Spiritual warfare isn’t a cosmic battle between good and evil. Spiritual warfare is an overarching term for the way that the Kingdom of God is established. Breaking Down Our Assumptions This may not be a way of looking at spiritual warfare that you are used to or that even seems to make sense. However, there…
We are more than what we do. This might seem obvious, but it so often ignored or forgotten. The Sabbath reminds us of the fundamental fact that we are created in the image of God, invested with inherent dignity, and our value is not dependent on what we do but simply on our existence. I…
I was speaking to a friend the other day about planning a project at our corps. I generally tend not to believe that God has a plan for us, or that things happen because God wants them to. I believe God is involved in all things and is present at all times, but I struggle…
The short answer: probably not. The longer answer… Christianity and Money Don’t Go Together Christianity has had a complicated relationship with money and wealth throughout its existence. In its early period, Christians were almost universally poor, oppressed, and at risk of their lives. They were frequently enslaved people, from ethnic minorities, and women. The Bible…
My almost-five year old (who currently thinks she is 15) has got to the stage of saying that things are “unfair” if she doesn’t like them. “No, you can’t have any chocolate tonight. Treats are for the weekend.” “But that’s not fair!” “Can you tidy your toys away please?” “That’s not fair!” You get the…
What happens if we read the Exodus as a story of divine conflict? By reading the Exodus with an explicitly mythological lens, we can gain a new level of meaning. I’m going to briefly outline what that could look like. But it will only be an overview of a very complicated subject with lots of…
The eleventh doctrine of The Salvation Army includes a belief that the wicked will receive eternal punishment in hell. Is it possible to hold to this doctrine while also believing that all people will be saved? I think so. I happily and confidently affirm the Army’s doctrines. But I also believe that in the end…
It can be really difficult to hold onto our faith when we are confronted with what seems to be God’s silence. God’s Silence on Easter Saturday On Easter Saturday there is the space between death and life, between crucifixion and resurrection. We often pass over the day quite quickly. Few people spend time mourning on…
It is only the Crucified God who can save us. Every other divinity is just a projection of our own insecurity. We have often got our understanding of God wrong. All too often, we begin with an idea of who or what God is. God is all powerful, God is all knowing, God can do…
The Sacramental Life is at the heart of how The Salvation Army understands practical holiness. Sacramental Life, not Anti-Sacramental There is sometimes a confused idea that The Salvation Army is anti-sacramental. But this has never been the case. Instead, the Army has understood the Bible to point not to rituals and rites, but to a…