Christmas is, for many or most Christians, the most joyous Christian celebration. And it certainly should be a great reason of joy; in fact, according to the Christian tradition, we are celebrating the birth of God’s Son on earth, for…
What does it mean to be a ‘good Christian’?
As a child, I learned that Christianity meant Jesus, that he was God, and that obedience was the Christian’s main duty. It made sense then, and it continues to make sense today. If we are passionate about something, that will…
Is your kind of Christianity divine or human?
The American church today needs to distinguish between what is from God and what is human and historically conditioned. We could do this by observing how people do the will of God. Matthew 7:20-21 offers a simple biblical solution —…
This year, I’m thankful because I do not understand
As is the tradition in most Romanian churches at Thanksgiving, people gather to thank God for their blessings. While the testimonies follow a common pattern — words of thanksgiving and stories about God’s work in their lives — what makes…
In the United States, is it possible to be an honest and just person?
Any society, regardless of its character, teaches and encourages people to be honest and just. In Christianity, however, honesty and justice must be consciously practiced and cultivated; they are, at least theoretically, fundamental principles that should characterize those who have…
Christmas has come. Now, let’s not relegate Jesus’ birth to secondary status in our theology
To say that Jesus’ death and resurrection is more important than Jesus’ birth reveals our failure to understand that the three major events in God’s plan for humanity – the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus – are equally important.
Theology is secondary. What matters more is living Jesus’ way of love and justice
Theology is not the most serious cause of concern for a declining Christian witness in America. The truth remains that people are drawn to Christianity because they see ample evidence that teaching and preaching are accompanied by deeds and practice.
In the U.S., are Christians really different from secular culture?
In America, it seems that the prophetic tradition is in a crisis. How does it differ from the tradition of order? Indeed, it seems that the only tradition in America is that of order, and if there is a prophetic tradition, it seems that it is not easily and clearly distinguishable from the tradition of order.