TiS celebrates its first birthday!
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
I am writing to you in celebration of Theology in Sneakers’ (TiS) one year anniversary! I would like to thank you for all your prayers and continued support offered since the launch of TiS.
In the past year, TiS has received over 12,000 visits from across the globe representing over 100 countries. Thank you to all of you for sharing this ministry with your friends and families and contributing to this humbling blessing. Additionally, I would like to affectionately thank the 50+ loyal readers that have subscribed to automatically receive new TiS posts through Twitter and e-mail.
TiS continues to strive to provide answers founded in accurate biblical interpretation, thorough research, and logic-based thought. It has expanded from 15 posts at launch to over 50 posts covering a wide range of topics, from evil and suffering in the world to effective witnessing. It has truly been a blessing to have God use TiS in order to defend, proclaim, and expand His Kingdom.
In the last 12 months, it has been exciting to launch several new features, including:
- Audio Narration – Listen to posts while reading along or multitasking
- Post Feature Icons – Single-click navigation on each post to available presentation slides, handouts, videos and audio recordings
- Online Radio Show (Ginsengradio.com) – Sit back and tune in to the “Theology in Sneakers” show as we discuss theological matters, current affairs, objections to Christianity, and more
- Video Gallery – Easy-to-use thumbnail index view of all video content available
- Intelligent Content Pushing – Related content is highlighted in sidebar based
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Theology matters + New Theology in Sneakers radio show.
People often ask me why I care so much about theology. People often slouch back when one expounds on the finer theological details that function as the threads forming the tapestry that is the Gospel. People often sigh when one expresses a heart-felt desire to be a careful handler (exegete) of God’s Word. People often look at theology as a mind draining life sucking emotionally insensitive spiritually detached academic exercise. The objections to theology can be obvious in the acidity of the critiques such as “You are wasting time on the details when they don’t matter so much” or masked in sweetness evidenced in the claims echoed in phrases such as “I rather focus on the love of God”. To each of these groups of people I must humbly and yet confidently submit that theology must be important by definition - after all ‘theology’ is the composite of 2 Greek words meaning the “study of God”. How can one say that studying God is devoid of life when it is the study of the one who is the Source of all life? As St. Jerome so eloquently and simply once said, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”
I understand the hesitation by some to dive into God’s Word but the fact that we are instructed to live based on the Word of God and that it is God’s revealed truth seems counter intuitive to the apparent desire of those seeking to be closer…
Warning: What is happening to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship?
I recently had a brother (Thanks Neil) forward an article to me that leaves be concerned about the state of Christian campus ministry. The article addresses the organization that many current and former Christian university students are aware of “InterVarsity Christian Fellowship” (IV) and highlights some deeply concerning issues. I invite you to review the article with the realization that the attack on the Gospel is subtle at times and explicit at others but ever present.
Please note this article is not specific to the Canadian branch of IV and I cannot comment on its potential implications for the Canadian organization. However, if you do interface with IV in Canada I would encourage you to contact them for comment. I have emailed them and asked for comment and hope to post their response - if one is provided and if given permission to post it.
Excerpt from article:
“But lately InterVarsity seems adrift.
A recent Christianity Today article chronicles the pressure a group of InterVarsity students felt to include practicing Roman Catholics on their leadership team. When the students discovered that IV’s new doctrinal statement allowed for Roman Catholics in good standing to sign on, they decided to separate from IV. The national president of IV wrote a response, but seemed defensive and never answered the question, “How many Catholics are on staff with IV?” Sadly, this was a double personal blow as one of the students on the leadership team was my son, who had looked forward for much of his…
At One With Each Other: Hollywood and Pantheism
“Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen.” - Romans 1:24-25
A brother sent me this New York Times Op-Ed (opinion editorial) article that highlights Hollywood’s “enlightenment” as it continues to present spirituality in all (Pantheism). By definition, Pantheism is a composite of two Greek words ‘Pan’ (All) and ‘Theos’ (God) which presents the view that all is God and God is in all. In essence, Pantheism promotes worship, or in the least admiration, of all that life is - inclusive of nature, the universe, the laws that govern the galaxies, etc. It is interesting to note that Pantheism serves to bring humanity into closer a relationship with the spiritual by creating a newfound importance in what we see and experience each and every day. However, at the same time Pantheism removes the personal characteristics of a Higher Being and thus humanity cannot truly experience anything relational. For example, love requires a subject and object and removing a personal God removes the subject who can love. This results because there is nothing (no personal entity) to love since everything is merely an impersonal force, energy, and/or spirit (shades of Hinduism).
This fascination with “spiritualizing” created things is nothing new (Romans 1:24-25) and is once again brought to the forefront with the latest blockbuster…
I and Love and You
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
- John 15:13
“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.”
- Song of Solomon 8:6-7
After reading, please feel free to listen to my full audio sharing below this text.
I came across a song a few days ago that caused me to reflect on the three words that seem to carry tremendous impact for everyone in this world - I and Love and You. I couldn’t help but reflect on my life and our Lord and how these words carry so much weight.
Firstly, I began to think about how we come to worship the Lord. Of course, worship to the Lord is more than music and one day of the week and is really about how we live everyday for Him. Love isn’t a part-time occupation nor a fanciful hobby nor an emotional roller coaster but is founded upon the sound understanding of something or someone and devotion to it. This prompts me to ask about what the core of worship is founded upon. Do we understand what we…
