The Ancient Paths

It is easy to swerve off the road when conditions are bad. Even the most experienced driver can lose control when the elements are against them.   We often think we are headed the right way when suddenly a storm hits, and we second-guess our choices. The way forward seems impossible; a detour seems easier, or what if we just turned around instead? Our life journey with Jesus can seem like this. The way forward often has resistance; the Christian life is not easy. We think, “What if I just went back?” Yet to go back is a dead end; the only way is forward. We have been that way before, and there  isn’t  anything worth going back to.  It’s  just ashes breezing through our fingers compared with the reward ahead of us. The reward is Christ Himself, finally seen with all of our senses , no longer  veiled  and hidden. But the way backwards often seems like  a good idea . We can be walking forward and still thinking about life “back there.” We  essen...

Our newest podcast episode is out! This continues our series on the Kingdom of God. When people use the word "Christianity" what type of Christianity do they mean? Is it the form that tries to dominate the world by force like Caesar, or is it the type that preaches a Gospel of the Crucified Savior who loves His creation? We explore the differences and how they play into the Dominionist version that wields tremendous influence on the current administration. We will also trace back the rise of Dominionism through R.J. Rushdoony, The Latter Rain Movement, and the current New Apostolic Reformation. Click here to listen:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kingdom-of-god-part-2-caesar-or-christ/id1513545970?i=1000753394053

The  words “The  Kingdom of God ”  sound far away and otherworldly  to many of us . For  a lot of   people  this  phrase  translates to  “Hea ven ”;  it is only about a world outside of this one.  We  don’t  think it is something immediate  or available  for us now.    Yet Jesus means something  very different  from this idea. N.T. Wright says this:   The gospels are all about ‘the kingdom of God ’,  and God’s kingdom or kingship  isn’t  about another world to which we might escape from this present one. God’s  kingdom is precisely his ‘in-charge-ness’ ... The point was not that people would  leave this world and go somewhere called ‘heaven’ instead, but that the life, the  love  and the power of ‘heaven ’,  of God’s domain, would become a reality here on  earth.   1   What does this mean in a practical sense for those of us wh...

I think that all of us eventually come to the realization , even if it’s a thought that blinks on and off quickly through our minds,   is that this world isn’t what it should be. Even if comfort and ease make up a large portion of our lives, we have a gnawing suspicion that deep down, things must be better than this. Unless we are completely numb and slightly (or not so slightly) sociopathic, we can clearly see suffering all around us. For a lot of us suffering and loss have significantly formed our lives. We live in its shadow, like a house built on the side of a mountain . People have called life a “veil of tears ”, and no matter how much scientific advancement or human ingenuity is at play, all our lives are affected by the brokenness in the world. This brokenness in turn shatters us, and no matter what veneer we cover our defects with, they are still present rotting under the surf ace.   We don’t like talking about our brokenness; it’s taboo to highlight o...