How I Kept the Faith

I went back to do some significant rewrites to the beginning of the Salvation series, and un-published a few of the later ones. I'm taking it in a slightly new direction.

To quote the article:
I do not want to add anything to the Bible, nor to subtract from it, but I also don’t want to assume that at some point in history, there was some kind of pure, primitive, perfect Christianity that we are all trying to get back to. I believe that Christianity has always been a work in progress. This is just where I’m going to show my most recent work.

New Work Coming Soon!

Salvation 1: Why start here? — How I Kept the Faith And because we do not know when Jesus will come to take us to Heaven—or God forbid, one of us gets hit by a bus, the question of whether one has been saved is the most urgent question one could answer.

What was Jesus' main message? Getting saved/born again? Nope. Love? No, not exactly. Right and wrong? Not so much. His main message was that the Kingdom of God is here and this is what it is like. This is what we are supposed to seek first.

This is the concept that brought my faith back from the brink.

https://depree.org/jesus-and-the-kingdom-of-god-what-you-need-to-know/

(I am a tiny bit peeved about this article, because I was just going to start a blog series on this topic today, and found that Rev Roberts already did it, and better than mine. Ah well. At least someone is talking about the Kingdom.)

Jesus and the Kingdom of God: What You Need to Know - De Pree Center Jesus and the Kingdom of God: What You Need to Know by Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts Copyright © 2020 by Mark D. Roberts...

It's all about life, death, growth, conflict, acceptance and eventual oneness to the divine, all packed into one song.

Muzzle—Smashing Pumpkins — How I Kept the Faith All things surely have to end…

How does salvation look for a community only reading the Gospel of Mark? A little sketchy, although the story is a fun ride...

Salvation 7: Welcome to the kingdom of God, BRB… (Mark 2-16) — How I Kept the Faith When it comes to salvation, my observation is that people who only had the Book of Mark as a reference would have an incomplete view of salvation, at least as salvation is explained in other parts of the New Testament.

And finally, 3 of 3--a dive into the brisk but clear waters of Mark Chapter 1--and the glimpse of a kingdom that may start on earth before any of us get to Heaven...

Salvation 6: The first glimpse of the kingdom (Mark I) — How I Kept the Faith The main reason I’m beginning with Mark is that many scholars believe this was the first Gospel to be written—and I want to start as close to the beginning as I can. It is certainly the shortest, and because of its style and compact size, it is action packed.

The 2nd of 3 posts for today--the age-old question--do you start with the Gospels or the Pauline letters--and why?

Salvation 5: Diving into the Bible (or, where do we start?) — How I Kept the Faith For the exploration at hand, the question is where do we jump into the Bible, and how?

The first of 3--yes 3--new posts that bridge the gap between all the prologuing and finally jumping into some Bible verses and some theology. (This one's about me and my baggage).

Salvation 4: All the baggage I bring to the party — How I Kept the Faith I think that before embarking on a theological journey, it is important to take an assessment of one’s own preconceived notions and biases, so I know what beliefs I’m bringing to the party.

More as I continue on the journey through the basics of salvation. This chapter is about how certain denominations have tried to approach the topic.

Salvation 3: Churches try to nail it down — How I Kept the Faith There are many, many other definitions of salvation among the different Christian denominations, which go into varying levels of technical detail about what is accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

And....because the opener of this series is more personal musings than detailed theology, there's a bonus 2nd post this week, in which I crack the books and start building the foundation for a serious examination of what's we talk about when we talk about salvation. Thanks again for reading, liking, and sharing!

Salvation 2: What is it (and do we need it?) — How I Kept the Faith One important part of theology is establishing definitions. That way, we all know what exactly we are talking about, which avoids a fair amount of confusion and discord.

Now that I've gone through several posts of prologue, now starting to dig fingers into the dirt. First topic--and for many believers, the most important: Salvation. (First in a series of as-of-yet indeterminate length.) Anyway, I hope it gets people thinking a little--it at least gives me a chance to get my thoughts out. Thanks for reading (and liking, following, and sharing.)

Salvation 1: Why start here? — How I Kept the Faith And because we do not know when Jesus will come to take us to Heaven—or God forbid, one of us gets hit by a bus, the question of whether one has been saved is the most urgent question one could answer.

A first look at the next journal entry, adding experience to the mix...

"I would like to believe that for some people, faith is simple. They simply have an experience of the divine, understand and trust their gut, and just believe, without all these mental gymnastics. I am not those people."

The Wesleyan Quadrilateral: Have you ever been experienced? — How I Kept the Faith I would like to believe that for some people, faith is simple. They simply have an experience of the divine, understand and trust their gut, and just believe, without all these mental gymnastics. I am not those people.

The latest. On Reason and its role in theology. There was nooooo way to keep this one short. I look forward to hearing what you think!

On Reason: Using the mind we were given — How I Kept the Faith Today’s journal entry is about Reason—the third leg of the “three-legged stool” or the “three-stranded cord” popularized in Anglican theology. I want to talk specifically about what Reason is and where it belongs in the theological pursuit.

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https://www.howikeptthefaith.com/theology/in-the-beginning

“In the beginning…”: Some first thoughts on Theology — How I Kept the Faith It is my goal, as a scholar of theology, to do this investigative and descriptive work as fairly, clearly, openly, and faithfully as possible. And that standard begins with the words we use.

Who am I, and why should I be talking about theology? Here is my story, so you can see where I'm coming from...

Testimony — How I Kept the Faith This is my story...(because if we’re talking theology, you should know where I’m coming from.) Featured 1. The Journey: Where I’ve been, how we got here, where we’re going As a lifelong Christian believer, I have studied theology in some way or another since I was a small child. Even when I ...