Blog

Business development and communications for growing businesses.

The Nature Of Faith

Posted Aug 16 2010 by Jonathan Brink in , with 4 Comments

[RSS - See Embedded Video]

This is the second video I made last year in a series called, “Something To Think About.”

In our desire to express what we believe we often miss that it can rob us of the very relationship we are seeking. This short presentation explores the nature of our faith, how it changes over time, and a way to practice our faith.

Tags:  Categories: ,

About the Author

Jonathan BrinkI am an business development and communications consultant. I am also the senior editor and publisher for Civitas Press. I recently published, Discovering The God Imagination: Reconstructing A Whole, New Christianity. (Civitas, 2011)View all posts by Jonathan Brink →

  • http://openmindedconversations.blogspot.com/ jshmueller

    Just one question: why do you think did Jesus ask the disciples who they thought he was and why was Peter praised for getting content about Jesus right (although due to the Spirit’s work) if right content doesn’t matter?

  • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

    I don’t think content doesn’t matter. My concern is not actually with content. I just think we’ve learned to place our emphasis too much in the content. nnI actually think content is important, as i stated in the video but getting there often requires releasing what is false. And if we’re so locked in to a specific list then we’re likely never to wrestle with what is there. I would also suggest, as I’ve stated in my book, the content that “really” matters is historically ignored, or we get it wrong. In other words, we’re asking the wrong questions.nnAs far as the Peter/Jesus moment. For Peter to call Jesus the Christ means that Peter accepts that Jesus has been born of God. This meant that Peter could see Jesus as “good” and acceptable to God. He got the question right. So when Jesus praises Peter for getting it right, he’s acknowledging the change Peter has made in his thinking. He’s calling out the shift of mind that has taken place.nnThat’s my take. What do you think?

  • http://openmindedconversations.blogspot.com/ jshmueller

    I certainly don’t think it was the Sunday School type answers that Jesus was looking for to make sure there was a check mark on that part of the doctrinal list. My best hunch what motivated him to ask the question is this: after a time of literally “following” Jesus – watching him preach. teach, heal, and generally interact with people – it was time for the disciples to stop and reflect on their own opinion and motivation to be students of THIS particular rabbi. If the kingdom of God and its inauguration is central to Jesus’ message, it would be vital for them to understand who the king of that kingdom is and in what way he is representing and bringing in God’s rule and salvation on earth in the context of the messianic prophecies.

  • http://openmindedconversations.blogspot.com/ jshmueller

    I could also say it this way: he wanted them to get that he’s not just part of the story but the point of the story.

Business development and communications for growing businesses.