Here’s an important diagnostic question for American Christians to ask themselves: “Does my vision for the kingdom of God rely on coercively imposing righteousness on my neighbors?” Said another way, “Do I see the kingdom of God as something that should be forced upon people against their will? Are people coerced into the kingdom of God or invited into it?”
Tag: Christian mission
Quote of Note #203: Counter-cultural Faith?
"At times, the evangelical church has been indistinguishable from Western, white American culture."
Pastor Note #132: Anger and Following Jesus
In my youth, which took place in those dark days before the existence of computers and apps on mobile devices, it was very difficult to say definitively how often, if at all, a given phrase appears in the Bible. These days, of course, it is a matter of a few moments of thumb typing, and … Continue reading Pastor Note #132: Anger and Following Jesus
Pastor Note #117: Advent Reflection #3
So, here we are in the third week of Advent. It’s really a terrible cliché to say that time seems to fly by as we come up on Christmas. But cliché or not, somehow it seems to be true. Maybe it’s because we crowd these weeks full of events and “to-do list” items and expectations, … Continue reading Pastor Note #117: Advent Reflection #3
Pastor Note #115: Advent Reflections #1
I just did a quick online search for Advent calendars and discovered that you can buy Advent calendars at Target, Walmart, and on the Etsy site. They’re everywhere. I also noticed that almost all of them are incorrect. All of the Advent calendars I looked at start on December 1, and five out of every … Continue reading Pastor Note #115: Advent Reflections #1
Quote of Note #123: Christianity & Coercion
Photo by GAC "Christian civility takes human freedom seriously. I may want people to believe as I do about some basic matters--but what I want is for them to choose to see things that way. This means that I must rely on testimony and persuasion in presenting my views to them. Civil Christians will be … Continue reading Quote of Note #123: Christianity & Coercion
Pastor Note #107: Violence and the Kingdom of God: a Sermon
Conversations with Jesus:James and John and Violence in the Kingdom of GodLuke 9:51-55 Pastor Gary Chorpenning A sermon preached atVenice Presbyterian ChurchCecil Township, PAJanuary 10,2021 We’re living in difficult and unpredictable times. I’ll admit that I had a different sermon planned for today, but the events at the U. S. Capitol this week have caused … Continue reading Pastor Note #107: Violence and the Kingdom of God: a Sermon
Pastor Note #102: Evangelical Fears and the Turn Toward Coercive “Christianism”: an Essay Part 3 of 3
Evangelical Fears and the Turn Toward “Coercive Christianism”: an Essay Part 3 of 3 In Part 1 of this essay, I laid out some examples of Evangelical fears, particularly in the form of their desire for a strongman-protector. I have also presented statistical evidence of significant shifts in the demographics of faith in America. In … Continue reading Pastor Note #102: Evangelical Fears and the Turn Toward Coercive “Christianism”: an Essay Part 3 of 3
Quote of Note #104: God’s Response to Disasters
Dutch Fork Lake in the fog; photo by GAC "After all, so often when people look out on the world and its disasters they wonder why God doesn't just march in and take over. Why, they ask, does he permit it? Why doesn't he send a thunderbolt (or perhaps something a little less like what … Continue reading Quote of Note #104: God’s Response to Disasters
Quote of Note #84: Antagonizing Idols–Respecting People
"[Contextualization in preaching] means to resonate with yet defy the culture around you. It means to antagonize society's idols while showing respect for its people and many of its hopes and aspirations. It means expressing the gospel in a way that is not only comprehensible but also convincing." Timothy Keller, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an … Continue reading Quote of Note #84: Antagonizing Idols–Respecting People
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 