Category: Articles

All of the curated articles on Sunday to Saturday.

Articles/Image of God

ARTICLE: Calling for a Modern-Day Reformation

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In a powerful essay author Jemar Tisby asks why many American Christians are not welcoming to the increasing diversity of the country when Revelation 7:9 talks about a diverse multitude standing before the throne of the Lord. As a result, Tisby calls for a modern-day reformation rooted in the image of God. Tisby goes one important step further providing clear, concrete steps such as renewed scholarship, diverse leadership, and making sure our orthodoxy and orthopraxy lineup while pointing out that it starts with us implementing these changes in our communities and organizations. This article is for those that have already have a solid foundation in the image of God and want a deeper dive.

Articles/Image of God

ARTICLE: What does it mean to be made in God’s image?

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There are three basic understandings of what it means to be made in the Image of God. One is a structural view that believes humans' ability to reason and have a conscience reflects the image of God. Another theory is relational where being made in God's image means living in a relationship with God and other people. The third view is functional where humans are representatives of God on earth. Whichever theory that one ascribes to it dictates how we are to interact with the world and our fellow human beings -- we are to treat people with "dignity and respect irrespective of gender, race, age, nationality or economic status because we remember our King’s words that as we did for “the least of these my brothers, you did also to me” (Matt. 25:40).

Articles/Image of God

ARTICLE: The Value of Human Life

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In ancient times people believed that royalty - pharaohs, emperors, and kings - were representatives of gods on earth. These image-bearers learned the will of their gods and carried out the god's purposes. This image-bearing title was exclusively reserved for those in power. Genesis 1:27, which declares that all humans are made in the image of God, was revolutionary. Instead of the will of god's being exclusive, Yahweh says that all humans can know and carry out his will. This theme laces the Bible and is a foundational tenet of the Christian faith. With a little bit of history, a little bit of theology, and a little bit of advice for today this is a perfect introduction to the image of God theology.

Articles/Christian Nationalism

ARTICLE: Christian Nationalism Debates Expose Clashing Views of Power

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Talk of Christian nationalism has skyrocketed. In 2021 there were 200,000 tweets on Christian nationalism for the entire year, in just July of 2022 there were over 289,000 tweets on the term. Journalist Daniel Sillman provides a thorough, nuanced look at the word, from those that see it as a positive and those that see it as a negative, along with polling statistics and interviews of pastors, authors, and historians.

Articles/Christian Nationalism

ARTICLE: The Inevitable Tragedy of Christian Nationalism

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At one point in his life author Joe Forrest thought if we had more Christians in the world then the world would get better, but the current iteration of Christian nationalism has him abandoning his theory. The idolatrous mixture of nationalism and religion has birthed Christians who simply think, believe, vote, and fear like themselves. Self-critique is blasphemy and demonizing those we disagree with is a virtue. Forrest points out that this idolatry is doomed to fail and is a major reason why the 15 books of the prophets in the Bible focused so intently on idolatry as humans are prone to worship things other than God.