February 28, 2008 by iMonk
In the book Rising from the Ashes, Becky Garrison interviews emerging church leader Peter Rollins, author of How (Not) to Speak of God and the soon to be released The Fidelity of Betrayal: The Ir/Religious Heart of Christianity.
Rollins has always intrigued me. Some of his ideas are difficult to grasp, but in this interview he does a fantastic job of describing some of the essentials of a Jesus-shaped spirituality. While his definition of being a Christian starts out well in the first sentence, it needs help after that, but the rest of this section of the interview is right on target for me.
This interview is taken from Rising From the Ashes by Becky Garrison, pp. 48-49. [Continue reading]
February 28, 2008 by iMonk
Rising From The Ashes is an unusual look at the emerging church/alternative worship, church planting and church development scene, presented entirely as short articles, emails, interviews and even instant message conversations. Becky Garrison, a writer for the Wittenberg Door magazine, and author of Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church, asks the questions and arranges the material into themed chapters. The book allows the practitioners to have a larger say than the theorists, and there’s a refreshing honesty and “unedited” quality to the material. This is a book that truly drops into the “emerging conversation,” as its happening among those who are swimming in the water and not explaining concepts to the skeptical. [Continue reading]
February 28, 2008 by iMonk
Matthew 13:27-30. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”
One of the most controversial aspects of the idea of the missional or emerging church is the inclusion of spiritual seekers- in some way or form- within the Christian community.
This is especially the case within two streams of evangelicalism. First, the more pragmatic, program-friendly approach associated with the “purpose driven” methodologies finds ways to include unbelievers in communities such as Celebrate Recovery or social ministries to the community. These churches are willing to make various aspects of the church “permeable” to seekers and unbelievers. [Continue reading]
February 27, 2008 by iMonk
A sample chapter is available here.
Bruxy Cavey is the pastor of a Canadian emerging church called “The Meeting House” and author of The End of Religion, a book that gives a good look at the theology of the “mainstream” emerging church.
Cavey pushed plenty of my happy buttons, with early admissions that he was a beneficiary of the legacies of Luther and Barth, cited Capon and N.T. Wright and even cherry-picked some good quotes from Marcus Borg. Cavey’s version of emerging theology is thoroughly and completely Jesus-centered. His quest for Christian community is saturated in a deep, convinced understanding of the New Covenant and a Barthian approach to the Bible. This is a book that I loved and truly delighted in reading. I indulged in much underlining.
If I were given the opportunity to teach about Jesus-shaped spirituality to adults, younger and otherwise, this would be one of the most accessible, user-friendly books available. From its organization, saturation in scripture to its appendices and discussion questions, this is a book for those of you who want to put the focus on the true significance of Jesus. [Continue reading]
February 26, 2008 by iMonk
Baseball fans: what are some of your thoughts and feelings as the new season begins? Best memories? Ironies? Tragedies?
Tomorrow at 1:05 EST, the Cincinnati Reds will take the field against the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater, Florida.
The long, dark winter of the soul will be over here in the Spencer household.
My life runs on three calendars. The first is the calendar of the ministry where I work, a school calendar full of breaks and beginnings, graduations and finals. I enjoy the academic calendar and the rhythm it provides for my life. If I had to give it up, I’d be sorry for all those lost opportunities to enjoy grace and sabbath.
The second calendar is the Christian year. If you read this site you know how I feel about that. My faith journey is formed around the time-keeping of the church’s way of marking time. No single thing has been more helpful to my own growth as a disciple and worship leader. I always know where I am with the people of God, and it’s always relevant, despite the fact that Baptists don’t understand it. (I’m kidding.)
The third calendar is the informal, but thoroughly religious and essential calendar of the baseball universe. [Continue reading]
February 25, 2008 by iMonk
I’d like to come clean about a couple of things.
I’m not getting on anyone’s case here. I just believe I should get this on the record for my readers.
