CWR Blog
Christianity Without The Religion BLOG hosted by Brad Jersak.
preaching gospel
Is God Fair?
We've all asked this question more than once, and before it's all said and done, we'll re-visit the dark dilemma of God's seemingly unfair decisions.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR450.mp3
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
June 17, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979-1990, was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century. While she was in office Mrs. Thatcher visited a home for seniors, the kind of place referred to as an ‘old folk’s home.’ As she made the rounds shaking hands, she came to an older lady who seemed to be suffering from dementia. She gave no indication that she had any idea that she was shaking hands with the Prime Minister.
Mrs. Thatcher asked the woman, ‘Do you ...
All Things Beautiful #10 – Ken Williams
Ken Williams
Jack and Tina – one flesh:
Matthew 19:3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” 4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (NIV)
Nancy, our children, and I lived ...
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.
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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.
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