Monthly Archives: January 2016

Year of Mercy: Fortress Abolished

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Steve Harper

(4) Pope Francis declares mercy to be the means for the Church to break out of a fortress mentality.  Mercy makes the Church “a”living sign of the Father’s love in the world.” I cannot think of anything more needed in … Continue reading →

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UMC: They Owe Us Something

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Steve Harper

Having just read Thomas Lambrecht’s “Methodism at the Crossroads” article (Good News magazine, January-February 2016), I am moved to make an appeal. Each of the major proposals regarding the future of the UMC with respect to human sexuality appears (at … Continue reading →

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Year of Mercy: All Doors Open

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Steve Harper

(3) God moves us to pay concentrated and prolonged attention to particular things.  We cannot take in all the wonders of God at once.  The Spirit has moved in the heart of Pope Francis to call us to spend this … Continue reading →

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Editorial: The Choice

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Steve Harper

As the world turns civically and religiously, we face a fork-in-the-road choice: to be relational or rejective toward those with whom we disagree.  The choice sets a trajectory that gathers to itself many other things as it moves forward.  The … Continue reading →

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Year of Mercy: Depth

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Steve Harper

(2) Pope Francis gets straight to the point in explaining why he declared the “Year of Mercy”–it is what God most longs to give, and what we most long to receive. God’s desire to have mercy is our salvation.  This … Continue reading →

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Christianity & Culture: Wheaton-Hawkins #3

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Steve Harper

Dr. Hawkins got the attention of Wheaton and beyond when she posted on her Facebook page that “we all worship the same God.”  Ironically, she was referencing a similar statement made earlier by Pope Francis, and she was only repeating … Continue reading →

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Christianity & Culture: Wheaton-Hawkins #2

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Steve Harper

Statements of faith are common in Christian educational institutions.  How they are used speaks more loudly than what they say.  Much of what is happening in the Wheaton-Hawkins situation bears this out. I attended and served an institution that has … Continue reading →

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Christianity & Culture: Wheaton-Hawkins. #1

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Steve Harper

In my Facebook post earlier today, I wrote that the Wheaton College conflict with Dr. Larycia Hawkins is “a situation to follow.”  There are multiple reasons why this is so, and a number of them are particularly significant.  The best … Continue reading →

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Year of Mercy: The Face of Mercy

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Steve Harper

(1) Jesus puts a face on God–the face of mercy: ‘hesed’ in the Old Testament, ‘agapé’ in the New Testament. We need incarnation for revelation to become more than inspiration.  As the writer of Hebrews put it, God provided the … Continue reading →

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Editorial: Traveling Light

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Steve Harper

Entering into 2016, I want to travel light.  I want to journey with a renewed purity of heart that complexification prevents. One of the things I am jettisoning is the word “evangelical.”  Those of you who know me understand how … Continue reading →

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Happy New Year!!

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Steve Harper

Jeannie and I are praying that this will be a grace-filled, love-oriented year for you!  Thank you for being part of the Oboedire community. The “Year of Mercy” posts begin this coming Wednesday, along with other occasional writings.  Also remember … Continue reading →

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