Comments on: Jeff McSwain Speaks Out about Young Life

By: A Fearless Belonging

A Fearless Belonging — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:52:42 +0000

[...] Tony Jones recently highlighted a post by Jeff McSwain, who was fired by Young Life over what he describes as “theological differences.” “In November of 2007, I was dismissed by Young Life for what was termed “theological differences.” Since 2001, I had been preaching the gospel with an emphasis on theological belonging, the idea that humanity belongs to Jesus Christ by virtue of creation and redemption. Rather than splitting Christ as Creator from Christ as Redeemer, I was keen to preserve the gospel symmetry proclaimed by Paul in Colossians 1, where he speaks of the Christ who created and reconciled all things (Col. 1:16, 20). This is the gospel “that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven” (Col. 1:23). This is the gospel that declares that every person is included not only in the first Adam but also in the second (Rom. 5:18). [...]

By: A. Amos Love

A. Amos Love — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:52:57 +0000

Tony

Good stuff – We are already reconcilled…
And God doesn’t remember our sin anymore…

Why do we?

*2Corintians 5:19
That God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them;

*Psalms 32:1
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,

*Isaiah 43:25
I, even I, am he that blots out your transgressions for mine own sake,
and will not remember your sins.

*Isaiah 44:22
I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions,
and, as a cloud, your sins:
return unto me; for I have redeemed you.

*Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

*Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and be converted,
that your sins may be blotted out,

*Jeremiah 31:34
…for I will forgive their iniquity,
and I will remember their sin no more.

*Romans 4:7
Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

John 1:29
Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.

1 John 1:7
…And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.

By: Scott Morizot

Scott Morizot — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:28:41 +0000

Interesting. I read his article that you linked to and while he attributes those thoughts to Barth (which is undoubtedly where he encountered them), I was struck by the congruence with the threads you find woven throughout much of patristic literature. When you read St. Athanasius, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. John Chrysostom, and others, you find the theme of God reconciling all things and mankind now with a new source in the second Adam, a source that restores life to the dead. It is no longer man’s nature to die.

And as he points out in his article, those themes are so interwoven and layered and permeating the whole of the NT, I’m surprised people miss them.

By: Tweets that mention Jeff McSwain Speaks Out about Young Life | Tony Jones -- Topsy.com

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 02:40:05 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tony Jones, chadkmiller. chadkmiller said: RT @jonestony: New Blog Post: Jeff McSwain Speaks Out about Young Life – http://ow.ly/16kcah // great guy in Durham, NC! [...]

By: Joey

Joey — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:22:03 +0000

I loved during Poets, Prophets, and Preachers when Bell pointed out that the Bible begins in Genesis 1 (where things reconciled) and not Genesis 3 (where fit hits the shan). Definitely not an original thought but the first time I had heard it framed that way. Seems to reflect the theological difference between McSwain and YL.