debate – Jesse Steele

Statements about Specific Debates

Jesse SteeleJuly 17, 2013

Eternal Security Debate

The problem with the Eternal Security paradigm is that Christian Eternity was decided when the Book of Life was written. Eternal Security debates, from both sides, assume that a Chrsitian’s Eternity is determined in this lifetime rather than discovered in this lifetime.

Lordship v Grace Theologies

IMHO, nearly all concerns surrounding these topics would be satisfied if we preached a paradigm of a “wise-friend-and-King” view of Jesus. This would mean abandoning any tones of “mostly Lord-ruler” or “mostly friend” views of Jesus, which are unintended, yet consequential from both paradigms of teaching. Little teaching comes from either side concerning the wisdom of God’s commands. This debate surrounds “to should or not to should” in regard to God’s commands, rather than “to be wise or not to be wise” in obeying the good, perfect, and empowering commands from our loving ruler-Creator.

Church Government

It’s organic. If it has any tax exempt or non-tax exempt status, it may be wonderful, it may be terrible, but it’s not the Church. · · · →

In Blog

Typhoon Oasis

Jesse SteeleAugust 24, 2012Leave a comment

Typhoon Oasis (mp3)

I’m in a typhoon. You wouldn’t think so to look out my window. It’s been dry most of the day. I finally caught a light drizzle with my camera as pedestrians and bicyclists passed a side street intersection among the usual scooters, cars, trucks, and buses. Life is normal here on my street—calmer than normal, actually.

Fifty kilometers to the north and fifty kilometers to the south it’s been pouring cats and poodles all day. The map says I’m in a 50+ knot wind radius. Clouds look like they do in any rainy, stormy, sea weed-loaded typhoon. Local 7-Eleven’s were raided last night for their bread and snacks—a Taiwan tradition before every “big one”. The eye of the storm is even farther south of the rain south of me. But where are the wind and the rain? When will the palm trees bend to the wrath of the weather? · · · →

In Blog

Who Is Responsible Then?

Jesse SteeleApril 25, 2012Leave a comment

Depression is high, teen suicide climbing, divorce soars beyond geosynchronous orbit, and youth are fleeing the Church like beach goers from a tsunami. Normally, when things get bad, people start asking the tough questions. But every once in a while, we find those companies and organizations which blame their downturn on the economy or anything but themselves. Has the Body of Christ done that?

Let’s evaluate…

We aren’t allowed to re-evaluate our micro-theology niggling—as in, maybe question the new Theologies we’ve published over the last 50 years. The Lausanne Congresses—Manila Manifesto and Capetown—were good, right? I mean, Billy Graham had everyone under one roof… except for the “silly Charismatics” that is. Who would want them anyways? It’s funny, the more the Lausanne Congress gathered, the worse things got. But, that could only be a coincidence. After all, coming together (excluding Charismatics) is as wonderful as motherhood and apple pie. (For the record, it wasn’t a movement. · · · →