Category Archives: Christian Life

The flowering of the cross

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Jim Gordon quotes Stanley Hauerwas:

‘If forgiveness were forgetting then God would have to suffer the most acute amnesia, but it is God’s unimaginable creativity, which takes what we have done and makes it fruitful. The medieval image of God’s forgiveness was the flpowering of the cross. The cross is the ugly sign of torture. It is the sign of humanity’s ability to refect love and to do what is utterly sterile. But the artists of the middle ages showed this cross flowering on Easter Sunday.

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Richard Baxter on contemplation

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Richard Baxter wrote about contemplation in A Christian Directory and The Saints’ Everlasting Rest.

Following Baxter distinguishes between the contemplative life and the active life:

‘Every active christian is bound to somewhat of contemplation; and all contemplative persons are bound to obedience to God, and to so much of action as may answer their abilities and opportunities. But yet some are much more called to the one, and some to the other; and we denominate from that which is most eminent and the chief.

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The Jesus Prayer

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A short, repeated, prayer which takes the form of ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’, or some reduced version of this (such as ‘Lord Jesus have mercy on me’).

It is based on the plea of the two blind men in Mt 20:30–31 and the tax collector’s prayer in Lk 18:13.

Its usage by the Eastern branch of the church dates back to the 4th or 5th century.

It has also been used in Roman Catholic devotion (often in the form of ‘Lord, make haste to help me.…

Communion with God – Scriptural basis

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Stephen L. Porter writes:

‘While Jesus, Paul, and the other New Testament writers did not utilize language of contemplation (theōria), they did make use of nearby concepts, such as “having the eyes of your heart enlightened” (Eph 1:18), “to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Eph 3:19), “Seek the things that are above, where Christ is” (Col 3:1), “though you have not seen [Christ], you love him” (1 Pet 1:8), and so on. 

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Contemplative – and evangelical?

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You say, ‘Eucharist’; I say, ‘Holy Communion’.  You say, ‘Priest’, I say, ‘Minister’. You say, ‘Spiritual formation’, I say, ‘Discipleship’.  You say, ‘Contemplative prayer’; I say, ‘Communion with God’.

Is it as simple as that?  Are these just different names for the same things?

To focus the question: Is contemplative prayer compatible with (or even essential to) evangelical faith, or inimical to it?  Does the contemplative life represent a departure from, or a deepening of, the evangelical life?…

Your mind matters: practical implications

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In Your Mind Matters, John Stott discusses the practical relevance of pursuing a Christian mind.

1. Worship

Christians do not worship ‘the unknown god’ (Acts 17:23).  They are to worship God ‘in truth’ (Jn 4:24).  We are to praise his ‘name’, implying that we are to know and understand his true being and character.  Rational enquiry is found throughough the Psalms: including the study of God’s works in nature (Psa 104) and in history (Psa 77).…

Why your mind matters

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Some Christians are suspicious of an ‘intellectual’ approach to their faith.  If by that they mean ‘merely intellectual’, then of course that would a terrible thing, and would tend to undermine, rather than build up, the true knowledge, love and service of God.

But we are called to worship God with our whole selves, and that includes our minds.

In Your Mind Matters, John Stott sets out four reasons why Christians should use their minds. …

Dealing with doubt

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Michael J, Kruger has some helpful advice for those dealing with (or helping others to deal with) doubt.

Here’s his advice, mainly in paraphrase form.

1. ‘Doubting is normal.’  It is a normal part of the Christian life.  The Scriptures are full of instances of doubt.  So is church history.  To doubt is not to reject your faith.  The Christian says, with the worried father in Mark 9:24: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”…

Our faithful Queen?

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“Never speak ill of the departed” is reasonable advice, even if it sometimes leads to representing a drunken lout as ‘the life and soul of the party’, or a foul-mouthed youth as merely ‘cheeky’.

In the case of her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, a lot has been said and written in praise her charm, wit, intelligence, steadfastness and worldwide influence for good.

And her Christian faith.

After her death, church leaders scoured her Christmas messages and other utterances for signs of orthodox and vital religion. …

Psalm 46:10 – ‘Be still and know that I am God’

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NET: “Stop your striving and recognize that I am God!”

NIV: ‘Be still and know that I am God’.

The text misunderstood

In popular piety and Christian song, this injunction is often (mis)understood to be a call to quiet meditation.

The following well-known worship song (whose author and composer are unknown) is based on Psa 46:10, and is described here as a ‘meditative, chant-style hymn’:

Be still and know that I am God,
Be still and know that I am God,
Be still and know that I am God.…