Category: Series: Making the Best of It
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Best of It: Vocation (Part 5)
[Series Index] John Stackhouse makes some important closing observations at the end of the chapter on vocation in Making the Best of It. We've talked about human and Christian vocation, but Stackhouse astutely notes that our lives have temporal nature. I don't know who originally said it, but I've always liked the observation that time…
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Best of It: Vocation (Part 4)
[Series Index] We continue with the chapter on vocation in Making the Best of It by John Stackhouse. So far, we have looked at human vocation in terms of “all, some, and individuals.” In the last post, we looked at Christian vocation in terms of “all” Christians. Today we continue with Stackhouse’s observations about “some…
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Best of It: Vocation (Part 3)
[Series Index] Last week we began looking at vocation as discussed in John Stackhouse’s Making the Best of It. We’ve discussed human vocation. Today we turn to Christian vocation.Christian Vocation All The biblical narrative tells us that humanity has rebelled against God. God is now on a mission to redeem us and creation from this…
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Best of It: Vocation (Part 2)
[Series Index] In Making the Best of It, John Stackhouse discusses "human vocation" and "Christian vocation." Today we are looking at human vocation. Human Vocation All In short: All human beings are called by God to fulfill the creation commandments [Cultural Mandate and Great Commandments], as we have seen. We are to worship God, see…
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Best of It: Vocation (Part 1)
[Series Index] Today we begin Chapter Seven in John Stackhouse’s Making the Best of It. This chapter deals with vocation. The word “vocation” comes from the Latin word vocare, and thus means “calling.” In history, however, this word has become bound up with the category of “work,” albeit in three different ways. (221) Work is…
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Best of It: The Story and the Mission (Part 7)
[Series Index] Today we wrap up Chapter Six from John Stackhouse's Making the Best of It. We've been talking about "The Story and the Mission." In the previous two posts, we looked at the Creation Commandments: Creation Mandate and the Great Commandments. Today we turn to the two Redemption Commandments: The New Commandment and the…
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Best of It: The Story and the Mission (Part 6)
[Series Index] Yesterday we looked at the cultural mandate as part of the Creation Commandments, as discussed in John Stackhouse’s Making the Best of It. Today we turn to the other part of the Creation Commandments, “The Great Commandments.”Creation Mandates The Great Commandments Drawing on the teaching of the Torah, Jesus identified the greatest commandments…
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Best of It: The Story and the Mission (Part 5)
[Series Index] The last half of Chapter Six in John Stackhouse's Making the Best of It is titled "Mission: The Four Commandments." Stackhouse identifies two sets of commandments. Creation Commandments: The cultural mandate and the great commandments. Redemption Commandments: The new commandment and the Great Commission. Today we start with the first of the Creation…
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Best of It: The Story and the Mission (Part 4)
[Series Index] We continue Chapter Six, "The Story and the Mission," in John Stackhouse's' Making the Best of It. Yesterday we ended with this observation by Stackhouse: Implicit in this vision of the New Jerusalem and fundamental to the Christian ethos is what I call the principle of "win-win-win." Shalom is an all-embracing life of…
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Best of It: The Story and the Mission (Part 3)
[Series Index] We return to Chapter 6, “The Story and the Mission,” in John Stackhouse’s Making the Best of It. I’ve been reviewing the chapter section “The Christian Story – and Us Within It.” So far, we’ve seen how the biblical story might inform our ethical considerations and noted the importance of keeping the whole…