Necessity of the Cruciform

The human condition is riddled with delusions about what is necessary for healthy spiritual life. We long for order and control, so we gravitate towards belief practices that have resulted in no more than a set of rules that we present as leading to God, but really always lead back to ourselves. They remind us of our condition and, when viewed rightly, glorify our need for the Grace of God. The mission of Christ has gotten lost in our desire to control sin by regulating people. It has suffered at the intentions of human beings to convert others to a way of life that is contrary to the intent of God. Until the church recognizes its bankrupt codes of corruption – its perverted religious attributes – it will not realize the Necessity of the Cruciform. Dante Poole (Left) brings over 20 years of experience to the work of strengthening and supporting humanity's wholeness. He completed his undergraduate studies in biology and graduate studies in counseling at the College of New Jersey. Dante was licensed to preach by Cathedral International of NJ in 2003. He has served as a consulting therapist with New Life Ministries, an International ministry, and as lay pastor of Solid Rock UMC in NC. He currently serves as a school administrator with Moore County Schools in NC. Dante is the co-founder of Life Sculptors (www.life-sculptors.com), a vehicle to encourage greatness in others by equipping them in living life. Mike Bass (Right) is team pastor of Solid Rock United Methodist Church: Community Campus, Dean/Professor of Theology at Solid Rock School of Theology, and Pastor-In-Charge of Christian Friends Ministry. He has a Ph.D. in Theology from Northwestern Theological Seminary and is a graduate of Duke Divinity School's Pastors' Course of Study. Mike's blogs, books, and calendar can be found at www.reapthevision.com.