As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Some people suppose happiness is uniquely human, unrelated to God’s nature: as He gave us a body and hunger, which He doesn’t have, He gave us a capacity for happiness, which He also doesn’t have. I believe something radically different” - Randy Alcorn
“God wants us to understand our anger by speaking to our souls, by contemplating the anger in silence, and then by doing the next right thing. And this will demonstrate by our acts that we trust in Yahweh, and not in our own devises.” - TGC
The use of the term passion has seen a huge uptick in conservative evangelical life in the past 25 years or so, roughly paralleling the sharp rise in influence of Reformed Charismatism in conservative evangelical theology and hymnody. The term passion is used in an overwhelmingly positive sense as the antidote to lethargy and ambivalence toward God and spiritual things—a problem that young, restless Christians seem perpetually to discover in previous generations.
“God created us with both intellect and emotion. Neither is meant to triumph over the other, but actively work together to pursue the heart of Christ.” - Kainos
“… the most troubling element in [contemporary American politics] lies beyond our mere partisan differences. It involves a distinctive politics of passion that could, if left unbridled, lead to the ruin of our experiment in republican self-government.” - Law & Liberty
Reposted from Rooted Thinking.
The lights dim as the music begins to play. The energy in the crowd seems to almost crackle audibly. You feel a surge of anticipation for the songs you know, the empowering words you always hear, and the inspirational, larger-than-life people you see standing before you. At a well-designed worship service, Bible conference, or summer camp, God seems real, close, and exciting.
“I relished reading about prayer, talking about prayer, trying different kinds of prayer, and encouraging others in their lives of prayer. And most of all, I loved the sweet intimacy of prayer itself …. And then one day, without warning, reason, or explanation, that sense of sweet intimacy was gone.
“We must take great care that we do not sin against one another and that we do not place stumbling blocks in the way of others. However, our discipleship obligations to one another require that we say hard, uncomfortable, and sometimes emotionally distressing things to one another.” - P&D
They may not be many in number, but they do exist: Christians who are thoroughly confused about anger. During counseling, reading, and sermon-listening, four myths have come to my attention repeatedly. Here’s a brief, non-expert—but hopefully thought-provoking—response.
“Encounters with Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Life’s Biggest Questions [is] based on previous talks given to students and businessmen” CT
Discussion