Thanks, Mark. I look forward to receiving GR. Re, "American Reformer" -- I wish that we had more writing, speaking, proclamation, etc., with the theme "people in our society are suffering, and here are some ideas/stories that will help move them from suffering to flourishing," versus seeing society as "explicitly hostile to Christianity and its beliefs ... today’s negative world." To your point about Blumhardt -- if people don't experience God as Someone who can help them move from suffering to flourishing, if they don't hear stories about people for whom this has been true, then the God of love and compassion IS dead to them. One example: I often see more "real religion" among people in Twelve Step recovery (of various kinds) than among typical evangelical Christians. Again, thanks for this today.
Thanks, Mark. I look forward to receiving GR. Re, "American Reformer" -- I wish that we had more writing, speaking, proclamation, etc., with the theme "people in our society are suffering, and here are some ideas/stories that will help move them from suffering to flourishing," versus seeing society as "explicitly hostile to Christianity and its beliefs ... today’s negative world." To your point about Blumhardt -- if people don't experience God as Someone who can help them move from suffering to flourishing, if they don't hear stories about people for whom this has been true, then the God of love and compassion IS dead to them. One example: I often see more "real religion" among people in Twelve Step recovery (of various kinds) than among typical evangelical Christians. Again, thanks for this today.