If you prefer to read a PDF of this blog, then you can read it here: http://conspiringprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Prayer-Interrelatedness-and-God’s-Passibility.pdf Prayer, Interrelatedness, and God’s Passibility I define the traditional understanding of the typical petitionary prayer as talking to God and asking God to love in a specific manner in which God was not doing so beforehand. As you
The book of Daniel is apocalyptic literature laced with prophecy, numerology, dreams, visions, definitive portrayals of good and evil, and detailed eschatology. Noncanonical apocalyptic literature, which was common at the time of Daniel’s writing, had similar elements. Apocalyptic literature employs exaggerative, metaphorical, and metaphysical language. It uses creative narrative events to veil contemporary flesh-and-blood historical
Everyone has heard the phrase “Trust in God!” It is a powerful phrase that is often times used in a way that supposes God is in control of all things. In some circles, it encourages the listener to surrender to the all-powerful God who implicitly can snap His fingers and instantly give us the desires
Lately, I have seen many pray on Facebook for God to rid the church of homophobia and other “isms” that are destructive to ourselves and those we love. Reading some people’s posts portray God as somehow stalling or that God is not moving the timeline of equality and liberation fast enough. There are also those
The famous Catholic scholar, Hans Kung suggests that belief in Satan and demons are a piece of “outdated medieval thought” and when believed by Christians it “throws away all credibility for theology and the church” (On Being Christian, 369). Is he right? Is the influential German scholar, Rudolf Bultmann right when he says, “It is
I really don’t understand why people ask for prayer about their car that broke down; about their children who are sick; about interviews they have coming up, and other life events? Okay, I understand. It is just after a lot of reflection, it seems like there is a more honest way to share ones needs
In James 5:14–18, James encourages the elders of the church to lay hands on and pray for the sick, the sinful, and those in need of healing prayer. He writes “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” The context is not intercessory prayer on behalf of others from a distance but prayer that
“The bystander effect” is a term used by social psychologists to describe what happens when individuals fail to intervene during crises or emergencies when they perceive others are present and aware of the event. Preeminent social psychologist Elliot Aronson writes in his classic book, The Social Animal, “If people are aware that an event is
Everyone experiences loss. Weeping and crying out are two other uncommon practices of prayer that can help you grieve well. You might already be doing them (more often than you would like), but I want you to know what these prayer practices look like in detail so that when you experience them, you are able
Centering prayer can be one of the most difficult prayers to engage in because it requires stillness and silence, which are completely countercultural and counter-ego. Stillness and silence are countercultural to our drive-through, drive-by, and driven society that fosters a jittery nervous system and type A(DHD) personalities. Many people, therefore, think of stillness, silence, and
