pious thinking ⁽⁹⁸⁾

In the 1981 InterVarsity edition of his book Tell the Truth: The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People, Will Metzger warned against using a watered-down “feel good” gospel to make Christian faith seem more appealing to unbelievers. He wrote, “God has a wonderful plan for your life!” and “Won’t you give Jesus a chance?” may feel good to say, but that doesn’t mean you should say them. While it…

The world is full of popular, clever-sounding sayings that are simply not true. This brief post concerns one such pseudo-aphorism, namely this: This popular saying, which I have heard from pulpits and from other Christians for as long I can remember, has finally exceeded my tolerance. A relationship motivates practice; it does not replace it. Therefore, Christianity is both a religion and a relationship, with the latter motivating the former. To deny…