Pursuing God is my life. It's not simply an academic pursuit. It has involved academics, but really that's a small part of the life and the way into which I'm trying to live. Pursuing God is more than just reading the Bible or doing a Bible study. It's more than just going to a worship service or saying prayers. It’s more than preaching or teaching; if I stopped preaching and teaching tomorrow, it wouldn’t bring my pursuit of God to a halt. If I woke up tomorrow and didn’t have access to any Bibles in the world, I wouldn’t suddenly stop pursuing God. I believe that God is present and active in all of creation, and I think my pursuit of God reflects that belief. I've learned that this makes some people uncomfortable. It might be more accurate to say that it makes some Christians uncomfortable and it confuses some atheists. Because of that, I want to talk a little bit about how I understand pursuing God. My Belief in God is Irrational My belief in God isn’t

Scripture has a lot to say about joy and happiness. The words that sometimes get translated as "blessed," for example, are used also to mean "happy," and some of the gospels talk about the joy of receiving the Kingdom, such as in Matthew, where joy characterizes the reception of the Gospel in several parables. In Mark, however, the author doesn't emphasize happiness. Mark's gospel is quite somber. Joy and Happiness in Mark Joy and happiness in Mark are not at all like they are in Matthew. There are no forms of the words glad , rejoice , or happy in either the NIV or NRSV translations, and moments of joy and happiness are rare. Here's the breakdown... There's one mention of joy . In the parable of the sower, the ones represented by the seed being sown on rocky places are described as immediately receiving the word with joy, "but they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word

Just about everyone who has heard about Christianity and Jesus, whether or not they're Christians, has heard about Jesus casting out demons or healing the demon-possessed. In fact, demons in general are one of the most popular themes from Christianity. This is probably due in part to the fact that scripture doesn't say much about them. Like with the heavenly messengers and other creatures described in visions throughout scripture, there's a lot of room for imagination when it comes to demons. That makes them perfect for pop-culture references and fantasy lore, and the fact that scripture talks about demons possessing people and making them do things sparks a world of possibilities and unanswered questions, but how are demons really presented in scripture? Well, we don't have time to explore all of scripture here, but since I've been studying Mark, let's consider how demons are presented in the gospel of Mark, as a case study. What does Mark have to say abou

In Mark 14:32-42, we find Jesus in Gethsemane with some of his disciples. He takes a few (Peter, James, and John) a little way off from the rest and asks them to stay awake with him. Here is what it says: 32 They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. 34 And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” 35 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” 37 He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? 38 Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he we

Consistent theology refers to a system of beliefs about, and postures toward, God that is as consistent as possible within itself. The more pieces you add to a system, the more complicated it becomes. The more complicated it becomes, the harder it is to keep it consistent. I talked about that in my other post, Consistent Theology , but I didn’t talk much there about why it’s difficult to have a consistent theology. To understand that, I think we have to talk about first premises. What Is a First Premise? A first premise is the beginning or starting point of a line of reasoning. Definitionally, that's a pretty easy concept. If I say, “bananas are good,” then I can build all kinds of logical arguments about bananas and believe all kinds of things about bananas and how they relate to me or fit into my lifestyle — arguments that are built off of this idea that bananas are good. This is the kind of approach that people use every day to reason about almost anything. Sometimes,

I speak often, and perhaps I have written often, about consistency in theology. It is one of the most important things to me in my pursuit of God that what I choose to believe be consistent with itself. Any theology, philosophy, or posture that is unwilling to subject itself to cyclical and reciprocal examination for the sake of consistency is not worth having. What Is Theology? Theology is the study of God or gods, but it can also refer to a system of belief or understanding about God, which is how I use it here. A person’s theology is their personal understanding about God that informs how they live and what they choose to do. It’s possible that a community might have a shared theology, a system of beliefs or understandings about God that guides their communal lives, but I usually refer to those shared theologies as doctrines or postures. My experience is that as communal doctrines or postures are examined in the context of each person’s life, differences in understanding rev