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Does God Talk to Us or Not?

In all our United Methodist fussing with one another, one question consistently emerges in my mind: do we think that God actually talks to us?  How would we recognize divine speech if we think God does talk to us? At

Stephen Rankin June 18, 2014 Doctrine/Theology, Ministry, The Church, United Methodism 3 Comments Read more

Grown-Up Discipleship: Loving Enemies

John Wesley begins the concluding paragraph of his third discourse on the Sermon on the Mount in this way: “Behold Christianity in its native form; as delivered by its great Author!  This is the genuine religion of Jesus Christ.” When

Stephen Rankin November 30, 2012November 30, 2012 Christian Life, Doctrine/Theology, General, Ministry, Preaching/Teaching, Religion, The Church, United Methodism 1 Comment Read more

How Do We Think about Israel/Palestine?

The conflicts of Israel and Palestine, always simmering and recently boiling over, have entered our awareness again.  Again, we confront the tensions of viewpoints and the complexities of opinion about whom to hold responsible and what to do.  Academics wax

Stephen Rankin November 28, 2012November 28, 2012 General, Preaching/Teaching, Religion, United Methodism No Comments Read more

More Thoughts on How God Became King

Having finished N.T. Wright’s How God Became King (see September 27 post), a few somewhat scattered and searching thoughts. First, my conviction about the old Methodist division remains strong and grows.  A reading of Wright’s book will challenge that problem and

Stephen Rankin September 29, 2012September 29, 2012 Christian Life, Doctrine/Theology, Ministry, Preaching/Teaching, Religion, The Church, United Methodism No Comments Read more

Needed: A Good Dose of Self-Awareness

In a recent post,  I took a swing at the problem of using the rhetoric of critical thinking without actually employing it ourselves in higher education.  So, let me try to explain a little more of what I mean by

Stephen Rankin December 6, 2011 Christian Life, Doctrine/Theology, Higher and Theological Education, Religion No Comments Read more
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Meet Steve

I serve as Executive Director of the Spiritual Maturity Project, a ministry some of us have recently started.  For 25 years I worked in higher education as a professor and chaplain and before that as a pastor.  I love to help people grapple with big and basic questions to grow into real ,grown-up Christian discipleship.

I ruminate on all manner of theological, biblical, historical, and cultural topics. I believe followers of Jesus need to be more like members of Issachar’s tribe, able to read the times. Read more

 

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