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New Ministry Mag Out!

A new magazine has published its inaugural issue. This denominationally oriented publication is a harbinger of deeper and more creative ministry in the Church of the Nazarene.

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The First Emergent Nazarene

I’ve noticed that many who self-identify as emerging or emergent Christians emphasize following Jesus, pursuing Jesus’ way, or living a life that imitates Jesus. I like this emphasis.

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Richard Hays and John Wesley

I have long thought love the heart of a biblically oriented ethics. But an influential book by New Testament scholar, Richard Hays, argues otherwise.

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Reading Scripture with Wesleyan Eyes

I must admit: I’ve had a hard time containing my excitement. I’m pumped about “The Bible Tells Me So” conference next February, 2011!

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The Adventure of Relational Holiness

Christians embrace diverse descriptions of holiness.  This diversity arises in part from diverse descriptions of holiness found in the Bible. In Relational Holiness: Responding to the Call of Love, my coauthor, Michael Lodahl, and I suggest that love is the core notion uniting these diverse understandings.

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Emergent and the Church of the Nazarene

The emergent church movement has its fans and critics.  My own denomination has been engaged in discussions about the helpfulness of ideas and theology with the "emergent" label. Recently, denominational leadership released a statement on their own views of the emergent church.

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What does it mean to be Wesleyan?

For some time, Christians in the various arms of the Wesleyan tradition have pondered what they share in common.  The Wesleyan theological tradition is diverse, but it offers a distinctive vision of the gospel. And that vision differs from other Christian visions.

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Open Theology and the Church of the Nazarene

Open theology has gained wide attention since the 1990s. It enjoys growing influence in the Church of the Nazarene. 

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Perfect Like God

To “be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” means to be like God. Too many Christians have thought God to be an impersonal force field. Believing God is personal and living helps us imagine what we should do to fulfill Jesus’ command to be perfect.

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Inspiration and Perspiration - God and the Creative Process

Thomas Alva Edison once said that invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. I’ve been thinking about what this quote might mean for theology.

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We can be perfect—now!

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). This sentence may be the most vexing in all of scripture.

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Is Jesus the way?

More Christians than ever are befriending advocates of other religious traditions. And many more Christians are learning about the beliefs in other religions. In light of this, Christians must reaffirm and clarify their claims about salvation.

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The New Nazarenes II

The Church of the Nazarene, as a denomination, must find its way anew. It must seek unity without legislating uniformity. It must celebrate diversity within its membership without its core principles becoming diffuse.

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The New Nazarenes

The denomination in which I serve as an ordained minister, the Church of the Nazarene, celebrated its 100-year anniversary not long ago. Thriving in the next 100 years will require significant change.

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Changing Sanctification

Delegates to the 2009 Church of the Nazarene general assembly approved several changes to the denomination’s statement on entire sanctification. I am generally pleased with the changes. Almost all of them pertain to concerns that I and others have raised. In this essay, I note some of the changes I like. But I also list changes I think are still needed.

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About this website

You’ve reached the online home of Thomas Jay Oord, a professor, author, and theologian from the Pacific Northwest. Read more