BHT Fellow Judson posted: “I just received a recorded phone call from my pastor inviting me to attend Easter Sunday.”

Lurker Eric replied with this gem:

“Press 1 if you will be attending the Traditional Easter Sunrise Service to be held in the (insert local Jr. College stadium here).” “Press 2 if you will be attending the 8:30 Traditional/Contemporary Easter Cantata Service to be held in the main auditorium/gymnasium.” “Pres 3 if you will be attending the 10:00 Contemporary/Revelant Passion Interpretation in the Holy Grounds Coffee shop. Seating is limited, please reserve soon.” “Press 4 if you will be bringing a friend to the 10:30 Resurrection Sunday Pageant. If you’re friend is not a Christian but is sensitive to the christian lifestyle/worldview, please leave their name and address so the Seeker Strike Team can visit them next Tuesday.” “Press 9 to hear these selections again or Press ‘O’ for the operator…Thank you for calling Valley Central Fellowship and Worship Center…” Eric the Lurker from Redding

Let’s be honest. A lot of Christians have no idea what to do with the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry. What does it mean? What does it have to do with evangelism, church growth and “having a great life now?”
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In our journey back through the IM archives, we must deal with the Monk’s contradictory attitude towards contemporary Praise and Worship music. Does he hate it? If so, why does he have a warehouse of the stuff at the house? Why is he listening to it, even as he types?

The answer, my faithful readers, lies within. Here is a survey of the theology you hear between the songs every Sunday. You’ve winced, but you’ve gotten used to it. Time to sober up. Join me in the basement, and bring an extra candle and a hanky.

Continue Reading: “Looney Tunes: Praise and Worship Theology is Goofy”

A story on franchised churches, a personal question that is really troubling me, and a few thoughts on “What is Faith?”
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How dangerous is this man? Apparently he’s dangerous enough that Kentucky Baptists don’t want to take the chance of hearing what he has to say about evangelism and church growth. He doesn’t have anything to say on homosexuality that wouldn’t hurt someone (his words) and he’s not sure that those of other religions who become Jesus-followers need to abandon their familiar cultural context.

Brian McLaren’s exit from a Kentucky Baptist Evangelism conference underlines the temporary battle among SBC evangelicals halting between the theology of the conservative resurgence and the assured results of church growth pragmatism. I predict the winner, but I’m really laughing at the ironies.
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Every so often the internet will provide you with something that you will never hear anywhere else. I’ve found it this morning, and I hope you will read and share it. It’s entitled “Jesus Talks To A Gay Man,” and it is from a remarkable post by Steve at Ragamuffin Ramblings.

It is a retelling of the story of Jesus and the woman at the well in John 4. Not only is it creative and well-written, but it does exactly what the original story was supposed to do- and did- in its original context: It shocks us. It startles us. It makes us want to ask more questions.

You might want to use this with any Bible study groups you lead. I gurantee you discussion will follow

This is one of those weeks when I am travelling and may not be able to post. Those of you who pray are invited to pray on Tuesday for my mom. At 83 she is blind in one eye and has about 10-15% vision in the other. They are doing a procedure to draw some blood out of the bad eye. Our hope is for improved vision, but it will be a frightening procedure with no gurantee.

If you don’t know about Macular Degeneration, learn about it, and be aware that there is no cure. It’s very common.

I am always aware that those who read the Internet Monk may not realize that when you hear my voice, you are really hearing the voice of those who have influenced me. There is no one who has influenced me more than Eugene Peterson.

There is a lot I could say about all of Peterson’s twenty-plus books, and how they are wonderful examples of all that I would want to recommend to anyone about reading the Bible, teaching, thinking about the church, authentic ministry and much more. Just for a sample, try Peterson’s book on Revelation, Reversed Thunder. Incredible work.

So….when I read this interview with Peterson in the current issue of Christianity Today, I wanted to ask every IM reader to take the time and read it, and pass it on to a pastor, student or friend in church leadership. Peterson’s wisdom has authority and authenticity. This message needs to be heard and heeded.

By the way, I am afraid that many of you may only associate Peterson with The Message, his paraphrase of the Bible, and especially with Rick Warren’s use of The Message in Purpose Driven Life. Let me just say that this is high irony, as the interview above will reveal. My opinion of The Message? It’s a paraphrase. If you don’t know what that is, or what it is intended to do, and not do, maybe you could read some interviews with Peterson where he discusses The Message.

Anyway, get the CT Interview out there. It’s absolutely required reading.

Recently, my daughter returned from a conference at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. She had a fabulous time, but she mentioned something unusual. She said that every public prayer contained a request for God to guide the conference participants in finding a spouse. This wasn’t the theme of the conference, but the conference was primarily single young college students. Was this odd?

It didn’t surprise me. Southern has become increasingly visible in the culturally confrontational Christianity of its President, Dr. Al Mohler. (A personal hero of mine, and nothing that I write here changes that, I assure you.) And Dr. Mohler is on a crusade to get Christian young students to make marriage a priority.
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