First, I have a book review agreement with a major web site. They send me books to review every few weeks, and I actually review them. (They are not a publisher btw, and my reviews only appear on my site.) I don’t like all the books, but some have been good. My reviews have been a mixed bag, but I got the free book, and I want you to know that. Sometimes I kept it. Sometimes I gave it away. Last week, I tossed one in the trash.
Secondly, I regularly get notices (apparently I’m on a list) from a couple of Christian publishers/publicists giving me the opportunity to get a review copy of a book in exchange for a plug or review. I rarely take advantage of this, because most of the books don’t interest me and already have a commitment to read and review for the previously mentioned site. But I can get lots of free books if I want, and I have asked for several in the last year. [Continue reading]
February 25, 2008 by iMonk
Podcast 36 More response to “I Can’t Continue To Call Myself A Christian.” This podcast deals with the objection to God punishing a sincere believer in another religion.
The podcast website is Coffee Cup Apologetics.
All the episodes of Coffee Cup Apologetics are now on iTunes. Go to iTunes and search for “Apologetics.”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
February 25, 2008 by iMonk
UPDATE: A very fair piece at Christianity Today’s Liveblog.
I want the people to know
That He saved my soul
But I still like to listen to the radio
They say that rock and roll is wrong, we’ll give you more chance
I say I feel so good I gotta get up and dance
I know what’s right, I know what’s wrong and I don’t confuse it
Why should the devil have all the good music
I feel good every day
‘Cause Jesus is the Rock and He rolled my blues away
Larry Norman died over the weekend. From the IM archives: I couldn’t say it better now: This is the tribute to Larry and his contribution to Christian art that I wrote a few years ago.
I love you, Larry. Family- many are praying for you. He really helped me see Jesus. That’s about as good as it gets.
READ: So Long Ago When CCM Wasn’t Awful.
February 24, 2008 by iMonk
The lectionary text is John 4:5-42. I used the text as a launching place to look closely at Jesus and at the nature of the Good News we have to share.
This is probably my last Sunday filling the pulpit at First Presbyterian London, Kentucky. Pastor Ted is ready to come back to ministry and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to lead in worship and preach.
The beginning of the sermon is a bit of an admonition to the church. I’m pointing to the font, the pulpit, the table, etc as I talk about the various good things that should be treasured.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
February 23, 2008 by iMonk
Sabbatical information, a web site recommendation and Re-examining “Letting Scripture Interpret Scripture.”
You all need to buy “The Gospel for Those Broken by the Church” and more Reformation theology gifts from New Reformation Press.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
February 23, 2008 by iMonk
I’m very interested in what current SBTS and other SBC seminary students have to say about your future in the SBC. Will you stay if Calvinism becomes a divisive, “lose your job” issue in the SBC? Would you prefer a Driscoll, Piper or Mahaney Network (T4G) to the current SBC?
CLARIFICATION: I’m a post-evangelical, and that applies to the SBC. But some of what I want to keep is stuff my tradition has in its attic! To be post-evangelical differs from being emerging in the sense that I want to keep my Baptist polity, historical (not current) view of the sacraments, cooperative missions vision and emphasis on missions.
Don’t stand too close to me in public. I’m going to blog your conversation. Yes, I’m that kind of writer.
