CWR Blog
Christianity Without The Religion BLOG hosted by Brad Jersak.
Life and Death
Dangerous Unselfishness
The day before he was assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a sermon in which he encouraged "dangerous unselfishness." Join Greg to more fully discuss and consider what it means to be dangerously unselfish.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR449.mp3
Humanity De-capitulated & Re-capitulated – Brad Jersak (with John Behr)
From Adam to Christ - All Humanity and Every Human:
My Inquiry to Fr. John Behr.
Hi Fr. John,
At a recent Open Table Conference you pointed out how simple everything becomes once we unlearn (scrape away) the many theological accretions that purport to mediate the significance of the work of Christ to our lives, including mechanical atonement theories that are required to make sense of what “Christ died for you” means if we’re all still going to die.
The simplicity you mention comes, in part, from seeing reality far more directly.
I want to run ...
Old Time Religion is Not Good Enough!
The hymn, which dates to 1873, declares "Give me that old time religion, it's good enough for me."
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR448.mp3
Fools, Foolishness and Grace – by Greg Albrecht
The left side of his body appeared to be paralyzed, so that his thin left arm dangled, looking as if it had atrophied. The right side of his body, with the aid of a cane held firmly by his muscular right arm, dragged his inert left side after it. He didn’t walk – he shuffled. Karen and I had just entered our local grocery store, and as we started down one of the aisles the crippled, grizzled man was ahead of us, hobbling along, in the company of a bigger and stronger companion.
As we stopped to select items to place in our cart, we heard him bellowing at ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
June 15, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“In The Return of the Prodigal Rembrandt paints the older brother with folded hands, frowning on the homecoming, even as his father generously grants a free and total pardon to the returning, younger son. The older brother cannot accept his father’s failure to demand penance and retribution from his wayward younger brother. The older brother is scandalized by the extravagant way in which his father lavishly extends grace.
But the father makes no demands that the returning son ‘give something up’ in payment for his ...
The Devil and the Problem of Evil – Greg Albrecht
Question:
Some time ago you gave a sermon and talked about Satan, and asked how “real” is he and how “symbolic” is he. I think he is real, and I have many Scriptures that support my conclusion. Of course, I know that there are many references in the Bible which are true but not literally so. Can you elaborate?
Response:
Some brief thoughts, perhaps if I enumerate them they might be a bit more logical!
The question of the devil, and how “literal” biblical references to his existence are, and how symbolic, is an ...
CWR Video – Incredibly Good News
Short video by Plain Truth Ministries.
We hope that our articles and resources bring comfort, hope, encouragement, and healing to our readers. If you’re experiencing that, please subscribe freely, share freely, and, if you’re able, please consider donating freely toward paying it forward by clicking the blue giving at the top of your screen.
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
June 13, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“So, for the first readers of the book of Revelation as for us today, this book encourages us to trust God with our lives as we await 1) the end of all earthly powers that destroy humanity and 2) entrance into the everlasting joy of the kingdom of God. Revelation is written to Christians who live in an often brutal world. Whether that world is the first century or the twenty-first century, whether we as Christians find ourselves facing persecution or insurmountable obstacles, Revelation offers hope by reminding us that ...
Beatitudes #5
In this fifth and last sermon in our series on the beatitudes, we ponder why we would ever be persecuted for "righteousness sake" and why a Christ follower experiences inner peace and joy while being persecuted.
Longfellow – Stuart Segall
The riders move through the mist and golden light as if on a pilgrimage, not of conquest, but of reckoning. Their cloaked silhouettes, half-claimed by shadow and half-revealed by dawn, become a quiet emblem of the human journey. Each one bears a flag, a story, a wound.
The forest around them, warm with illumination yet heavy with fog, mirrors the paradox of understanding. Clarity and obscurity coexist in every attempt we make to truly see another person. Longfellow’s words slip through the scene like a whispered truth: "If we could read the secret history of our ...
Beatitudes #4
Keeping in mind that these eight fruits of God's favor are descriptive of what he does rather than prescriptions for what we must produce via our own hard work, we'll take a closer look at how God empowers us to be pure in heart and to become peacemakers.
The Sovereign Love of God In a Messy World – Brad Jersak
Question:
In the past, you’ve addressed the problem of evil with what you referred to as a “theology of consent.” The idea was that God does not force goodness on us but invites us to participate in good. Essentially, this answers the classic question of the problem of evil in saying that God is love, but God is not all-powerful in some unrestricted sense of “might makes right.”
Where I am looking for further development is how we are to understand God’s sovereignty … or to put it differently, how we can completely trust in God/love. Looking at ...
The Kingdom of Service – by Greg Albrecht
Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I ...
Beatitudes #3
As we ponder what it means to be blessed by hungering and thirsting for righteousness and being merciful, we remember that these be-attitudes are God's gift, his handiwork, lived in our lives by and through Jesus.
Finding God in the Storm – By Bermie Dizon
Several months ago, I went on an exciting trip with my brother, Ferdie, to the beautiful paradise of El Nido, Palawan. This place is famous for its breathtaking beauty and amazing island-hopping adventures. We were thrilled to explore every part of it. We had two days of island-hopping fun planned, each promising new and exciting experiences.
On the second day, we started our journey early, heading to the farthest island on a motorized boat with twenty other eager tourists. The trip began smoothly, with the sun shining brightly and the sea sparkling like diamonds. ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
June 10, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“It’s true that there are people who are spiritually blind – doing time in religious prisons – and for some reason unknown to you or me or anyone else for that matter, God has not made a way for them to come to know him as he has for others. Why hasn’t he? We don’t know.
We do know that God is no respecter of persons. He doesn’t play favorites. That doesn’t mean everyone will accept his invitation. It may be that he gives different kinds of invitations to different people.
We don’t know all the details. We ...
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.
The ‘WORD’ of God and the word of God
Many Christians speak of the Bible as the word of God. Some even capitalize word (Word) as a term that is synonymous with the Scripture – the Bible. In this context Bible students are motivated by pastors and teachers to “be in the Word.”
I believe the Bible is inspired by God. However, I also believe there is, by design, a substantial human component it the writing, editing, translating, preservation and publishing of the Bible. You have heard the boast made by processed food manufacturers – “untouched by human hands.” The ...
Tender Mercies: “Til Death do us Part.” by Ruth Tucker
Bless the Lord who crowns you with tender mercies (Psalm 103, NKJV).
Til death do us part. Despite changes in language down through the centuries, this phrase from the sixteenth-century Anglican Book of Common Prayer has stayed the same. But while the wording of the promise endures, too often the promise itself does not. I was reminded of this again today as we laid our beloved father Albert Kraker to rest in a little rural cemetery surrounded by the farmland where he lived his entire life. It was a gloomy day, rain off and on, ...
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.
Plain Truth Ministries | Box 300 | Pasadena, CA 91129-0300
