Satan Hates the Holy Spirit

I think this might just be a blind spot in contemporary theology.  We know that Satan hates God and marriage and evangelism and even church planting.  But I have never heard anyone reference his hatred for the Holy Spirit. As I ponder this idea I see more and more evidence to support the statement used …

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Why is Prayer Weird?

Prayer can often be strangely alien. If you think about it, prayer in our churches can be quite otherworldly. Prayer often seems to be inexplicably a-relational and bizarrely formulaic, which conflicts with the reality presented in the Bible. In God’s story we find that prayer has depth, ceaseless frequency, and a naturalness many of us …

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Enjoying the Spirit

What about the Spirit?  What should we make of his place in the Trinity, and in our lives?  Our response to that question, whatever it is, will say much about how we live out our faith.  With that in mind let me mention, very briefly, some common points of view, then offer my own.  And …

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Finding Community

Michael Allen Gillespie in The Theological Origins of Modernity explored the contribution of Francesco Petrarch—a monumental 14th century figure—in The Solitary Life: “At the heart of this [Petrarch’s] claim [that a public life is incompatible with virtue] is his conviction that social life is dominated by the opinions and values of the multitude, who are …

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