After the Louisville Institute sabbatical orientation, I stopped at a few bookstores, including the large Lifeway Bookstore on the campus of my alma mater (’84), The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
I’ve been visiting the SBTS bookstore since the late 1970’s. I’ve watched it change through the years as SBTS and evangelicals themselves have changed. Today’s Southern Seminary Bookstore is a cornucopia of Calvinism, reflecting a seminary that is leading the Calvinistic resurgence in the SBC. If you are a lifelong Southern Baptist who would have ever found it difficult to believe that pastors in your convention would buy bobbleheads of Martin Luther, busts of John Calvin or framed prints of various infant-baptizing, state-church sponsoring reformers, I have news for you: It’s big business. There may be a head of Lottie Moon in there somewhere, but the business of little statues and pictures is almost entirely a presentation of Luther, Calvin and the Puritan-influenced reformers. (Apologies to your Roman Catholic friends can be sent directly to the IM post office.) [Continue reading]
February 21, 2008 by iMonk
Unless you’ve been brought up in the insular confines of fundamentalism, it’s going to be hard to understand what it’s been like for me spending three days with “the other kind” of Christians this week. “The other kind” in this instance are mainline protestants, almost entirely Presbyterian Church USA, ELCA Lutherans, ECUSA Episcopalians and a few United Church of Christ. Out of about 70 ministers, mine was the only Baptist name tag I saw. There was a United Methodist, a Vineyard pastor, a Plymouth Brethren, an AME and a few others I don’t recall, but most of the ministers that surrounded me were what the conservative evangelicals I know call “liberals.”
I’ve been to a lot of meetings of Southern Baptists and various other kinds of conservative evangelicals. The last couple of decades I’ve spent considerable time with Calvinists of various persuasions. I’ve logged many hours in those circles and very few among “the other kind” of Christians. Even though I’ve done a lot of supply preaching among Presbyterians here in Appalachia, that’s been a tiny slice of my experience of Christian fellowship compared to my days surrounded by Southern Baptists and various other kinds of well-to-the-right-of-center Christians. [Continue reading]
February 20, 2008 by iMonk
I’m back home from sabbatical orientation and my three days with Eugene Peterson. Thank you Louisville Institute for your investment in my life and your incredible graciousness for these three days.
Last night, Peterson talked about his own sabbatical experiences, which took place 23 years into his pastorate. He took off an entire year, wrote 3.5 books and learned many important lessons for the rest of his ministry. This was a helpful talk for pastors, but I’m not going to comment on it very much here. (One interesting thing. For his sabbatical reading, he read the Septuagint, and said he was shocked at what a loose translation it was as compared to the original Hebrew. Much more like “The Message.” Says he can’t understand how the literalists in translation studies miss this.)
This morning, however, David Woods read us more from the “emerging” fifth book in Peterson’s current series, a book that is devoted to the church and to understanding the church by way of the book of Ephesians. After framing the direction for the talk, he introduced Eugene Peterson for his last talk. I took many pages of notes and I’ll share just a few of them here, including one-liners without context, so don’t blame Peterson if I leave the wrong impression. [Continue reading]
February 19, 2008 by iMonk
It’s am amazing privilege to spent this time with the man who has been a spiritual director in absentia to so many of us. Based on what I’m hearing in this sessions, Peterson’s next two books should be real expressions of his heart. No one anywhere has a more encouraging message on the possibilities within any church for being God’s people.
Eugene Peterson was back leading our seminar this morning, and a night’s rest put him back on his game.
He spoke from some of the material in his upcoming book Tell It Slant, which is about the language of Jesus in Luke’s parables. He divided all pastoral-ministry language into the kerygmatic, the didactic and the pericletic. It was this third kind of language he was most interested in today.
Pericletic language is hard to define. It is not the announcement and pronouncement of the preacher and it is not the systematic teaching of the teacher. It is the language of the “between.” It is the place that words are formed and we meet God in the empty place between the angels at the ark. It is the language of coming alongside. It is the language of conversation, not the delivery of content. It is primal language, the domain of children and the old. Peterson is fascinated by the connection between breath, Spirit and words in scripture. [Continue reading]
February 18, 2008 by iMonk
UPDATED: I’m sortof liveblogging the Eugene Peterson/David Wood sessions.
My first step in my sabbatical is a three day orientation here on the campus of the Louisville Presbyterian Seminary. Denise and I are staying in Laws Lodge and we will be hearing Eugene Peterson later tonight.
This is all a very different world for me than my home in Eastern Kentucky, but this is a gift God is giving me as well. We intend to enjoy it.
I’ll add some reflections to this post as we go along through each session. [Continue reading]
