Why do we read the Bible? I grew up in church, and I spend a lot of time listening to people talk about the importance of reading the Bible.
Mennonite Brethren are Jesus-followers. We have always been. Over the years, we have acquired the habit of making our commitment to Jesus our fallback position when theological disagreements emerged. Sometimes, closer examination of the implications of this commitment helped overcome the disagreements.
I was chagrined to discover that many MBs seemed to define family not theologically, as I did, but biologically and culturally. This did not seem right to me.
If being an evangelical motivates people to act in ways that seem inconsistent with their supposed commitment to be the embodiment of good news — and not just any good news, but the good news of Jesus the Christ — then it is easy to identify the disconnect between what evangelicals are doing and what the evangel actually is.
Christians would be wise to consider that there is no mandate in Scripture for self-assertion of personal rights. The concept of personal rights is not a biblical one; rather, it is a product of modern political ideas about human flourishing and governmental operation.
Jesus Followers, Saskatchewan Style The thing that always gets me – a big reason I love attending conference events – is that different Jesus followers in different places do the…
What does Mennonite Brethren theology have in common with that of other Christian denominations? And what are the distinctive emphases of Mennonite Brethren theology? Our Confession of Faith is a…
Title: Prodigal Christianity
Authors: David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw
When I first read the title, I expected a diatribe itemizing all that is wrong with contemporary Christianity. I was wrong…German Baptists in South Russia Johann E. Pritzkau, trans. Walter Regehr Kindred Productions It is often counterintuitive to think that the study of historical documents will lead to new insights.…
Discerning God’s Will Together: Biblical Interpretation in the Free Church Tradition Ervin R. Stutzman Cascadia Publishing House For a small book, it evoked a rollercoaster of responses. In the end,…
Not many people have a theological epiphany in the context of doctoral research. But I did.
The Nonviolent AtonementAuthor: J. Denny WeaverEven J. Denny Weaver acknowledges that the proposal he makes in The Nonviolent Atonement “may seem audacious.” Weaver is an American Mennonite theologian and professor emeritus at Bluffton University in Ohio. The Nonviolent Atonement is his attempt to describe the atoning work of Christ in light of his conviction that God is nonviolent. For Weaver, there is no place in discussion of atonement theology for the idea that God punished Jesus, or that Jesus died for human sins to satisfy God’s justice.
As Christians, we believe Scripture clearly articulates that we have been created by God specifically for the purpose of fellowship with him and with one another. This is the pinnacle of what God’s creation is to do – to bring glory to him in all things. Article 3 of our Confession of Faith begins by relating our conviction that creation “declares God’s wisdom and power, calling all to worship Him.”