who says, “Come let us make bricks” is NOT the one who is actually making the bricks. The one who holds the whip is the one giving the commands. The one at the other end of the whip is making the bricks.
Read MoreIsaiah 9 contains the phrase, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…” You might recognize this passage as the inspiration for the famous musical composition—Handel’s Messiah. The passage is usually read in Christmas services and programs as a reminder that the Messiah's birth was necessary for him to act as mediator between us and God, and that is why the Son was given. While this is certainly true and deserves multiple "AMENS," the passage teaches us so much more than that! Isaiah chapter 9:6-7 teaches the ongoing progression of Christ's government of peace and justice which began during his first advent.
Read MoreToday Christianity is on the very periphery of learning in our culture. More problematically though, learning is on the very periphery of Christianity. The idea that the Holy Spirit works through the renewing of the mind, which is what the Bible teaches, has been replaced by the idea that the Holy Spirit works through the removal of the mind. The dedication of one’s mind to God in the service of his kingdom is looked upon today with suspicion in particular by evangelicals, for whom on the whole anti-intellectualism has become almost an article of faith.
Read MoreAsk a Christian what the kingdom of God is. Ten to one you won’t get a proper answer, just a lot of pious waffle about kingdom values and kingdom principles at best, and more than likely a load of super-spiritual nonsense that is no more than thinly disguised dualism.
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