Clare De Graaf's Blog
November 23, 2020
Discussing Faith and Politics This Thanksgiving
Recently, I was on a zoom call with a great Christian friend, who asked how he could have better conversations this Thanksgiving with his family and friends, who come from different political views.
The election is over (depending on who you talk to). But I don’t expect the controversies and strong opinions to end anytime soon. So, this Thanksgiving, if you do gather in person, how should followers of Jesus engage in conversations around faith and politics, with both fellow Christians and non-Christians?
The election is over (depending on who you talk to). But I don’t expect the controversies and strong opinions to end anytime soon. So, this Thanksgiving, if you do gather in person, how should followers of Jesus engage in conversations around faith and politics, with both fellow Christians and non-Christians?
November 16, 2020
Sadly, We Will Do Things In Front of God, We’d Never Do In Front of Our Friends
This is going to be one of my shortest blogs ever, because the teaching should be self-evident to any thoughtful, honest Christian. Hebrews 4:13a says, Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.
November 9, 2020
We Get the Government We Deserve
With all the chaos around the presidential election, I’ve had the opportunity to think deeply about democracy.
In a democracy we get the government we deserve. The losers deserve to lose because they were either flawed candidates, had flawed ideas, or just failed to convince voters of their competency. The winners deserve to win for just the opposite reason.
In a democracy we get the government we deserve. The losers deserve to lose because they were either flawed candidates, had flawed ideas, or just failed to convince voters of their competency. The winners deserve to win for just the opposite reason.
November 2, 2020
A New Kind of Christianity
Even if they say they are Christians, your children or grandchildren, may believe in a different God than you do!
The more time I spend with young Christians, the more convinced I’ve become that there is a counterfeit “Christianity” creeping into our churches. It’s one of the most ill-defined, fastest growing and potentially, most deadly theology of any I’ve encountered. And your children or grandchildren may actually believe it!
A few years ago, I served on Spiritual Formation Task Force for a local Christian high school and I was given a book by Christian Smith, entitled, Soul Searching. Under a major grant from the E.I. Lilly Foundation, Dr. Smith, a Christian sociologist, at the University of North Carolina and his team conducted hundreds of face-to-face and phone interviews to find out what American teens really believed about God.
The more time I spend with young Christians, the more convinced I’ve become that there is a counterfeit “Christianity” creeping into our churches. It’s one of the most ill-defined, fastest growing and potentially, most deadly theology of any I’ve encountered. And your children or grandchildren may actually believe it!
A few years ago, I served on Spiritual Formation Task Force for a local Christian high school and I was given a book by Christian Smith, entitled, Soul Searching. Under a major grant from the E.I. Lilly Foundation, Dr. Smith, a Christian sociologist, at the University of North Carolina and his team conducted hundreds of face-to-face and phone interviews to find out what American teens really believed about God.
October 26, 2020
Do Your Children or Grandchildren Truly Believe God Is Their Authority?
A year ago, I sat with Dr. Preston Sprinkle my partner in The Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender, (www.centerforfaith.com) discussing the sexual beliefs of Christian kids. We were preparing for a meeting with Sean McDowell, a theologian at Biola University and David Kinnaman, president of Barna Research, both true experts in this field.
Both Preston and I had a dream of producing the best educational videos we could on sex, marriage and gender. The Center’s primary emphasis is on same-sex attraction and trans people from a conservative biblical position. We wanted to expand into helping high school and collage age students think more biblically about Christian sexuality. So, we called together a dozen of the most experienced Christian leaders to help us think through some better ways to address this issue other than, “just say no!” What follows is my contribution to the subject.
Both Preston and I had a dream of producing the best educational videos we could on sex, marriage and gender. The Center’s primary emphasis is on same-sex attraction and trans people from a conservative biblical position. We wanted to expand into helping high school and collage age students think more biblically about Christian sexuality. So, we called together a dozen of the most experienced Christian leaders to help us think through some better ways to address this issue other than, “just say no!” What follows is my contribution to the subject.
October 19, 2020
Teaching Your Children What it Means to be Created in the Image of God
Papa, do we (humans) look like God?
That question came up a number of years ago as I was driving with a few of our grandchildren. We were talking about the recent birth of a new cousin. I had reminded them that all humans were created in the image of God. My answer surprised them, as it does many Christians.
“No, we don’t look like God,” I said. “That’s not what the Bible means when it says that we were created in the image of God.”
So, what follows is the framework for a discussion you may want to have with your children or grandchildren about the amazing distinction between humans and animals, often blurred in movies and fiction.
That question came up a number of years ago as I was driving with a few of our grandchildren. We were talking about the recent birth of a new cousin. I had reminded them that all humans were created in the image of God. My answer surprised them, as it does many Christians.
“No, we don’t look like God,” I said. “That’s not what the Bible means when it says that we were created in the image of God.”
So, what follows is the framework for a discussion you may want to have with your children or grandchildren about the amazing distinction between humans and animals, often blurred in movies and fiction.
October 15, 2020
Being Civil
Our grandson Max has been as frustrated as most of us about the lack of civility in American politics, so he decided to do something about it.
He and his team have designed a great, new, and free website called “Civil” They take one issue of national importance weekly, and present both the conservative and liberal positions, with a few talking points for each, without pushing either position. They do a great job of helping subscribers simply understand why the other side believes what they do. “Who cares?” You might be asking.
He and his team have designed a great, new, and free website called “Civil” They take one issue of national importance weekly, and present both the conservative and liberal positions, with a few talking points for each, without pushing either position. They do a great job of helping subscribers simply understand why the other side believes what they do. “Who cares?” You might be asking.
October 12, 2020
How Much Bad Theology Can You Believe and Still Be Saved?
Years ago, I attended The World Conference on the Holy Spirit, held in the Superdome in New Orleans. I’d only been a serious follower of Jesus for a half dozen years, and knew very little about the gifts of tongues, prophesy or divine healing. What I did know came from the Bible, but growing up in the Reformed tradition, we weren’t on the cutting edge of “sign gifts.”
October 5, 2020
We’re Really Not Getting News Anymore
I grew up watching Walter Cronkite, Huntley Brinkley, Peter Jennings and John Chancellor. Every evening for a half hour they delivered the news, without comment or editorials – just the straight news. We had no idea if they were Republican or Democrat, so we were able to form our own opinions, based on the facts.
September 28, 2020
Assembling Your Own “Team of Rivals”
In 2005, Pulitzer Prize winning American historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, wrote “A Team of Rivals.” The crux of the book, is that one of Lincoln’s greatest strengths was to assemble a cabinet made up of men who had actually been his political rivals. And some were outright enemies! Why? Because they were knowledgeable in their fields and he knew the value of hearing opinions and ideas different from his own to make the best decisions. So what does that have to do with you and me?
