If a new Christian asked me what a good passage would be in which to dwell, I’d say Romans 12:9-21. I think Paul does a wonderful job of capturing the ideal heart of a disciple. John tells us that God is love and that Jesus is the Word of love. That Word became flesh and dwelled among us, revealing that Love (God) in embodied ways, even to the point of death. Here’s what Paul writes about how that Love manifests in us: " 9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; d...

Original Author: Frank Friedl, on Facebook, August 7, 2020. Reposted here with permission. This post is part five of a series of topical thoughts inspired by the book Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism by Drew G. I. Hart. Trouble I've Seen, Part 1: Horizontal and Vertical Racism Trouble I've Seen, Part 2: The Race Card Trouble I've Seen, Part 3: Critical Race Theory (CRT) Trouble I've Seen, Part 4: Projections of Jesus I started reading through Drew Hart’s Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism a couple months ago and was posting my takeaways here for consumption. I confess the last few weeks I’ve been reluctant to post anything even though I’ve continued working through the book. To be honest, I scroll through my social media and I see a lot of divisiveness. I had to step back and ask myself if I was contributing to it. I’m not saying this to drum up any sympathy, rather to frame what I’ve observed. What I rea...

Racism and homosexuality are two pretty hotly debated topics in Christian communities, and since Paul wrote a substantial portion of the New Testament, it’s hard to discuss either without bringing up Paul. Similarly, it’s hard to discuss scripture or current events without discussing how we perceive the New Testament church. Unfortunately, these conversations often lack any nuance; they tend to devolve into dualistic arguments. “If it’s not this one thing, then it definitely has to be this other thing.” I’m not going to be telling you what to believe, so if you’re looking for something decisive, you might be disappointed. This is mainly an exploration of how our language, ideas about modern science, and our assumptions about Paul and scripture are in continual conversation with each other. There are a lot of “ifs” to consider. Racism is part of this post because it was meditations on systemic racism that inspired it, but a lot of the discussion about Paul and scripture will center ar...