Honest answers to sincere questions are essential to the work of love. Indeed the lessons that have been most formative in my spiritual life have not come from books and lectures (important though they are!), but from the candid conversations that came at the cafe or in the parking lot after the formal lesson was over.
My hope is that these live Q&A events can offer something of that same experience in the digital age – thoughtful, candid answers to the questions that are weighing upon you.
The responses are unscripted (and therefore quite imperfect). And this first foray into the world of live theological conversation includes a mea culpa (and some edits) for an answer I wish had been more complete.
Topics include:
- A very brief look at the biblical perspective on homosexuality,
- A look at the Apostle Paul’s advice to avoid marriage if possible (and the idea that even the biblical perspective can evolve),
- The two creations stories in Genesis and how to interpret them,
- A discussion of how we think about the “authority of scripture” and its “accuracy,”
- Canvas (the church where I am pastor in Irvine, CA) and what it means to be a part of the Fresh Expressions movement (what defines a “fresh expression” and how that differentiates us from “traditional church”),
- The influence of American Christianity on the global church, and
- How to interpret Genesis 6:1-4, that nearly indecipherable passage about the Nephilim (the favorite term paper topic of every Old Testament professor in the world).
The next Jesus at 7PM event is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013 (location TBD – hopefully a cool bar or pub in the OC!). Know a spot???? Let me know!
