simply, Christian

speaking of the Trinity

troubles brewing in the SBC?

The messengers to the 2021 Southern Baptist Convention just elected a new president, Dr. Ed Litton, who has pastored Redemption Church in the Mobile, AL, area since 1994. I keep tabs on things brewing the SBC but have never heard of Litton or the church where he serves, so I looked them up online. At first blush, there's nothing . . .

Read More

Posted in: theologyworship

June 16, 2021

"Evangelical and Apostolic Faith" (link)

From Abbot Tryphon, an orthodox monk (the emphases are mine):

The Church may seem to be a backward looking institution, irrelevant for our times, a view that has caused many of the denominations to alter basic foundational teachings in order to please a more liberally leaning society. This has led numerous of the denominations . . .

Read More

Posted in: culturetheology

April 12, 2021

orthodoxy vs. orthopraxy

thoughts on the parable of the Good Samaritan

Silvrback blog image

Yesterday in worship our pastor preached on the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10). In his sermon he discussed the difference between orthodoxy (right beliefs) and orthopraxy (right actions) and how this parable stressed the need for the latter to one who possessed only the former.

Undoubtedly, our beliefs are . . .

Read More

Posted in: lifetheology

March 01, 2021

Lent with Brueggemann

daily devotionals during a season of self-denial

Walter Brueggemann is a fascinating character among contemporary American theologians. He is ordained clergy in the United Church of Christ, one of the most liberal denominations in the entire landscape of American Christianity. He is principally an Old Testament scholar who taught at the seminary level for more than four decades in both . . .

Read More

Posted in: lenttheology

February 20, 2021

reflections on American politics

still looking for God in all the wrong places

Since the horrific events of last Wednesday played out, I have wrestled with how to make sense of them and what to write about them. Instead of writing in the heat of the moment, which would've been anything but thoughtful, I wanted to heed the biblical command to 'be swift to hear [and] slow to speak' (James 1.19). Though I am . . .

Read More

January 09, 2021

looking for God in all the wrong places

reflections on Luke 2.41-52

Silvrback blog image

Our church follows the Narrative Lectionary, and yesterday's Gospel reading was Luke's record of Mary and Joseph losing track of Jesus after the Feast of the Passover. In this account, Jesus famously asks Mary, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke 2.49 NKJV). . . .

Read More

January 04, 2021

"Is Christmas a Pagan Rip-off?" (link)

the truth about December 25th

By Kevin DeYoung at The Gospel Coalition:

We’ve heard it so many times that it’s practically part of the Christmas story itself.

The Romans celebrated their seven-day winter festival, Saturnalia, starting on December 17. It was a thoroughly pagan affair full of debauchery and the worship of the god Saturn. To mark the . . .

Read More

December 22, 2020

Archive

This update link alerts you to new Silvrback admin blog posts. A green bubble beside the link indicates a new post. Click the link to the admin blog and the bubble disappears.

Got It!