Q&R : God does not control but does intimately interact: A Contradiction?
Question I am about halfway into A More Christlike God (I preordered A More Christlike Word a few months ago as well!). Your work is refreshing to my soul. In fact, I conduct research among secular, Gen Z college students, and some of your insights address precisely their struggles with the Christian faith, most notably […]
“LOOK LOWER”: Grace in Affliction with Weil & Nightbirde – Bradley Jersak
How do we experience God in the midst of affliction? Where is the light during the “dark night of the soul?” Where do we stand (or kneel) as we wait for a dawn that seems so slow to come, if it ever will? Those who experience chronic physical, emotional, or spiritual pain know the temptation […]
Q&R with Brad – The kingdom of God, eternal life & salvation?
QUESTION I am trying to understand the difference between the “Kingdom of God”/“Kingdom of Heaven” and “salvation.” Do you have any thoughts on this? RESPONSE Great question. “Kingdom of God/heaven” is the dominant gospel of Jesus in the language of the synoptic gospels. It’s a complex phrase in Jesus’ teaching, as he sometimes uses it to […]
Where ‘Divine Impassibility’ Meets My Anxiety – Brad Jersak
What is the doctrine of ‘impassibility’ and how does it help my anxiety? The doctrine of ‘impassibility’ is *not* that God is non-relational, unresponsive, or doesn’t bear our pain. After all, God IS love. It certainly does *not* mean that God is beyond empathy! The Incarnation (especially the Cross) IS the empathy of God, the […]
From Hellfire to Laundromat – Brad Jersak
TURN OR BURN BE WASHED! “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come into His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, whom you desire. Behold, he is coming,” says the Lord Almighty. “But who can endure the day of His […]
Healing our image of the Holy Spirit – Bradley Jersak
It’s frustrating when our impression of the Holy Spirit of Beauty and Truth is tainted by previous, spiritually abusive associations. Sects that emphasize the work of the Spirit are as prone to spiritual striving and rigid legalism as any religious movement, despite vociferous claims to “freedom.” Whether it’s the “fire” of Evangelical revivalism, the Pentecostal […]
Preamble from Brad: the B-Lines were a Vancouver-based punk band featuring two of my beloved nephews, Ryan and Bruce Dyck. Question I was listening to the B-Lines fastest song (“Wealthy Barber”) and realized the chorus is a Bible verse: “the branch that bears no fruit is cast into the flames.” They seem to be referencing Matthew 3:10, […]
Q&R – Why did you reject “Eternal Conscious Torment”
Question I saw you in the documentary movie Hellbound? What caused you to reject the doctrine of eternal conscious torment? Response First, to readers who’ve not seen the documentary, created by my friend Kevin Miller, here is a trailer: Now to your question, and my answer here is very abbreviated, but here are the highlights […]
Radical Empathy – Felicia Murrell
“….when they suffer, we suffer with them. Whether we know it or not, we suffer with them.” –The Dearly Beloved, Cara Wall I don’t know if this truth is THE key, but surely it’s a key to awakening compassion and radical empathy. To understand that when “they,” whoever “they” may be, suffers, I also suffer. […]
The Church: “She” or “It” – In conversation with my godfather
“When He had come and fulfilled for our sake the entire plan of salvation, on the night in which He was delivered up, or rather when He delivered Himself up for the life of the world,…” (Orthodox divine liturgy). The following is my transcription of some deep wisdom from my godfather, David Goa, in a telephone […]