Sin, any sin, recognised and repented of properly brings us in humility and dependence to God. Sin wrongly recognised and repented of will result in efforts to set things right, in ourselves, and more usually in others. After all, we’re much better at seeing the failings of others. And when you put a person in …
That which is often portrayed as a love of freedom is really an adoration of autonomy. Freedom builds communities because it can only operate where there is trust. Autonomy fragments communities because it must view others as either threats to autonomy or the means to expressing it. In the Gospel there is freedom. This is …
Will Willimon reflects generally on congregational reaction to a sermon preached in 1947 that was composed in reaction to the lynching of Willie Earle in 1946. In the context of unpacking the sermon and the situation in which it was preached, Willimon observes that the congregation of Grace Church willingly listened to the challenging subject …
Preaching for repentance is not the same thing as scolding. It is not telling people they are bad; it is the proclamation of God’s goodness and his loving purpose and work of redemption and new creation. This is why it is good news first and foremost. There is no ground to confuse this with avoidance …
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