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Grace vs. Judgment: The Nature of the Christian God
Read more: Grace vs. Judgment: The Nature of the Christian GodThe Bible is a complex and multifaceted text, reflecting the diverse socio-historical contexts and times in which its various books were written. In studying it, many have found a tension between, on the one hand, a seemingly judgmental God who operates on the principle of cause and rational effect—rewarding obedience and punishing disobedience; and, on…
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Blindness II: the blinding judgment of Grace
Read more: Blindness II: the blinding judgment of GraceIt seems that a large portion of what God tried to get us to see is His grace. We tend to be blind to it, because grace is very different from our natural knowledge, which arises from our vision into how humans and the world function around us. We look for cause and effect, we…
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Blindness I: From Vision to Insight
Read more: Blindness I: From Vision to InsightWhat do you see? This is one of the existential questions that God asks of each of us. Vision and light are some of the most occurring themes in the bible, and for an important reason. It seems as if God takes us on a spiritual journey of sight and blindness, light and darkness, insight…
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Grace as God’s True Light
Read more: Grace as God’s True LightToday, we will start a three-part discussion on light and blindness. It seems as if God takes us on a spiritual journey of sight and blindness, light and darkness, insight and ignorance. In the very first chapter of the bible the Creation and the manifestation of Light together convey a certain truth about God. Let…
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The Boundless Gift: Exploring Grace Beyond Faith and Deeds
Read more: The Boundless Gift: Exploring Grace Beyond Faith and DeedsGod’s grace is a concept that often transcends human understanding. In this world, we are accustomed to thinking in terms of fairness, cause and effect, and the notion that what we receive is proportionate to what we give. Our understanding of merit and reward is often centered on what seems just—where effort leads to an…
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Death and Grace
Read more: Death and GraceI have been fascinated by the topic of death for years now. Mystics and sages say that the only way to live life fully is to accept our deaths. That’s easy, you may say, I’m fully aware that I’m going to die, I’m just a human after all. But Ernest Becker begs to differ with…
[…] This is an update to Michael’s talk first given on April 2024, therefore there is no discussion. Please use…