550 results for tag: Brad Jersak
Why Ask? Why pray for gifts God has already given? Brad Jersak
“Forgive us our trespasses…”
“Lord, have mercy.”
“Come, Holy Spirit.”
The prayers of God’s people are replete with requests for that which God has already graciously and abundantly provided. So why bother? Is praying for the gifts God has already given an act of unbelief, a confusion of theology or an offense to God? Some seem to think so and in a sense, may be right. But both the question and answer are important and far more nuanced than an either/or knee-jerk reaction. What are the perils and what is the point of asking for what we’ve already been given?
THE PERILS
Two obvious perils accompany requests for ...
“Why Seek the Living Among the Dead” – Brad Jersak
Violated, Grieved, Relieved & Liberated
A dear friend of mine recently experienced humiliation by patriarchal connivers in her church. It took me back to the era when unwed pregnant teens were forced to stand before their congregation for public shaming and shunning (no father named or present!). Their experiences were violations and overt spiritual abuse.
But my friend is no teenager. She felt the violation, allowed herself to grieve, then relatively quickly moved on to relief and even liberation. Why? Because she can simply leave and, gratefully, safer harbours welcome her arrival. Her conclusion echoed the words spoken by angels at ...
When did the ‘Finished Work’ start? – Brad Jersak
"It is finished!"
One of the beautiful catchphrases in the Christian tradition is "the finished work of Christ." We typically associated the phrase with Christ's decisive declaration from the Cross, "It is finished!" In this post, I'd like to ask what is finished and when it started.
The words, "It is finished," in Gospel context are found only in John 19:30. The full verse says, "When Jesus had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."
What was finished?
First, the word we usually translate "finished" (Τετέλεσται) is rich in meaning. It could be accurately ...
CWR Video – The Wrath of God
In this CWR Video, Brad discusses progressive revelation and how the concept of Wrath has been used in Scripture.
https://vimeo.com/1015771501
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CWR Video – “Why Did Jesus Die?” – by Brad Jersak
Short video by Brad Jersak
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“The second is like it” – Loving God, loving neighbour – Brad Jersak
Matthew 22:35-40 "... and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’
This teaching of Jesus is remarkable on several significant fronts! For example, we are actually hearing Jesus' own assessment of the greatest commandment in the Law: loving God wholeheartedly. And ...
Q&R: What is your take on the Nephilim? Brad Jersak
QUESTION"What is your take on the Nephilim?"
RESPONSE:
The brief mention of the Nephilim in Genesis is quite a mystery. The gaps in this fantastical story led to loads of creative fan fiction (the Jewish genre called 'midrash') and, more recently, bizarre conspiracy theories. Let's start with the initial text itself:
Genesis 6:
1 When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, ‘My spirit shall not abide in mortals for ever, for they are ...
Breakfast with Brad – Silly but Harmful
In which Brad eats Campbell's chicken noodle soup, spouts a silly (but harmless) childhood poem, then cites an example of a silly (but very harmful) theology. For the toxic citation, see below:
https://vimeo.com/1007830344
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Q&R: “How did Jesus ‘become sin’? Brad Jersak
What does Paul mean when he says, "Jesus became sin for us"?
CWR Video – The Theology of the Cross
In this CWR Video, Brad and Ed discuss the topics of The Theology of the Cross and Theodicy.
https://vimeo.com/1015762438
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Violence in the Hebrew Bible (part 3) – Violence as a Pollutant – Brad Jersak with Matt Lynch
Violence in the Hebrew Bible
CWR Video – Penal Substitutionary Atonement
In this CWR Video, Greg and Brad discuss the definition of and the error within the theory of Penal Substitutionary Atonement.
https://vimeo.com/1015767239
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Violence in the Hebrew Bible (Part 2) – Ecocide- Brad Jersak & Matt Lynch
In my discussions in Part 1 on Old Testament violence with author and friend of CWR, Dr. Matthew Lynch, the biblical connection between human violence and damage to the environment came up. The word that Matt used for this was ecocide. Just as the murder of a human is homicide or the murder of a father is patricide or the murder of God is deicide, the word ecocide links ecology (the environment) with murder.
The striking thing about biblical ecocide that it is not simply the murder of the environment, but the impact of human-vs-human violence on the land and its ability to sustain life. Matthew offered the ...
Breakfast with Brad – Is Preaching God’s Love Capitulation to the World’?
In which Brad prepares a 'normal' breakfast and answers an important question: Is preaching God's all-inclusive love capitulation to 'the world'?
See text beneath the video for the extended Q & A.
https://vimeo.com/1007825193
Question: I love your book (A More Christlike God) because it rings true that the "through line" of our theology must be love and radical self-giving. But how do you guard against the idea that God and/or Jesus may be more wrathful and judging than we like to believe?
Response: Great question! First, I notice you're assuming that the problem is that God be more wrathful than we'd want him to be. ...
April 2025
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(PDF Format)
Greg Albrecht Two Arrivals: Dallas & Jerusalem – pg. 2
Brad Jersak The Last Scapegoat – pg. 4
Richard Rohr Perfect Love Casts Out Fear – pg. 7
Q&R with Brad: “Is reading the Bible through the Gospel ‘eisegesis'”?
Question:
Is reading the Bible through the Gospel 'eisegesis'?
"What I’m saying is that your criteria for judging a translation is not your linguistic ability or your academic credentials. It is your personal knowledge of who Jesus is, the nature of God as he revealed it, and the gospel he preached." Brad Jersak from "Gospel Before Translation"
Brad ... is that not getting a little close to eisegesis?
My personal growth is so much dependent on my openness to God revealing things to me about Himself and myself, that are sometimes very challenging of my well-formed, and dysfunctional, personal theology.
Response:
What a good ...
Q&R: Two Thieves & the Third Cross-piece
Question:
I have a question about the cross. I have seen what some call the "Russian Cross." What troubles me about it is the symbol of the third wooden cross-piece at the bottom, because it contradicts my belief in apokatastasis (ultimate redemption). Can you help me understand the following explanation better or offer an alternative?
"The slanted line reminds us of the two thieves on both sides of the cross. One of them to the right of Christ ascended to Heaven, while the other one sank to Hell. Thus bottom bar of the cross is like the scale of justice and its points show the way to the ...
CWR Video – Heaven and Hell
In this CWR Video, Greg and Brad discuss perspectives on heaven and hell.
https://vimeo.com/1013248243
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Breakfast with Brad – Slow Roast Coffee and Trusting God’s Process
Today in the ancient town of Quedlinburg, Germany, Brad sees how quality coffee is roasted and trusting God in the slow processes of our growth.
"2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4)
https://vimeo.com/1007820640
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 ...
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