Grace for me and for you

I was at a Christian youth conference this week. We sung a bunch of songs about the grace of God.
As we sang, I noticed that the idea of grace is beefed up in most of the songs by talking up my own sin.
"I am so wretched, so impure..yet you saved me" etc.
This is all well and good, but I wonder whether our own sense of God's scandalous grace could be enhanced by songs that focus on the wretchedness of others, and God's love for them in Jesus Christ.

To pick on some of the conferences hang ups

"You had a non-christian girl/boyfriend...and God loves you

"You smoke cigarettes..and other substances...and God accepts you in Jesus Christ"

"You even have a rudimentary grasp of biblical theology...yet still in his mercy God loves you"

"You're in a pentecostal church who talks too much about the work of the Spirit in the present tense..and God embraces you with open arms"


Now, I know how the logic goes.
The lower a view I have of my own sin, the more accepting I will be of others.

And to a point that works.
Until we meet people who overwhelm our imagination, who are so obviously worse people than we are. My worry (from experience) is that this is where our grasp and practice of grace breaks down.
Yet surely in the grace of our Father, God accepts people who are far worse than me too!

So, write me a song, maybe under the title, Jesus and the Filth, or, You Nauseate Me

Give them the Bird

Whenever people pester me about justification, I give them the bird.


Mike Bird's "The Saving Righteousness of God".

Michael Jensen recommends his "Birds eye view of Paul" which seems to say similar things, only quicker

and here is the Bird man himself on the horizontal aspect of justification

Bauckham in Australia

Queensland Theological College is sposering a great new conference, the "Australasian Conference for the Academy and the Church". The idea is that there will be bunch of the usual papers (Biblical studies, Systematics, ethics etc.) and also papers by academics in other fields (science, engineering..whatever) that explore intersections between their field and Christianity.

But, to my real excitement, they have Richard Bauckham coming out.

The conference is on from 30th June to 3rd July, ie. holidays for me.

Hmm, lets see, last year we went to Brisbane in the winter break.

I'm feeling as though we need a traditional family holiday

What may a christian hope for in this life?...thoughts

This question will be dominating my thoughts for the next few months (Doctrine essay)

Many articulations of christian hope are entirely other-worldly. Often those that aren't are labelled over realised eschatology.

Yet as we think about our future, most of us have hopes for what will happen. What is legitimate for christians to hope for? Does it matter if we hope for things that don't come true? What is the difference between hope and desire? Each individual has a diffent life, so should we expect as many legitimate hopes as there are christians?
Perhaps we should turn on the question.
Apparently Barth has a few sections where he rejects the 'what' of eschatology as ultimate, in favour of whom. For Barth it is Christ himself who is our telos, our end. The kingdom of God etc is just a spinoff.
Which would then call into question the second part of the question 'in this life'. Is our own individual death really the turning point for hope? Is there continuity (though obvious difference) between what we hope for now and what we hope for then? If Barth is right, then it is the same Christ we hope for, and are united to.

Union with Christ, in his suffering and glorification is worth exploring.
As are the various biblical prayers, and especially the Lords prayer.
Paul's, if only in this life we have hoped in christ, we are to be pitied'

Moltmanns 'Hope and planning' could be good
O'Donovan's "Eschatology and History' section in Resurrection and Moral Order could be handy too.

Any other ideas on hope?