Todd Engstrom

Category: theology

  • The Difficulty of Balancing Ministry and Discipleship

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    Todd Engstrom
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    I’ve found that it can be extremely difficult to continually cultivate the centrality of discipleship, or the process of selectively investing a small number of individuals in order to teach obedience to what Jesus taught (Matthew 28:18-20). I tend to think of Ministry and Discipleship in two different grids: Ministry Discipleship Reactive Proactive Low relational…

  • The Church and The Surprising Offense of God’s Love

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    Todd Engstrom
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    I’ve been reading The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love by Jonathan Leeman, and although I’ve had some disagreements with the book, it has been an excellent read.   I wanted to share a few quotes that have been particularly challenging for me. Below is a good challenge to teaching “community” as the solution…

  • Good Friday – Isaiah 53

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    Todd Engstrom
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    Isaiah 53 53:1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? [1] And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty…

  • Without the Gospel | Challies Dot Com

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    Todd Engstrom
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    The following quote is from John Calvin, via Without the Gospel | Challies Dot Com. It is some really great stuff, and very much encouraged me yesterday. Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength…

  • Adoption and Redemption

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    Todd Engstrom
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    Reflecting on Ephesians 1:1-14 the other day, God struck me with a profound truth about the very nature of salvation: In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption…

  • The Whole and Heart of the Gospel | Cardus

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    Todd Engstrom
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    I found this summary from Ray Pennings (HT: Kevin Young) of Reformed theological positions on cultural/social engagement to be particularly helpful in identifying the predominant understandings churches tend to have of gospel and culture.  Below is the core of the article: Neocalvinism focuses on the comprehensiveness of the gospel claim. “Every square inch” belongs to…

  • Book Review | Total Church

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    Todd Engstrom
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    The second book I read over my vacation was Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community by Steve Timmis and Tim Chester. The overall perspective of the book is applying to the church the two foundational principles of gospel and community.  As a short synopsis, it is an excellent basic theology primer coupled…

  • Culture Making and Plant Growing | 9 Marks

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    Todd Engstrom
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    Greg Gilbert does an excellent job of providing a parallel analogy in order to show the relative strength over at the 9 Marks Blog in his post discussing a review of Crouch’s Culture Making. I haven’t read Culture Making, and therefore have no basis for whether or not Gilbert’s conclusions about the book are correct,…

  • Book Review | Vintage Church

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    Todd Engstrom
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    Although it wasn’t the first book I read on vacation, I’m going to start with Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. I have grown to thoroughly appreciate the ministry of Mark Driscoll, and am consistently thankful that he preaches the gospel faithfully to his church, as well as…

  • Calling | TheResurgence

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    Todd Engstrom
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    I thought about posting an excerpt the following post, but it’s short and you should just read the whole thing. The Confusing Language of “Calling,” Part 1 | TheResurgence This goes in line with what I wrote in an earlier post commenting on Passivity in the Church. The root of passivity in the Christian walk…

  • Tough Questions

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    Todd Engstrom
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    There is a huge difference between knowing an answer from scripture and applying it pastorally to peoples lives. The past few weeks, I have been wrestling with God’s word over the issue of remarriage, as I was recently asked to officiate a wedding for a couple with divorce in their past. I can honestly say…

  • Biblical/Theological Preaching

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    Todd Engstrom
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    Halim Suh’s sermon from Sunday at The Austin Stone is an excellent example of applying biblical theology to understanding a difficult text of scripture. Halim did a fantastic job of grappling with 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 by articulating an overall biblical teaching of manhood and womanhood and through Genesis 1-3, and applied the overall perspective toward…