CWR Blog
Christianity Without The Religion BLOG hosted by Brad Jersak.
Jesus Christ
All Things Beautiful #6 – Ken Williams
"Jesus/I AM is Beautiful – part 2”
Ken Williams
“And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Mat. 27:46 NRSV). Luke and John did not include Jesus’ dying wail of agony in their gospels. I’m grateful Matthew and Mark did.
For years I could not imagine why the Word, through whom we came into being, why he became flesh and chose to suffer the violent, humiliating agony of crucifixion. I appreciate the psalmist’s incomprehension,
“When I look ...
Crucified Identities
"How are you?" is a common greeting. Even when the person who says those words really wants to know how we are, and while how we are is important for the here and now, who we are is critically important on this and the other side of eternity.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR475.mp3
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
April 13, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“…the penal substitutionary theory of the cross Christ introduces some questions:
The cross of Christ was violent. The penal substitutionary theory (taught in the majority of churches) explains that the violence unleased at the cross of Christ was the pouring out of God’s wrath on Jesus, instead of us. Jesus took our place and substituted for us.
First question or problem: The penal substitutionary theory pits God the Father against God the Son – a bad cop against a good cop, if you like. But many ...
Just Fans…Or Members of His Team? by Greg Albrecht
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” – 1 Corinthians 15:54
Death has been swallowed up in victory is our victory song! Choirs in heaven sing praises to Jesus, our risen Lord. Here on earth we also sing praises to Jesus and we joyfully remind each other that he is risen! Resurrection Sunday is the grand finale climactic tribute to Jesus because of his triumphant, all encompassing, once and for all – once for all ...
Q&R with Brad Jersak – “Was the early church anti-Semitic?”
Question:
Hi Brad,
I’ve run into a few guys that are saying that the Church Fathers were anti-Semitic. Consequently, they at least think the writings of the Church Fathers should be disregarded in what they had to say. There certainly was some anti-Semitism embedded in Christianity but it seems ill-advised to me to disregard the Church Father's writings because of it.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic if you can spare the time.
Response:
Before I respond to your question, let me begin by directly and without qualification denouncing ...
What’s In an Anniversary? – by Ed Dunn
Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground. And when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two – Louis de Bernieres
…a three-fold cord is not easily broken – Ecclesiastes 4:12, KJV
Marriage is not just spiritual communion - it is also remembering to take out the trash – Dr. Joyce Brothers
I had the joyous opportunity last summer to join in with my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and their significant others, to celebrate two landmark events: my ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
April 11, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“The word hidden makes us think of fascinating images, like hidden treasures, hidden bank accounts, hidden secret compartments, hidden cameras, hidden assets, etc. The word, used as an adjective, piques our interest and curiosity.
The resurrection of our Lord begins with this whole idea of being hidden. His body had been hidden away in a tomb, concealed with a boulder. When some of his followers came to the tomb, they found the stone rolled away (Matthew 28:2 says there had been a violent earthquake) and Jesus’ body was ...
Compassion and Covenants – Stuart Segall
Imagine a quiet field at dawn. The lion rests beside the ox. Rabbits nestle in the grass. Birds circle overhead, not in fear but in rhythm. The weapons, once symbols of power, lie broken and forgotten, like old stories no longer needed. And in the center of it all, a covenant: not a contract, but a promise. A divine whisper that says, “You are safe now.”
This verse, one of my favorites, is a vision of radical peace, a promise not just of human safety, but of universal reconciliation. It speaks of a time when violence will no longer be the language of survival, ...
The Best Wedding Ever!
To know Jesus is to know and experience new wine, the dynamic message of God's grace that frees us from confining and restrictive old wine skins of stale, musty and oppressive institutionalized religion.
Our Identity as Christians – Greg Albrecht
Question/Comment:
Would not most evangelicals say that their inherent identity (and every other human's) is flawed from birth? This assumed flawed identity shows itself by sin. So sin becomes a part of our identity? What about the new identity we are given in Christ — his new creations (2 Corinthians 5)? If we accept this teaching, we feel guilt and shame. Of course sin requires repentance and restitution, with which I agree.
But if we continue to sin after forgiveness (and we all will of course) according to this teaching our identity is affected, even ...
It’s a Covenant, NOT a Contract!
While many make the mistake of assuming the relationship God offers each of us is more like a contract than a covenant, we should not make another mistake by assuming covenants don't involve counting the cost.
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
April 8, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“… instead of thinking of what God was doing on the cross as his way of satisfying his law and justice, we need to realize that Jesus was healing us. Indeed, we are told we are healed by his stripes. Jesus was taking our wrath, taking our evil, and transforming it, by grace, into the love of God. The cross of Christ says ‘No to Wrath and Yes to Love!’ It is the way out of the human dilemma of violence, hatred and warfare – the ever-escalating, unending cycle of retributive violence when we seek justice by repaying an ...
Tender Mercies: Mary–A Farmer’s Wife – by Ruth Tucker
Bless the Lord who crowns you with tender mercies (Psalm 103, NKJV).
Mary was a farmer’s wife. Such a designation might offend gender-sensitive folks today. But when I was growing up on a farm in northern Wisconsin, the term was taken for granted. Jennie, my mother, was a farmer’s wife. So also, Ruby and Ethel and Rachel and Freda and Tina. They often worked twelve-hour days never imagining they would somehow be better off if they had equality with their husbands—whatever that would mean.
...
The Supremacy of Jesus Christ
Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, Jesus is the one "who is, who was and who is to come" (Revelation 1:8). Jesus is supreme, the author of our salvation, the center of all that we believe and the completion of our faith.
It’s Good to Be Alive – by Greg Albrecht
It's one of two times in the year when brick-and-mortar churches have their highest attendance. It's without a doubt the most meaningful time of the year for Christians, but Easter lilies, bunny rabbits, Easter hams, painted and chocolate eggs can take our attention away from the vital life-giving significance of this spiritual victory we celebrate every spring.
Easter signals new life springing from what is seemingly dead and lifeless. Gray gives way to green. Ice melts and snow is replaced by the promise of buds and sprouts. Light overcomes darkness. The light ...
What Is Your Theology? – Jim Fowler
Jim Fowler
This is a question that I have been asked on more than one occasion. Sometimes they are seeking to know my “statement of faith” in ministry or church, or on the website. Sometimes they are wanting to know where I was educated, thinking that thereby they can figure out my theology, but I am a nonconformist and the institutions where I studied do not represent my theology. Sometimes, they are asking the wrong question because they ask, “what is your religious preference?” To that question, I respond with “none!” because religion and theology are ...
Christ In You, the Hope of Glory
Jesus Christ is "the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations" (Colossians 1:26). In Christ we find meaning, significance and hope, even in the midst of suffering.
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
April 6, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
But if Jesus is alive – if he really did rise from the dead – then death is no longer predictable, and if death isn’t predictable, what is? What other assumptions about our life will we need to re-examine?
And if Jesus is alive, then it means he is out there somewhere – for that matter, it means he is right here, right now.
If Jesus is alive, then that means he can get up close and personal – and meet us exactly where we are.
If Jesus is alive, then he is not far off somewhere.
If Jesus is alive, then ...
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