New Covenant Israel in the City

Another guest blog by John Davis at The Gospel First. As the people of the Messiah, we have the calling of ancient Israel, to gather the nations in worship of the Creator redeemer God. By His grace we have been engrafted into the life-giving vine, Jesus Christ and called to invite others to share this Read more

Why Are The Poor Poor? Easy to Answer, Hard to Respond

          A recent article on ShaperIron asked the question: “Why are the poor poor?” I'm not sure the right question is being asked or what a right answer will accomplish. However the reason why the poor are poor is relatively simple. Most poor people are BORN poor! Sure there are underlying causes, vicious cycles, but Read more

Fundamentalism in the 21st Century – Three Years Later

          Almost three years ago, while sitting in our little apartment on the outskirts of Paris, I wrote my first article for ShaperIron, an opinion on the direction of Fundamentalism as a movement. At that time I said: "What I am suggesting is that we may have entered a post-ism era where a movement will not define Read more

Wonder of God’s Love

Here's a great thought for the day and every day:“When you’re tempted to doubt God’s love for you, stand before the cross and look at the wounded, dying, disfigured Savior, and realize why He is there. I believe His Father would whisper to us, ‘Isn’t this sufficient? I haven’t spared My own Son; I deformed Read more

A Gospel-Centered Reading of the Old Testament

I've been spending a lot of time in prison lately doing drug counseling with almost unlimited opportunities for the gospel. More about that another time but it has left me with with less time to write – certainly to the delight of some. So I will often reference my brother John's blog The Gospel First.

Martin Luther King – Canonize or Demonize?

          Today we celebrate the legacy of a man of great stature, influence, and ability to polarize people years after his assassination. Oh, you don’t celebrate anything about MLK?  You demonize him as a Commie-loving, philandering, theological liberal, and await the unsealing of his FBI files to confirm your stance.  Or, maybe you venerate him Read more

Helping the Homeless – Give or Don’t Give?

          A recent article on Christianity Today Online provides three responses to giving money to street people. In isolation each position appears reasonable with appropriate scriptural and evidentiary support sprinkled with anecdotes. Although many argue a position theoretically and have little or no real engagement with the homeless, this does not appear to the case with these Read more

Gospel in Genesis 1-50

Another great posting on the Gospel in Genesis by John Davis "Today, because of the triumph of Jesus Christ over sin and death, through His body, the church, His kingdom is quietly being extended through the earth and people of all nations are joining together in worship of the Triune God. Cities are not the Read more

Do We Need The Term “Missional”?

          As much as I use the word I would have to say no. I recognize the confusion which exists over the word, a confusion that persists in spite of repeated attempts by many to define the term. I have found, no surprise here, that many who dislike the term missional and its implications also have deep-seated opposition to contextualization. In Read more

I Argue Like a Liberal – A First For Me!

I wasn't sure how to take it when a blogger used a recent article I wrote to demonstrate the difference between arguing like a conservative and arguing like a liberal. Me as an exemplification of liberal argumentation! Of course he wasn't calling me a liberal although I don't know if he would call me a conservative Read more

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