Mainline Protestant Illustrations
Social justice, ecumenism, historical-critical scholarship.
Key question: “How does this text address contemporary social issues?”
14785 illustrations found
Grace Enabling Faith - Wesleyan (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Wesley agreed: we're saved by grace through faith, not works. But he emphasized: grace ENABLES faith. Prevenient grace precedes our response, making faith possible. Saving grace accomplishes what we c
Evening Prayer: Truth - Biblical Insight
This devotional encourages reflection on the concept of Truth through the lens of God's wisdom and grace. It emphasizes the importance of personal transformation in order to positively impact others and serve the world around us.
Evening Prayer: Climate Change & Stewardship - Story
The devotional encourages reflection on Climate Change and Stewardship through a biblical lens, emphasizing the importance of responding with love and grace. It calls for individuals to seek God's guidance in their actions, aiming to be a source of hope and healing in the world.
Evening Prayer: Social Justice & Christianity - Prayer
The devotional prayer emphasizes the importance of viewing social justice through a Christian lens, seeking God's wisdom and guidance. It encourages believers to reflect God's love and grace in their actions, aiming to bring hope and healing in their communities.
Evening Prayer: Women and Church Leadership - Prayer
This devotional prayer emphasizes the importance of women in church leadership and calls for compassion and justice in this area. It encourages individuals to reflect on their role in promoting hope and transformation in the world, aligning their actions with God's character of love.
Devotional: Women and Church Leadership - Story
This devotional reflection encourages engagement with Women and Church Leadership through the lens of God's love and justice. It emphasizes the importance of personal transformation to effect positive change in the world, urging individuals to act with compassion and hope in their communities.
Daily Sanctification - Prayer
This devotional emphasizes the importance of Sanctification in the believer's life, encouraging reflection on God's wisdom and the call to act with love and grace. It highlights the transformative power of engaging with one's faith to not only grow personally but also to positively impact the world around us.
Daily Faithfulness - Prayer
This devotional emphasizes the importance of faithfulness in one's life, encouraging reflection on God's wisdom and the call to serve others. It highlights the transformative power of engaging with faithfulness, not only for personal growth but also for positively impacting the world around us.
Contemplating Nonviolent Resistance - Prayer
This devotional prayer emphasizes the importance of Nonviolent Resistance and encourages individuals to reflect on their role in promoting justice and compassion in the world. It calls for guidance to embody God's love and to actively work towards transforming society in alignment with divine principles of justice and peace.
Contemplating Nonviolent Resistance - Biblical Insight
This devotional emphasizes the importance of engaging in Nonviolent Resistance through the lens of God's love and justice. It encourages reflection on how individuals can embody compassion and work towards transforming the world into a kingdom of justice and peace, inspired by biblical teachings.
Theological Perspective: Enemy Love - Teaching Material
This reflection explores the concept of Enemy Love within the framework of progressive Christian theology, emphasizing its relevance to contemporary issues. It challenges believers to consider how their faith informs their actions towards justice and peace, highlighting the transformative potential of these theological commitments in community engagement.
Theological Perspective: Evil - Church Context
This reflection emphasizes the importance of understanding Evil within the framework of Christian theology, particularly as it relates to human dignity and divine sovereignty. It challenges believers to consider how their faith informs their responses to Evil in their communities, highlighting the practical implications of theological commitments.
Understanding Creation Theologically - Church Context
This reflection emphasizes the importance of understanding Creation within the framework of Christian theology, particularly as it relates to human dignity and divine sovereignty. It encourages believers to consider how their faith informs their actions and responses to contemporary issues in their communities.
Theology of The Bible is Not a Sex Manual - Church Context
This reflection explores the intersection of progressive Christian theology and contemporary issues, particularly in relation to human dignity and divine love. It emphasizes the importance of engaging with these themes in church life, challenging believers to apply their faith in practical ways that promote justice and peace in the world.
Theology of The Bible is Not a Sex Manual - Commentary
This theological reflection explores the intersection of progressive Christian theology and contemporary issues, particularly in relation to the understanding of sexuality as discussed in The Bible is Not a Sex Manual. It emphasizes the importance of engaging with these themes to promote justice and peace, encouraging believers to reflect on their faith's implications for their communities.
Deep Thoughts on Providence - Church Context
This reflection emphasizes the importance of understanding Providence within Christian theology and its implications for contemporary church life. It encourages believers to consider how their faith informs their engagement with pressing societal issues, highlighting the practical and transformative nature of theological commitments.
Understanding Science and Faith Theologically - Teaching Material
This reflection explores the intersection of Science and Faith through a progressive Christian lens, emphasizing the importance of human dignity and divine love. It encourages believers to consider how their faith informs their engagement with contemporary issues, advocating for justice and peace in their communities.
Theological Perspective: Evil - Teaching Material
This reflection explores the intersection of Evil and Christian theology, emphasizing the importance of understanding our faith in relation to contemporary issues. It challenges believers to consider how their theological commitments influence their responses to Evil in their communities, highlighting the practical implications of faith.
Lessons from Women and Church Leadership - Contemporary Example
The illustration highlights the challenges faced by women in church leadership, exemplified by Sarah, who founded a house church to promote inclusivity and social justice. It emphasizes the biblical principle of equality in Christ and the call for the church to recognize and empower all individuals in their ministry gifts.
When Kindness Meets Real Life - Quote
The sermon illustration emphasizes the relevance of kindness as a timeless biblical principle that offers guidance and hope in modern challenges. It draws parallels between the struggles faced by biblical characters and contemporary issues, highlighting the transformational power of God's word in navigating life's complexities.
The Suffering Challenge - Quote
The illustration emphasizes that suffering can signify God's presence rather than absence, as demonstrated through Rachel's journey of grief and her response to loss. By leaning into God and finding strength in community, she transformed her pain into purpose, ultimately helping others through their struggles.
When Missions Meets Real Life - Quote
The content emphasizes the ongoing relevance of Scripture in addressing modern challenges in Missions. It highlights the call for believers to navigate these complexities with wisdom and grace, drawing parallels with biblical characters. Ultimately, it reinforces the idea that God's word provides guidance and hope in today's world.
Modern Examples of Missions - Quote
The sermon illustration emphasizes the relevance of biblical truths in addressing contemporary challenges in Missions. By reflecting on Proverbs 3:5-6, it highlights the importance of navigating these complexities with wisdom and grace, offering hope and guidance for believers today.
Lessons from Evangelism - Biblical Analogy
The sermon illustration emphasizes the challenges and opportunities of Evangelism in today's world, drawing parallels with biblical characters. It highlights the relevance of Scripture, particularly Galatians 5:22-23, as a source of guidance and hope for navigating contemporary issues in faith.