Why does the concept of heaven and hell play such a powerful role in Christianity?

The death of Christ on the cross does not change God's mind about us. Our beliefs about heaven and hell originate from our inability to make sense of suffering in our present lives. Heaven and hell used to be ways to help us cope with suffering today. But when Christianity became an empire, they morphed into tools to make people suffer today.

Do your beliefs about the afterlife help you or prevent you from living your life presently?

Sarah Ngu walks us through an enlightening perspective and an emotional story about the limiting effects of living out of fear of hell.

Sarah NguForefront ChurchNovember 29, 2020heaven, hell, afterlife, early christians, kingdom of God

HOW WE GOT HERE | "The Cross"

The death of Christ on the cross does not change God's mind about us.

So many of us believe in a wrathful God. We believe that God is upset with us and needed the blood of Jesus to make things right. The good news of the cross is that God is not angry with us at all. The cross isn't so that God changes God's mind about us. The cross happens so that we change our minds about the goodness of God.

In this 5th sermon in our "How We Got Here" series, Jonathan Williams reveals a provocative view on the traditional fear of God.

Jonathan WilliamsForefront ChurchNovember 22, 2020interpretation, God, Cross, Rebirth

HOW WE GOT HERE | "The Bible"

Rethinking the role of the Bible in our faith.

In our fourth sermon in the "How We Got Here" series, Sarah Ngu presents an engaging perspective on the Bible and how we've interpreted scripture over the centuries. Biblical interpretation is not something to be afraid of but that is baked into our tradition. Wherever there is divinity, humanity is mingled in with it. We ourselves are living testaments. In fact, we are living Scripture.

Sarah NguForefront ChurchNovember 15, 2020bible, fundamentalism, interpretation, genesis, nehemiah

HOW WE GOT HERE | "Communion"

The incredible meaning of Communion.

Jonathan Williams reminds us of the origins, meaning and importance of communion. Communion is especially relevant today, as we fight to bring all people to the table of peace and prosperity. Communion is the reminder that we've never been separate from God, rather we've always been seen as sacred and holy. Communion is used too often to exclude. It's not a dividing line rather a unifying feast that reminds all of us that we're unequivocally qualified to be in the presence of God. Our activist, justice, and continued political work is a beautiful reflection of the communion table. Our work is holy.

Jonathan WilliamsForefront ChurchNovember 8, 2020church history, communion, community

HOW WE GOT HERE | "Why God?"

How we got God and the holy trinity.

In the second sermon of our "How We Got Here" series, Jonathan Williams tackles the big question: How we got God. God is largely a construct made up of time, place, and culture. So why are we here? Why church? Why even bother communing with God? Deep down we know that God is something greater. In finding out how God came to be, perhaps we find out that God is actually living in us.

Jonathan WilliamsGuest UserNovember 1, 2020church history, god, why god