CWR Blog
Christianity Without The Religion BLOG hosted by Brad Jersak.
Cheap and Costly – Greg Albrecht
Comment:
As a new visitor to your ministry and your resources I agree with much I have read. You may wish to read Chapter One of "Cost of Discipleship" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. “Christian Religion” preaches grace regularly, which you seem to have overlooked. But, as you correctly point out, the problem is that religion preaches “Cheap Grace” instead of “Costly Grace”—the former too often results in genocides, racism, and general anti-Christ behaviors/dispositions.
“Cheap Grace” hinders a Christian from allowing the Holy Spirit to place Christ ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
October 3, 2023 - Quote for the Day:
“Have you ever just wished that someone would believe you? Have you ever been so depressed that you could only hope that someone – at least your parent or sibling or friend or spouse – would believe you? That’s what God always does for you and me. He always believes us.”
Originally published in:
Spiritual Soup for the Hungry Soul, Volume 3
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Characteristics of Strong Families
The traditional family as it has been known is in danger of extinction. Our families -- at the very bedrock of our culture -- are broken, isolated and desperately in need of new life and hope.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0043.mp3
The King Has Landed
Our world has been invaded! We are living in enemy-occupied territory! But the good news is the rightful King has landed -- in disguise -- and he is calling on all of us to be part of his kingdom!
CWR Video – What Do We Mean by Contemplation? – by Richard Rohr
5 minute video on "Contemplation" by Richard Rohr
A More Christlike JOB (the book) – Part 1 – The Literal Sense of Job – Brad Jersak
Question:
I think I had a revelation reading the Book of Job this week. I wondered why the book bothers with so many conversations that are just wrong anyway and why God needed to correct Job. But what if Job is prophetic? For example, chapters 14-16 are nearly a direct match for the suffering of Jesus. Is Job actually a messianic prophecy?
Response:
I believe you are on to something, but as with any Christian reading of the Old Testament with the illumination of the Holy Spirit, there are layers of meaning to be considered. Among these, I would include (1) a ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
October 1, 2023 - Quote for the Day
“When I was in the second grade, my mother attempted (with little success) to attract some of my attention away from playing baseball to playing the piano. During my years of enforced piano lessons I became aware of (and later in awe of) the musical genius of Johann Sebastian Bach – often known as JSB.
After my baseball and piano playing days were over, I learned of a superscript/subscript Bach placed on almost all his compositions – ‘SCG’ (Soli Deo Gloria) – Latin for ‘to God alone be the glory.’ ...
News or Good News? – by Greg Albrecht
Friend and Partner Letter from October 2023
“If some great catastrophe is not announced every morning, we feel a certain void. ‘Nothing in the paper today,’ we sigh.” Paul Valery, French poet, 1871-1945
Long before the advent of cable news, with its 24-hour news cycle – long before our frantic and frenzied culture where “news” is immediately reported (never mind the factual details, because networks and “news” sources want to say “you heard it here first”) Paul Valery commented on the oh-so-human tendency to love hearing and reading ...
The Titles and Attributes of Jesus
Who is he? What is he like? Could you describe him? Most people have heard his name -- but the vast majority of people -- even many Christians -- are not aware of Jesus' attributes.
This Month At PTM – October 2023
Calls About Our Mission:
Watch a short video and the message on "Calls About Our Mission" by Ed Dunn as he updates us on the latest from Christianity Without the Religion and Plain Truth Ministries.
https://vimeo.com/864579707
Confronted by Christ – by Ed Dunn
Acts Chapter 9 tells us the story of Saul (soon to become Paul) on a path from Jerusalem to Damascus with a mandate in his hand. Charged and empowered by the High Priest, Saul was set to hunt down, arrest and bring the followers of Jesus to Jerusalem. Once in Jerusalem, it would seem Saul’s intent was to question, persecute and quite possibly, execute, the followers of Jesus, as he had done with Stephen (Acts 7:4 - 8:1). In telling this story, the book of Acts paints a picture of Saul as a man who was, in a word, diligent, in following his path, and in seeing his ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
September 28, 2023 - Quote for the Day:
“Narcissus is a character in Greek mythology celebrated for his exceptional beauty. Early in his life Narcissus did not know how truly beautiful he was until the day he saw his own reflection in the waters of a spring, and seeing his own image he fell in love with himself. Based on this mythological character, the word ‘narcissism’ began to be used about 200 years ago to describe an excessive degree of self-centeredness and selfishness. Like Narcissus, we are intrigued and mesmerized by our own images ...
7 Deadly Sins – Envy and Laziness
Concluding a 3-part series on the Seven Deadly Sins, Greg deals with envy — our feeling of resentment over someone else’s possessions, and a desire to have them for ourselves, and laziness — the refusal to work hard.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0042.mp3
7 Deadly Sins – Gluttony, Lust and Anger
Continuing a 3-part series on the Seven Deadly Sins, Greg confronts gluttony — obsession with food and drink, lust — unrestrained sexual craving, and anger — the feeling of hostility and wrath we experience when things don’t go our way.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0041.mp3
How Free is Free Will? – by Greg Albrecht
Red Pill or Blue Pill?
How much choice does any individual human actually have? We speak of "free will"—but how much of a choice to accept God's grace does anyone have, given the brainwashing and propaganda to which they are subjected? How much of a choice to accept God's grace does a young boy in a radicalized Muslim school have? How much of a choice to accept God's grace does someone have who is ensnared by some ultra fundamentalist church, where performance-based religion rules?
Being in Christ is a divine invitation to an eternal ...
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