Thus, it should come as no surprise to find a consistent patristic emphasis on forgiveness as well (especially in times of persecution, when the Church had to grapple with the issue of forgiveness for those who lapsed momentarily from the faith). What is not so easy to grasp is the profound sense of connection that someone like Origen (especially) is able to see between forgiveness and prayer. Naming sin as such is not popular these days, and political correctness has shifted our concerns from matters of sin and forgiveness to questions of hurt feelings and politeness. [Read more…] about 5th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer: Lost Dynamic Punch in our day?
Theology & The Practice of Prayer
C.S. Lewis’ humility in reflecting upon the Psalms
This is not a work of scholarship. I am no Hebraist, no higher critic, no ancient historian, no archaeologist. I write for the unlearned about things in which I am unlearned myself. If an excuse is needed (and perhaps it is) for writing such a book, my excuse would be something like this. It often happens that two schoolboys can solve difficulties in their work for one another better than the master can. When you took the problem to a master, as we all remember, he was very likely to explain what you understood already, to add a great deal of information which you didn’t want, and say nothing at all about the thing that was puzzling you. I have watched this from both sides of the net; for when, as a teacher myself, I have tried to answer questions brought me by pupils, I have sometimes, after a minute, seen that expression settle down on their faces which assured me that they were suffering exactly the same frustration which I had suffered from my own teachers. The fellow-pupil can help more than the master because he knows less. [Read more…] about C.S. Lewis’ humility in reflecting upon the Psalms
What is the greatest challenge facing the church today?
[T]he greatest challenge facing the church of Jesus Christ today, and therefore every local congregation, is motivating the people of God to engage in sincere, honest, fervent prayer. . . . we must not only pray. We must also reflect on the nature and the working of prayer. As we do so, we discover that ultimately all prayer is a cry for the kingdom. When we come to comprehend this basic truth regarding prayer, we are better equipped to become effective pray-ers for the sake of the kingdom of God.
— Stanley J. Grenz. Prayer: The Cry For The Kingdom. Revised Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans: 2005, 1, 7. Agree/disagree? How does this apply to your walk with God personally and corporately (as part of a campus fellowship, a local congregation, the kingdom of God)? [Read more…] about What is the greatest challenge facing the church today?