Tag: forgiveness

The Confession of Sin Can Be A Radical Act of Ministry

The mere daily act of asking for forgiveness is unique, and its ramifications as a silent ministry have the potential to be profound. [Click title to read more.]

What It Looks Like To Forget God

Yes, in a world that has forgotten God, sin will reign. And in a world that has forgotten God, love will be dead, too - along with mercy, and compassion, and forgiveness. [Click title to read more.]

Confronting Paul’s Freedom in Christ

Often, when I read Paul's letters, I wonder: did Paul ever struggle with guilt? Did he ever think of Stephen's radiant face, and Stephen's forgiveness, and Stephen's broken, mangled body? Did he hate himself for approving of it? Did he ever look at himself admonishing churches and marvel that he had the gall to do it after the atrocities he'd committed? [Click title to read more.]

Let’s Take The Confession of Sins Seriously

For a lot of us,the confession of sin isn't sobering at all. It's something we just sort of...do. Like showering. It is habit. It is flippant. As we go about it we lack, in some cases, a serious sense of shame, and acknowledge our sins in the same sort of way we acknowledge we bite our fingernails. [Click title to read more.]

An Apology To Catholics, Or, A Meditation On Denominational Divisions

Frankly, any of us who consider ourselves members of x denomination - and even those of who do not - differentiate ourselves from other denominations and other believers in terms of interpretation, doctrine, and practice. We ought to get along better. [Click title to read more.]

How Forgiveness Makes Space for Honesty

Because I'm a college professor, I assign homework.  Students are not into this. A few years ago, one of my students was so not into this that she forgot to write down the page numbers of the reading assignment.  Logging on to the forum for our class online, she promptly wrote an email that she … Continue reading How Forgiveness Makes Space for Honesty

Why Forgiveness Is More Complex Than We Imagine

Forgiveness is an act which encompasses much more than saying "that's okay", and we understand that instinctively when we ask for it: we want a chance to prove ourselves, to show we are more than our misbehavior, to not have an act or a series of acts define our identities or others' perceptions of us. [Click title to read more.]