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Jason Lief

Theology

Believing the Bible: Martin Luther

Those who hold to a hyper-literal interpretation of the bible often want to use Luther and Calvin to support a modern view of biblical inerrancy. The problem, however, is that neither Luther nor Calvin fit with this approach to reading the bible. Luther inherited a…
Jason Lief
February 28, 2019
SermonTheology

Genesis 1: Part 1

Intro Welcome to Lumberjack Theology "axing" the right questions. My name is Jason Lief. And today we begin to explore the Book of Genesis. How do we make sense of faith and science? What does it mean to read the creation accounts of Genesis 1…
Jason Lief
February 28, 2019
Theology

Believing the Bible

More than once over the last few days I’ve been asked if I “believe the bible”. What they mean, I think, is whether I believe the bible is the true word of God. Of course my answer is yes, but yes is the tip of…
Jason Lief
February 27, 2019
Essay

The Women Mystics in a Wrath Obsessed World

My spiritual formation students are reading The Thirst of God: Contemplating God's love with Three Women Mystics by Wendy Farley. The book explores the life and faith of Mechthild of Magdeburg, Marguerite Porete, and Julian of Norwich. Our conversation as been rich, both serious and…
Jason Lief
February 22, 2019
Essay

A Few More Grains of Sand

Yesterday, during a NW Iowa blizzard, a friend and I went out for a beer. Sitting in the warm glow of sports television we talked about "stuff". Not just any stuff, but heavy stuff we usually discuss over cigarettes and cheap cigars, but the driving…
Jason Lief
February 8, 2019
Essay

An Ode to Losing (Why Instant Replay is Dumb)

With unadulterated joy, I watched as a pass by Drew Brees fell into the arms of a defender. This was matched by the elation of watching a 57 yard field goal sail through the uprights in overtime, sending the New Orleans Saints to a crushing…
Jason Lief
January 25, 2019
Essay

The Emerald Temple and the Image of God

I spent this afternoon on a train with a gazillion other people in the heart of Bangkok. My big body and beard made me seem like Sasquatch standing in the midst of the Thai people. Last week, while traveling in Laos, little kids couldn't help…
Jason Lief
January 11, 2019
EssayPoliticsTheology

Letting Go of the Greater Good

All of the lectionary readings for Advent were blatantly political. Maybe a better way to put it is they were all anti-establishment. Every text was imbedded within a chapter that begins with a reference to the powerful. Luke 21 begins, "He looked up and saw…
Jason Lief
December 28, 2018
EssayTheology

The Francis Option

I'll admit, I got duped into signing up for Audible a few months back. I always sign up for promotions and then forget to cancel. A few weeks ago I discovered I had accumulated "credits", so I purchased a lecture series on the life and…
Jason Lief
December 14, 2018
Essay

The Small Space

Christianity can falsely be made so severe that human nature must revolt against it in order to cast it or thrust it away. But Christianity can also be made so lenient or flavored with sweetness that all attempts to perk up the appetite and give…
Jason Lief
November 23, 2018