I recently completed a Master of Theological Studies in Church History and Calvin Seminary. I enjoy exploring the potential for healthy theology to transform the life of the church, especially in connection with issues related to gender, mental health, and abuse.
Thanks S - I very much appreciated the sermon audio you provided! Wow - very challenging, very honest. We need more examples like these. I remember the first time I heard a sermon candid about these issues (online - I've yet to hear such candor in a church building) - it both left me shaken and deeply encouraged/relieved. (One slight 'disclaimer' I might make if I shared this sermon more broadly is that I think I see the concept of abuse a bit more broadly than this pastor does - there are varying degrees. I think of severe abuse as exactly as he describes (and that needs to be taken as seriously as he does for what it is), but there are less extreme forms of abuse, also very serious in their impact, which can sometimes be treated and of those kind of abusers I would not necessarily find describing them as monsters/children of the devil helpful. Either way, the naivete about the darkness of abuse and the impact destructive behavior has needs to stop.
Yes - sometimes what bugs me about the "if it is your will" disclaimer in prayers is that it seems to be more about despair than alliance with God's will. When we pray for healing and repentance in the church, I don't say "if it's your will" - because I know that's God's revealed will, and his revealed will is what we're supposed to pray for! I think Reformed make this distinction between's God's revealed and secret will (how things in his sovereignty actually play out in the world) - when we pray to God, I'd suggest we are called to pray for his revealed will.
Posted in: Deceived: How the Reformed View of Sin Impacts Abuse Prevention
Thank you for your interest and support - I'm very glad you found it helpful.
Posted in: Deceived: How the Reformed View of Sin Impacts Abuse Prevention
Thanks S - I very much appreciated the sermon audio you provided! Wow - very challenging, very honest. We need more examples like these. I remember the first time I heard a sermon candid about these issues (online - I've yet to hear such candor in a church building) - it both left me shaken and deeply encouraged/relieved. (One slight 'disclaimer' I might make if I shared this sermon more broadly is that I think I see the concept of abuse a bit more broadly than this pastor does - there are varying degrees. I think of severe abuse as exactly as he describes (and that needs to be taken as seriously as he does for what it is), but there are less extreme forms of abuse, also very serious in their impact, which can sometimes be treated and of those kind of abusers I would not necessarily find describing them as monsters/children of the devil helpful. Either way, the naivete about the darkness of abuse and the impact destructive behavior has needs to stop.
Posted in: Prayers of Indifference
Yes - sometimes what bugs me about the "if it is your will" disclaimer in prayers is that it seems to be more about despair than alliance with God's will. When we pray for healing and repentance in the church, I don't say "if it's your will" - because I know that's God's revealed will, and his revealed will is what we're supposed to pray for! I think Reformed make this distinction between's God's revealed and secret will (how things in his sovereignty actually play out in the world) - when we pray to God, I'd suggest we are called to pray for his revealed will.
Posted in: Two Words to My Former Self
"The dignity of our humanity is what God puts inside us." - Love this, Robin!