Author Archives: Jay F Guin

About Jay F Guin

My name is Jay Guin, and I’m a retired elder. I wrote The Holy Spirit and Revolutionary Grace about 18 years ago. I’ve spoken at the Pepperdine, Lipscomb, ACU, Harding, and Tulsa lectureships and at ElderLink. My wife’s name is Denise, and I have four sons, Chris, Jonathan, Tyler, and Philip. I have two grandchildren. And I practice law.

A Question about Congregational Autonomy

I get emails. Here’s one with a very thoughtful question about congregational autonomy — … According to Josephus, there were 100,000 Christians in Jerusalem at the end of the first century (or so I have heard – I have not … Continue reading

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Colbert and Congregational Autonomy

Just thought you’d enjoy Colbert’s take, as a Catholic, on the Anglican split over gay priests.

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On Slowing Down

Dear readers, I’m going to slow the pace of posting for awhile. I’m not sure how much or for how long. I just know I need to take a break. I’ve got some medical issues to deal with over the … Continue reading

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Which Gospel? The Gospel of Community (Breaking Bread)

I was about to move on to the next topic when I realized I’d never addressed the description of Christian community found in Acts 2. Immediately after Peter’s sermon and the baptism of 3,000, we read, (Acts 2:42-47) They devoted … Continue reading

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Surprised by Hope: God’s Justice and Illegal Immigration, Part 3

Notice how we tend to think about political issues. * Some of us see political issues as entirely separate from Christianity. Church has nothing to do with illegal immigrants. The Bible simply doesn’t address such things. * Others see the … Continue reading

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Surprised by Hope: God’s Justice and Illegal Immigration, Part 2

We are the aliens The next theological observation is found in several verses, such as — (Heb 11:13) All these people [in the honor roll of faith] were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the … Continue reading

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Surprised by Hope: God’s Justice and Illegal Immigration, Part 1

I’ve been trying to think of a good example of the difference between the Christian perspective and the political perspective for class. I think illegal immigration likely shows the difference as well as anything. Imagine that you’re a U.S. Senator. … Continue reading

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Which Gospel? The Gospel of Community (More Hauerwas)

I probably shouldn’t spend this many posts on the subject — except it’s an area where we struggle … a lot. In America today, community is largely gone. We often barely know our neighbors. We find work is the center … Continue reading

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Which Gospel? The Gospel of Community, Part 4 (Small Groups)

The fashionable remedy to the Biblical need for community is a program of small groups — and they are fast becoming a standard part of how everyone does church. Which worries me, because if everyone is doing it, it must … Continue reading

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Which Gospel? The Gospel of Community, Part 3 (Kingdom Parables)

Have you ever noticed how often Jesus begins a parable with the “Kingdom of Heaven is like …”? Well, replace “Kingdom of Heaven” with “church”* and re-read those parables. For example, (Mat 13:31-32) He told them another parable: “The kingdom … Continue reading

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