Theology for the Masses

The latest and greatest Christian Carnival is up over at Thinking Christian. Check it out:

Christian Carnival CCXIV

Here are some of the highlights (excepting therefrom our posts!) (now with pithy quotes!):

Muslims Worshiping But Not Worshiping God

Nevertheless, it seems completely ludicrous to me to claim that this being that is falsely and ungenuinely worshiped by Muslims is not God. Muhammad intended to refer to the God long worshiped by Jews and Christians that Muhammad when he said all those false things about God. The being he misrepresented and twisted all sorts of things about is the God of the Bible. I don’t know how the historical facts can get around that.

Is Systematic Theology Bad?

Systematic theology, like biblical theology and historical theology, like pastoral counseling and evangelism training, is a tool created by flawed, God-loving Christians for the service of the saints to the glory of God. It’s an important tool in the Christian faith, and its occasional misuse should not deter us from its regular use.

War and Religion

The human race is great at finding reasons to slaughter each other – but religion has neither been the chief cause or the principle feature of that slaughter: not even close.

The Importance of Silence

Living in evangelical communities for most of my adult life, I have often heard, and then corrected, ignorant arguments against liturgy as dull, boring, and repetitive. Didn’t these people realize liturgy is one of the best opportunities for a person to interact with God in the midst of other believers—to be the local body of Christ?