I. PATRISTIC THEOLOGY

The first major debate regarding the Holy Spirit is found in the patristic period.  The question here was essentially, "Is the Spirit a divine Being (that is, 'God'), or merely a creature?"

A. Arius vs. Athanasius Read more

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asked a poignant question in the 1960s in his short book entitled Authority: "How much do we hear about the Holy Spirit and His authority?"1 His main point in his final chapter is that the authority of Christ and the authority of Scripture, as critical as they are, do not provide a complete development or conception of divine authority in themselves. Without the authority of the Holy Spirit these other authorities cannot be "felt" on a practical level. Lloyd-Jones provides examples in church history--specifically those periods marked by tendencies toward intellectualism or formalism--to illustrate the resulting deficiencies that followed the church's neglect of the Spirit. The final effect is that the church's "authority"--that is, her display of Christ's authority and Scripture's authority in the world--often goes unnoticed in the surrounding culture. Lloyd-Jones sums up his argument with a surprising declaration: "Here, I truly believe, we are dealing with the main source of weakness in modern Evangelicalism."2 Read more

III. A COMMUNICATION MODEL

It is tempting to try to build a communication model for postmodernists simply based on what seems to work best with them. The prevailing church strategy is "If it works, don't question it!" According to Grant Osborne, Pragmatism has become "the primary governing rod which determines church strategy." A sociological survey and "what works in the super-churches" seems to determine most decisions. Osborne concludes that we have become a market-driven church rather than a Bible-driven church.

Instead of following the culture in creating our communication model, we need to use Paul's philosophy of ministry as an ambassador, bringing God's authority into our postmodern context. How can we follow Paul's "begging" to present the rich theology of God's authority and Christ's historical redemption in the context of a present, winsome appeal? The following model involves three interdependent methods of communication that together seek to accomplish this task. These three methods also correspond with the three suspicions held out by many postmodernists (as listed in sec. I). Read more

II. The role of the ambassador

How can God's kingly Authority, as presented in the historical document of scripture, be "seen" and "felt" in present, postmodern life and culture?  Paul seems to give us an answer to this thorny question in 1 and 2 Corinthians.  Here he demonstrates how God's eternal authority is brought to bear in the present. He also shows us how we, as Christ's "ambassadors", can represent Christ in our own spheres of influence so that people see God's authority working on their behalf. Read more

B. The Context of Postmodernism

1. What is Postmodernism?

Postmodernism holds that one's philosophy of life is ultimately determined by the community or group which most influences one's life. Other factors, such as personal choice or religion, are secondary. Postmodernism is to a great extent an attack upon what postmodernists call "metanarratives," which are grand stories about the world, "overarching explanations of reality based on central organizing 'truths."1 For postmodernists, these "truths" are actually "myths," fictional stories that embody the central core of a culture's values and beliefs, and are in this sense fundamentally religious.2 Read more

"Theology of Joy" implies that an informed faith can be a very joyful faith!  It also implies that the communication of faith can be an act of extravagant joy for the "ambassador of Christ". In sharing our Christian faith with others, we are able to re-visit what we actually believe, why we believe it, and why we think it is so attractive for those who do not yet believe.

However, communicating one's faith may not seem to be as easy in our present "postmodern" culture. Postmodernism often seems to pose an insurmountable problem for Christians seeking to share their faith joyfully. Why does it often seem difficult to communicate Christ in postmodern times?  This series of three articles will address the challenges we face along with the opportunities we have for communicating the message of Christ effectively in postmodern times.

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Forgiving Others

"Love Hurts!" was the name of a popular song in the early eighties. Its message was simple: to love someone means to make oneself vulnerable to be hurt. To love another person can be a very big risk!

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Understanding God's Forgiveness

Alexander Pope said that "To err is human; to forgive, divine." Is that really true? Is God really a forgiving God?

To understand God's forgiveness, we first need to understand what forgiveness is. Forgiveness actually has three parts to it. First, there is the hurt, or the harm, that which we experience due to some moral or emotional wrongdoing we have suffered. When forgiving someone, we will usually recognize that there has been an injury to our spirit, and we will experience emotional hurt.

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The Reality of Conflict and the Root of Bitterness

Remember the story of Little Red Riding Hood? Upon arrival at grandmother's house, Miss Riding Hood encountered a big bad wolf disguised in grandmother's clothing! The wolf had one intention to deceive her, so he could eat her!

Now obviously there's a conflict of interests here. Miss Riding Hood wants to see Grandma, but the wolf wants to eat Miss Hood! Read more

How can we "build bridges" in today's world? Lets think about some practical things can we do to actually enjoy sharing our faith with others.

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As a college minister I once listened to a Chinese student as he shared his belief in Taoism and their view of creation. I asked him several questions along the way, sincerely wanting to discover more about Taoism. After listening for about 45 minutes, he finally asked me, "What do you believe?"

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As Christians, we are called by God to be Christ's ambassadors. Now that's quite a job description!  Why is it that many Christians, though, don't love to share their faith?  Shouldn't this be one of our most enjoyable activities in life? 

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What are some practical ways you can begin to develop Mission Communities within your own church?

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In Part 1 we defined "Mission Communities" and discussed how the Holy Spirit forms these communities as a testimony of Christ in the world.  Lets now examine how the Holy Spirit uses Mission Communities to fulfill Jesus' "Great Commission" (His command in Matthew 28:18-20  to "make disciples" throughout the world).

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After writing my first article on this "Theology of Joy" page I received a very interesting email from one reader. Part of her response: "Your title is a curious one. Theology is so textbook and the word Joy is a very confusing word in the Christian community." Read more

Ever wonder what it would be like to be in a "small group" like the one experienced by Jesus' disciples?  Over the next three weeks lets try to look at what Jesus says about this, because Jesus seems to speak as if this were actually possible today! Read more