CWR Blog
Christianity Without The Religion BLOG hosted by Brad Jersak.
“Come, you also!” – The Stupor of Grace in Dostoevsky – Greg Albrecht
Consider what the famed Russian novelist, Dostoevsky, wrote about the judgment of God and the gospel of grace, in his classic work, Crime and Punishment.
At the last Judgment Christ, will say to us, “Come, you also! Come, drunkards! Come weaklings! Come, children of shame!”
And he will say to us: “Vile beings, you who are in the image of the beast and bear his mark, but come all the same, you as well.”
And the wise and the prudent will say, “Lord, why do you welcome them?” And he will say, “If I welcome them, you wise men, it is because not one ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
June 6, 2023 - Quote for the Day:
“God’s grace is not about human perceptions of entitlement or justice. It is perfectly natural to feel resentful about those who appear to be ‘getting away’ with something. Our sense of human justice cries out for them to ‘get theirs.’ We start this behavior early in life, as children we point out the shortcomings of others to authority figures such as parents and teachers, hoping they will be punished and penalized. There is, of course, one person whose shortcomings we do not point out to the authorities – our ...
Beatitudes #2
We continue our series on the beatitudes by considering what it means to be blessed and by studying the beatitudes/blessings of mourning and of being meek.
Beatitudes #1
Join us for this first sermon in our five-part series about the beatitudes. This message will discuss the blessing of being "poor in spirit" and provide an overview of all eight blessings that form the introduction to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
“Shirley, Goodness & Mercy” by Brad Jersak
Psalm 23 (NKJV)
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the ...
Did God the Father Forsake Jesus the Son on the Cross? – Greg Albrecht
Question:
Thanks for all the great resources you provide. I’m trying to reconcile the what seems to Jesus to be a “forsaken-ness” or estrangement/alienation of God and Jesus on the cross. How are we to interpret the cross in light of this? Love you guys.
Response:
My sense of this much debated statement on the cross – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) – begins with a Christ-centered interpretation, which is the place where I try to start any question about a biblical passage.
Jesus was and is God – (see John ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
June 4, 2023 - Quote for the Day
“The phrase ‘upside down kingdom’ was popularized by Donald Kraybill in his 1978 book, The Upside Down Kingdom. Kraybill pointed out that Jesus, the king of the kingdom, is the king who triumphs through losing, who is victorious through the humiliation of the cross and who serves by dying. The kingdom of heaven 1) seeks out, serves and gives grace to the lost, the least and the last, 2) opposes religious scorekeepers who meticulously record both good and bad behavior, and 3) turns the kingdoms of religion upside down ...
Join Us For Our Sunday Sermon
"Irresistible and Inescapable Love"
God’s love is endless. Much of Christ-less religion emphasizes our search for God, but the gospel is clear – God will relentlessly and incessantly search for us.
Join us for our Sunday Sermon:
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/CWR694.mp3
Link to Christianity Without the Religion - Sunday
He Lives IN Us!
Muslims do not speak of Muhammad living in them, nor do Buddhists speak of Buddha inhabiting them. Yet as Christ followers we believe that Christ IN us is the hope of glory.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR445.mp3
Q&R: When Jesus ‘Spews’ – Brad Jersak
Question:
Some people in my life refer to the Bible verse about not being "lukewarm" in what feels like a really hurtful way. They leave me wondering if I am getting this faith thing right. Am I lukewarm? Will god spit me out? Is there perhaps a misunderstanding here? Can we read this in other ways that don't feel so discouraging, like either you're in or you're out?
Response:
That's such an important question. I recall the many times when it was used as a heavy-handed "clobber verse" used to contrive conviction and manipulate a response. It was a classic ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
June 1, 2023 - Quote for the Day:
“Do you think Joshua and Caleb didn’t see the same giants and giant obstacles as the ten cynics who were LOOKING BACK? Though all twelve of the advance military ‘operatives’ saw exactly the same things as they explored and ‘spied out’ the land, Joshua and Caleb saw a glass half full while the ten merchants of doom and gloom described the glass as half empty. Joshua and Caleb saw the same difficulties, but they insisted on LOOKING FORWARD.”
Originally published in:
Letters to My Friends
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The Cross – Anger or Love?
When the love of God is stripped away from the significance of the cross of Christ, revenge and violence is all that is left - but that anger is not the wrath of God.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR444.mp3
Samson and …?
The life of Samson is filled with scandal and sleaze, yet perhaps one of its great lessons for us is seen in the context of Jesus Christ, so that we realize that no matter how far we may have run from God, God is always near.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR443.mp3
Realities – Old and New – by Greg Albrecht
Friend and Partner Letter from June 2023
Two friends had been drinking at their local bar most of the night, and now they were finishing their evening by watching the 11:00 news. The lead story was about a despondent man standing on the side of a bridge threatening to jump. As viewers watched footage of the main poised to jump, the newscaster promised to get back to the story after a short commercial break.
Don, thinking that his friend Gary had not seen the 6:00 news which showed footage of the man eventually jumping off the bridge, said to Gary “I’ll ...
This Month at PTM – June 2023
The Four No-s:
Watch a short video and message on "The Four No-s" by Ed Dunn as he updates us on the latest from Christianity Without the Religion and Plain Truth Ministries.
https://vimeo.com/830303186
Plain Truth Ministries | Box 300 | Pasadena, CA 91129-0300
