So let's be honest

"The immediate expression of love is action. Theologians have discussed the question of how faith can result in action. The answer is: because it implies love and because the expression of love is action. The mediating link between faith and works is love. When the Reformers, who believed salvation to be dependent on faith alone, criticized the Roman Catholic doctrine that works are necessary for salvation they were right in denying that any human action can produce reunion with God. Only God can reunite the estranged with himself. But the Reformers did not realize, and the Catholics were still only dimly aware of it, that love is an element of faith if faith is understood as ultimate concern. Faith implies love, love lives in works: in this sense faith is actual in works." Paul Tillich, Dynamics of Faith, (New York: Harper Torch Books, 1957), (pp.115 – 117) Thanks to a fellow campus minister for this quote. What do you think? Does faith imply love? Does love live in works? I...

I recently got a quote sent to me from this book: "I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus" By Don Everts, Doug Schaupp To set this up the authors talk about thresholds (or stages) that non-Christian go through in their journey toward and with God. "One thing is certain: people will regress and "go backward" through the thresholds as often as they progress forward. WE have hundreds of stories of people who once trusted us and then stopped trusting. Friends who were curious, but then their questions dried up, like a hose suddenly turning off. People on the journey who struggled to become open to change, only to slide back into jadedness. And seekers who seemed so close only to end their search without finding Jesus. These are stories of heartbreak, when you joy turns to mourning and pain before the Lord. It has happened to us many times, and it will happen to you. We must not allow ourselves to grow cynical when our f...