Michael Chen > Michael's Quotes

“That is, when I have not spent much time thinking about the fallen condition and redemptive solution of the passage—which is hard, spiritual, honest soul-searching work!—I find that my message and teaching tend toward mere information. It may be good, literarily astute, and doctrinally orthodox information, but it ultimately falls short of the faith-eliciting and virtue-forming goal of the Gospels.”
― Jonathan T. Pennington, Reading the Gospels Wisely: A Narrative and Theological Introduction

“I soon discovered that the great Christian doctrines connected more pictorially and “asiatically” when I used the classical biblical stories than when I used contemporary (and mainly Western) systematic theologies. Matthew, the most systematic of the Gospels, proved to be the ideal vehicle for teaching the major, Orthodox, Catholic, and Reformation convictions. . . . I found the earthy Gospels to be much closer to my Asian students than the profound yet more abstract Paul.”
― Jonathan T. Pennington, Reading the Gospels Wisely: A Narrative and Theological Introduction

“We can pride ourselves on not letting our theology be infected by worldly ideas, but all the time our lives can be infected by worldly priorities. We can live for the treasure of earth and seek our security in that.”
― Tim Chester, Revelation For You: Seeing history from heaven's perspective

“An informed mind is not the same thing as an enflamed heart.”
― Scotty Smith, Everyday Prayers: 365 Days to a Gospel-Centered Faith