Okay, so almost Sunday Faves by now because of the ever-wonderful May-mom’s-madness
Very thoughtful and with challenge regarding education from Sandra McCracken.
Tim Keller on the core issues regarding Christianity and homosexuality.
Posts Tagged ‘Tim Keller’
In Prodigal God, Tim Keller makes the point that our God is really “prodigal,” that is lavishly, extremely generous. I love this part, where he explains where real freedom from our love of power comes. Another good meditation for Lent:
It is only when you see the desire to be your own Savior and Lord -lying beneath both your sins and your moral goodness- that you are on the verge of understanding the gospel and becoming a Christian indeed. When you realize that the antidote to being bad is not just being good, you are on the brink. If you follow through, it will change everything: how you relate to God, self, others, the world, your work, your sins, your virtue. It’s called the new birth because it’s so radical. (p. 78) Jesus Christ, who had all the power in the world, saw us enslaved by the very things we thought would free us. So he emptied himself of his glory and became a servant. He laid aside the infinities and immensities of his being and, at the cost of his life, paid the debt for our sins, purchasing us the only place our hearts can rest, in his Father’s house… Knowing this will transform us from the inside out… Why wouldn’t you want to offer yourself to someone like this? Selfless love destroys the mistrust in our hearts toward God that makes us either younger brothers or elder brothers… We will never stop being younger brothers of elder brothers until we acknowledge our need, rest by faith, and gaze in wonder at the work of our true elder brother, Jesus Christ. (p. 87-89 The Prodigal God)
” ‘all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:3b)
Just read this from Tim Keller, on Abraham. I rarely see how truly astonishing the story of Abram being chosen as father of all nations is. It makes me wonder how counter-cultural I am.
“This is of course, astonishing. We have seen that the word ‘blessing’ is a very strong word, entailing God’s shalom, the well-being and peace of God’s kingdom. This promise indicates that God’s purpose in a)making Abram a personal friend, and b)making Abram’s offspring into a new human community is all for the ultimate aim of c)bringing salvation to the whole world. God is going to save the world through Abram’s family. God will bless Abraham with personal intimacy so he can pass the true faith on down to his children. He must pass on this faith so that his children will become an alternative society, a counter-culture, a new humanity in the midst of the world. And then, in some way, the healing of the nations and the salvation of the world will come out of that faithful community.
In summary, God says, ‘I’ll give you a special relationship with me. I’ll make you into a new, faithful human community. I’ll use you to save the world from the downward spiral into self-destruction.” Tim Keller, “What Were You Put in this World to Do?” (Genesis study).
Acts 17:16-17
“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.”
Okay, I know I’ve been writing about this a lot. But having stood on the Areopagus, in the shadow of the Parthenon, I can’t get over what Paul’s doing here. Tim Keller’s commentary on this passage challenges me to ask:
How do I feel about today’s culture? Do I feel compassion over ignorance of the gospel and enslavement to sin that destroys? Do I feel outrage over idolatry or do I just casually nod and look away? What is the Areopagus of our day? What sermon or lesson should be preached or taught there?
Keller’s comment: “However, on the other hand, his feeling was not simply one of compassion and mercy. Idolatry outraged him. In his speech he accuses these highly sophisticated and intellectual people of “ignorance” (v.29) — nothing could have been more insulting to them! And then he declares the final judgement of God (v.31). So Paul’s feelings that drove him were “complex”. Why? On the one hand, he saw the idolatry in the perspective of God’s holiness as rebellion— and thus he was outraged and indignant. But on the other hand, he saw the idolatry in the perspective of God’s love as slavery — and thus he was movedwith compassion for the people who were enslaved in ignorance and darkness.
Prepping for the workshop at General Assembly next week, I reread the article The Centrality of the Gospel by Tim Keller — a great explanation of how both irreligion or religion (legalism) are ways of avoiding Jesus as Savior. Here’s an excerpt. Check out the whole article:
“They are both ways to avoid Jesus as Savior and keep control of their lives. Irreligious people seek to be their own saviors and lords through irreligion, “worldly” pride. (“No one tells me how to live or what to do, so I determine what is right and wrong for me!”) But moral and religious people seek to be their own saviors and lords through religion, “religious” pride. (“I am more moral and spiritual than other people, so God owes me to listen to my prayers and take me to heaven. God cannot let just anything happen to me–he owes me a happy life. I’ve earned it!”) The irreligious person rejects Jesus entirely, but the religious person only uses Jesus as an example and helper and teacher–but not as a Savior. (Flannery O’Connor wrote that religious people think “that the way to avoid Jesus was to avoid sin…”) These are two different ways to dothe same thing–control our own lives.” Tim Keller