What’s In the Tension all about?
At its purest essence, a life of following Jesus comes down to two simple commitments: love God and love others. We know this because when the earliest followers of Jesus - His disciples - asked Him what was the most important part of following Him, He distilled them down to those two things. Love God and love your neighbor.
If you’re the sort of person who’s committed to doing things well, you’ll want to love God well and you’ll want to love your neighbors well. In real life though, these two things surface all sorts of tensions, seeming paradoxes, and in many cases, genuine confusion.
Here’s an example: the Bible tells us in one passage, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” and in another passage it tells us, “turn the other cheek”. What gives? Should we punch someone who punches us or should we sit there inviting endless abuse? At first glance, these two passages seem totally opposed to one another. Either we’re supposed to go around avenging every wrong that happens to us or we’re to blindly accept the wrongs that are done to us. Or is there a third way? An explanation that reconciles these two passages?
That’s what this newsletter is about. It explores the Word of God in-depth, looking at the different passages in the Bible to better understand what the Bible is really saying to us. If we look at the Bible as God’s love letter to humanity with an open, genuine heart, we’ll ultimately see that God is impossibly in love with us and wants the best for us. We’ll also see, as we might hope, a God who is devoted to justice and our well-being.
The ultimate goal is equip us better for our journey in this life as we discover each day how we can love God and each other more deeply, more passionately, and more completely.
Some housekeeping
Audience
The main audience of this newsletter is anyone who professes to follow Jesus or anyone who is curious about learning more about the Christian faith. Skeptics are welcome to engage if that engagement is genuine and respectful.
Respect
The online world is much like the real world. There beautiful oases that inspire rest and rejuvenation and there are ugly spaces full of toxic radioactive waste. This newsletter aims to be a place where honest people can come with differing perspectives to engage deeply and safely in difficult topics. To do that, we must be respectful even when honest, assuming the best about people. Debate ideas passionately. Love each other even more deeply.
Theology
My theology is grounded in the truth of Jesus’ life and His claims - that He was the Son of God, that he died and was raised again in three days, that He ascended to God, and that He sent the Holy Spirit to help us. I also believe, critically, that the Bible is the Word of God, that it’s written by human authors inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it is inerrant.
About me
After accepting Jesus into my life around 9 or 10 years old, my life’s mission since then has been figuring out how to do it better, especially in my regular every day life, which has consisted of being a student in college, an entrepreneur, a consultant, and holding various roles in corporate and multi-lateral contexts. I’m a husband, a dad, a son, a brother, and in general, curious about life in general and specifically, how my faith applies in everyday contexts.
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