Subculture, a cultural group within a larger or predominant culture but distinguished from it by factors such as class, ethnic background, religion, or residence, unified by shared beliefs or interests which may be at variance with those of the larger culture. A group within a culture, distinguished from it by features of custom, conduct, etc. … Continue reading Is Christianity a subculture or a counterculture?
pietism
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
There are two ways of reading the Bible. One way is to see it as a repository of morally edifying stories. One can label that the pietistic approach or the moralistic, therapeutic deism approach. The other approach is to see the Bible as a history of how God revealed, step by step, the redemption story. … Continue reading Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
Where have all the doctrines gone?
There were three churches in the town where I grew up. The doctrinal position of each was well understood and inflexible; none of them would have been considered evangelical. About the time I began high school, an itinerant evangelist held meetings in a rented hall and people’s hearts were sufficiently stirred that a Baptist congregation … Continue reading Where have all the doctrines gone?
There is a famine – part two
Yesterday I wrote a little about the famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Today I want to write about another kind of famine that is spreading over our land: a famine of community among those who would follow the Lord. This kind of famine is just as deadly as the first, especially since … Continue reading There is a famine – part two
Uncompromising faith
"Anabaptism was essentially a movement which insisted upon an earnest and uncompromising endeavour to live a life of true discipleship of Christ, that is to give expression in fellowship and love to the deepest Christian faith, with full readiness to suffer in conflict with the evil world order. So long as this willingness to suffer … Continue reading Uncompromising faith
Conservatism vs Liberalism?
There are two kinds of conservatism: a living one by which the faith is passed on intact and unchanged, always being kindled anew by the power of the Word and of the Holy Spirit; and a conservatism without life, that makes outward formalism the exclusive evidence of faith, with no reference to the condition of … Continue reading Conservatism vs Liberalism?
Sanctification and Revival
In the congregation of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite where I am a member, we recently had a series of messages from two visiting ministers, one from Idaho the other from Québec. The messages pointed us to the roots of the malaise that has gripped the church for some years now. We call … Continue reading Sanctification and Revival
The Essence of Pietism
Pietism has appeared in so many forms over the years, from the extreme asceticism of the hermit monks to the ecstatic antinomianism of some segments of the charismatic movement. The common thread running through all aspects of pietism is the conviction that I have attained to a level of spiritually and communion with God that … Continue reading The Essence of Pietism
The Perils of Pietism
Glenda Careless sat enthralled as the speaker told of the hundreds who had been delivered from sin and addictions by the blood of Jesus through his ministry. She drank it all in and realized that she needed that deliverance — she wanted it with all her being. He said God would do the same thing … Continue reading The Perils of Pietism
Flatlander Faith 