Theological Viewpoints, Personal Opinions, Life Influences
I believe in and embrace the Nicene Creed.
I believe the Bible is the inspired, recorded Word of God.
I believe the message of the Bible is transnational, over and above cultural, political, and national viewpoints, and is meant to form the church universal, not be formed by the church.
I believe the message of the Gospel is the revelation of God’s luxurious grace, given freely through the cross. This message breaks chains, draws sinners to Christ, embraces us in our weakness, and leads us to the mercy and compassion of Abba.
I believe Justice is not a political word, but is an attribute of God, to be exercised in and through the church via the second greatest commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself”. Ultimate justice will be achieved when Christ returns and establishes His kingdom, but in the meantime, the church is to be a voice for those who have no voice, and a defender for those who are oppressed.
I believe in the Person and gifts of the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit is active today in the lives of believers, desiring to teach them the scriptures, bring them into intimacy with the Trinity, and mold them into Christ-likeness.
I believe in the equality of each member of the Trinity in Substance and Being, and in mutual love, deference, and delight in each other. I do not believe in a hierarchical ranking within the Trinity. To diminish One would be to diminish All, and to make One lesser is to take away from the Being of God, which cannot be done.
The Underdog
Personally, I believe in the ‘underdog’. Jesus came for the sick, the broken, the marginalized and those who know they need a Savior. Pharisaic, rule keeping, compassionless religion, that puts people in boxes and establishes ‘us’ and ‘them’ boundaries, and that promotes selfish ambition, existing for its own pleasure and blessing, is not the gospel of Jesus.
People and books, past and present that have influenced me
St. Bernard of Clairvaux – Eleventh century monastic founder who loved the secret place with God above all else. From that position, he reconciled kings, healed the sick, raised the dead, and mentored priests and bishops.
Francis de Sales – Fifteenth Century Bishop and Mystic – His book “Treatise on the Love of God” is one of my all-time favorites.
Alphonsus de Ligouri – Seventeenth-Century Bishop, Mystic, Philosopher, and Theologian. Gave up a lucrative career as a lawyer to serve the poor and teach them the scriptures.
Robert Pruett – My first Pastor. Preached the simple gospel. No politics, no compromise, and no games. Lost some long-standing members during the Jesus movement for welcoming some ‘long hairs’ like me.
John Wimber – Founder of the Vineyard Movement – The grace and art of living ‘Naturally Supernatural’.
Mike Bickel – For his foundational messages of Intimacy with God and the Glory of Intersession.
Willie James Jennings – Author of ‘Christian Imagination, Theology and the Origins of Race’
Brenda Salter McNeil – Roadmap to Reconciliation
Soong Chan Rah – ‘Prophetic Lament’
The Prophet Jeremiah – An example of what it means to live as a Prophet and a friend of God through the most perilous and tumultuous time of Israel’s history.
-Jeff Eggers