Category: theology
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A Christian Response to Park 51?
I’d like to cautiously dip a toe into the controversial waters of Park 51 (formerly known as Cordoba House), the planned Islamic community center near the World Trade Center site in Manhattan. Not surprisingly, this has become an incredibly polarizing debate with politicking and posturing on all sides. At issue is whether it is appropriate…
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Missional Pietism
This week I’m taking the last of the four classes required by my denomination, the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), for those pastors who haven’t attended the denomination’s seminary. The ECC is a relatively small denomination and not widely known. Having been a part of the ECC for just a couple of years, I get regular…
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Down with the Homogeneous Unit Principal?
My latest article for Out of Ur was posted earlier today. In it I try to make the case that we need more churches willing to take seriously the reconciling nature of the gospel. This, I believe, ought to be reflected not just in our preaching and teaching but in our methods and strategies as…
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How Do You Perceive Diversity?
David Fitch, author and professor at Northern Seminary, has posted some though-provoking thoughts and questions about intentionally diverse churches: “The Diversity We Seek: The Danger of Manufactured Pre-Determined Diversity.” Please take a few minutes to read the entire thing; in this post I’ll interact with just a couple of his points that are especially relevant…
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The Dilemma of Memorial Day
A few of you may remember the intriguing “conversation” on the blog last year about my ambiguity on how Memorial Day should or shouldn’t be celebrated by a church. Believe it or not, that year-old post- and especially your comments- came to mind on Saturday as I was wondering again how to acknowledge the holiday…
David W. Swanson 