"Discipleship means adherence to Christ, and, because Christ is the object of that adherence, it must take the form of discipleship. An abstract Christology, a doctrinal system, a general religious knowledge on the subject of grace or on the forgiveness of sins, renders discipleship excessive, and in fact they positively exclude any idea of discipleship whatever, and are essentially opposed to the whole conception of following Christ. With an abstract idea it is possible to enter into a relation of formal knowledge, to become enthusiastic about it, and perhaps even to put it into practice; but it can never be followed in personal obedience. Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ." (The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer pg. 59)

Interesting stuff.


By Clark H. Pinnock, Professor of Theology at McMaster Divinity College.
GOD AND THE OPEN VIEW
In contrast to other, more abstract approaches to theism, the open view of God is a relational model of understanding. In conventional theism, God is seen as an all-controlling and unchangeable Being who determines directly or indirectly all things that happen. He exists out of time and is unaffected by anything. He knows all things in advance and sovereignly ordains what he knows. The open view, on the other hand, sees God as a relational and triune God who exists as a community (Father, Son, and Spirit) and seeks loving relationships with creatures. In order for such relationships to be possible, God imparts genuine (or “libertarian”) freedom to human beings. This freedom allows them the possibility of loving God or of acting in ways unconstrained by God’s will. God chooses to achieve his goals by means of collaboration with humans rather than by predetermination.

















Second, I have noticed that the debate over the openness of God has opened up an area in which evangelical thinking needs to experience reform. Surely the glory of God does not consist of his exercising total control over the world but of his self-giving and self-sacrificing love. This is not just a partisan interpretation. According to the gospel, God has the properties of a lover, not the properties of a tyrant. While God is certainly the “most” and the “best,” there are different kinds of goodness and greatness. It is a divine perfection, not only to rule, but to be vulnerable for love’s sake. God is not an impassible Buddha, untouched by the troubles of mortal existence. We do not endorse the Aristotelian ideal of a self-sufficient God, who devotes his time to contemplating his own existence. We worship a God who became one of us and shares in our condition. 




We just got back from our camping trip to Santa Cruz. God did some wonderful things in all of us and we are all expectant of the new season ahead. Each day was filled with good God stuff and each night was filled with raccoons! (at one point there were 14 of them in the tree above my tent).

It is sobering to think we will be down there in 3 1/2 months. We are all challenged by this. However, where God guides, he also provides, so our task is to rely on God.

I am about to take my last class and am pressed to accomplish what I need to, but once again God reminded me through his word that he is the source of all my accomplishments.

Isaiah 22:8-11
Judah's defenses have been stripped away. You run to the armory for your weapons. You inspect the walls of Jerusalem to see what needs to be repaired. You store up water in the lower pool. You check the houses and tear some down to get stone to fix the walls. Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool. But all your feverish plans are to no avail because you never ask God for help. He is the one who planned this long ago.

1Peter 2:4
Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is precious to God who chose him.

Let us: ask God for help at all times being dependent on his ability to both test and rescue us from any situation; and remember to come to Christ (daily), since he is both living (not dead), and the cornerstone (the most important piece) of God's temple (you, me, us).