I pretty up Jesus to make him more convincing because I don’t think he’s enough on his own. 

I do this because I’m scared, I’m nervous what you’ll think about him — and I have this other idea of God that will go down smoother to answer all your doubts and concerns.

Doesn’t this make me a liar?  Or disingenuous?  Or a magician?  Or a bad movie trailer?

I end up saying, “Jesus is actually saying –” and then going into a detailed explanation of the Greek to gloss over the really hard things he said.

We don’t like to wince.  We cringe at the tough stuff that doesn’t mesh with our modern Western sensibilities. We are sure that Jesus meant something else.  So we dress him up, decorate his words, and exegete the edge off him.

Continue reading “Skipping The Hard Stuff Jesus Said” →

If you’re not sure God loves you, look no further than the cross. All that senseless debating gets good people like you to doubt if God really loves you: but God’s love is not dependent on our theology of Him. It’s based on an historical act of grace that really happened. He loves you, period. And you can respond. Let’s keep it simple enough for a child to believe, and true enough for the man on his deathbed.

— J.S.