C.S. Lewis said that the person who tries to be unique never is, and the person who sets out to be original seldom is.

I would suggest that the IM blog and IM radio podcast audience are made up of people who may, at least at some point, have felt they were “the only ones,” or one of a few.

Slowly, as books and blogs and stories and coffee shop conversations proliferated, their view changed.

Now, they/we know. There are thousands of us at a thousand different places in the evangelical wilderness. Our experiences in evangelicalism weren’t exactly what we originally thought. Given a place to stop, listen and talk, it turns out there are many of us, not just a few. No one seems to have a map, everyone seems to have a story. Very few of us want to go back to whatever evangelicalism was when we were happily going along with the show. [Continue reading]

NOTE: Commenters should read the commenting rules in FAQ 10, especially those who plan to write me a long appeal to become a Catholic.

COMMENTS CLOSED

No one reading, writing or commenting on the posts in this interview has ever been as angry as yours truly over the claims of the Roman Catholic Church. In ‘07 and ‘08, I was torn apart by this question.

Being unable to commune with my wife or Catholic friends, knowing my ordination to the Gospel ministry is considered invalid and having my community denied even the dignity of being “church” instead of the tedious nomenclature of “ecclesial community” galls me as much today as it has any time in the past two years.

I can’t speak for others, but few Protestants have invested the time in seeking to understand Catholicism and seeing its version of Christianity from a sympathetic position as I have as I worked through my wife’s move to the RCC.

I have taken the case for Catholicism’s claims as honestly and openly as possible, whether from Thomas Howard, Louis Bouyer, Scott Hahn, Lawrence Feingold or dozens of real life and online friends. I’ve been greatly enriched by my Catholic reading and where it has taken me. [Continue reading]

Despite what you may have read in the kinder, gentler corners of the blogosphere recently, you would all be surprised how un-contentious I am most of the time. In my real life, I regularly run from situations where I’m being pressed for my opinion. I much prefer print as the medium of debate. In real life, I’ll nod, blink, shrug, excuse myself, suddenly remember an uncompleted task, etc. rather than get into a tug-of-war about who is right.

But I’ve also learned what it is that snags me, and it’s not always the big issues. It’s usually one word. Yes, one word can throw my switch and give me an almost irresistible yearning to argue my point.

Three examples from the last 24 hours:

1) A debate is going on several places on the blogosphere around this question: “Are the doctrinally obsessed missing the heart of Jesus?”

My answer is a simply “yes,” and the reason is one word: obsessed. You said it. Not me.

Obsessed isn’t doctrinally interested, doctrinally aware or doctrinally correct. Doctrinally obsessed isn’t someone who makes doctrine a priority or who even brings it up frequently. Obsession is….obsession. Single mindedness. Idolatry. Loss of perspective. [Continue reading]

One of my major premises in the writing I’m doing these days is that evangelicals have become a movement actually destroying itself.

At no point does that seem more obvious than in the recent evolution of worship within evangelicalism.

Does anyone- I mean, really, seriously- have any idea what is actually happening within the worship culture of evangelicals?

We have, within a matter of 50 years, completely changed the entire concept of what is a worship service. We’ve adopted an approach that demands ridiculous levels of musical, technical and financial commitment and resources. [Continue reading]

UPDATE: An absolutely great resource on technology and the many ways Christians are affected by it: Don’t Eat The Fruit. Be sure and listen to the Is Technology Neutral? presentation.

A bunch of things that occurred to me today, all related to the internet and what we do on it and with it.

1. It strikes me that the predominant sins in this medium are narcissism and waste. We need to differentiate narcissism from various kinds of legitimate self-revelation, but we need to proclaim that narcissism is a sin many of us are absolutely exulting in.

And waste is waste. Time. Affections. Work. Mental energy. Significance. [Continue reading]

UPDATE: John Piper takes a look at Wilkerson’s prophecy and responds rightly.

David Wilkerson (Cross and the Switchblade, Times Square Church) is predicting a world changing disaster, and advises that you dust off those cans of Spam you still have from Y2k. It’s getting serious coverage by the unhinged conservative media.

I wrote about Evangelical anxiety about the end of the world in the “Evangelical Anxieties” series in February of 07. Not only have I not changed my mind, I’m more bothered by this than ever.

If eschatology were a multiple choice question, with answers like this:

a) be Christ centered
b) proclaim the Gospel
c) do missions and evangelism
d) look forward to the new heaven and the new earth
e) be idiots

…guess what a large chunk of Evangelicalism would choose? [Continue reading]

The Original Talk Hard: Defending the Role of the Critic in Christianity. Lots I would change in that essay, but it still holds up 6 years or so later.

Recently, I received an email from someone who has been a longtime reader of this blog, giving his reasons for being a regular reader and generous supporter.

This particular reader appreciated the writing I’ve done on the subjects of mental illness, psychiatric medication and emotional health. As this person is a professional in those fields and far beyond me in understanding, I was understandably happy to read that email.

I have received many thousands of emails in the last 8 years of Internet Monk. A sizable portion express appreciation for something that deserves a moment’s consideration: that this blog is one of the few places some folks have found where certain points of view can be discussed with relative civility. [Continue reading]

Blame Bill Kinnon. And if talk about sex bothers you, then you probably need another religion. You’re out of luck in this one.

Dear Ed Young,

It was the grin that really got to me.

The arrogant, know-it-all, self-confident, re-inventing the wheel, just got me some grin.

The “I am a young pastor and I know everything in the world” grin.

You were sitting there on CNN, with your wife, talking about having sex 6 out of 7 nights this week.

Your wife said it was great. (That’s a relief. Bummer if she said she would rather not be forced into daily marital relations by pastoral demand.)

And the reporters are interested, because your church isn’t talking about God. It’s talking about sex so it can talk about God. [Continue reading]

The other day a strange feeling came over me.

Don’t get me wrong about what I’m about to say here. It was just a feeling. I’m not claiming any powers of discernment or certainty.

I got the distinct feeling there’s something wrong with a lot of people who say they are Jesus-followers/believers.

If you want to supply your own vocabulary, like “aren’t saved” or “aren’t Christians,” do so at your own risk. I’m not saying that. (There’s other blogs for that game, if you are burning to know.)

No, but it was as plain as daylight to me that when I hear a lot of people talk about Jesus, I feel like I am hearing….an abbreviation. [Continue reading]

It’s a rant. Adjust your volume and thinking accordingly.

My denomination is about to have a ten year emphasis on evangelism.

I’ve been a Southern Baptist since birth. As far as I know, my denomination has never had any other emphasis than evangelism.

My denomination is more interested in evangelism than any other denomination in existence or Christian history. Its entire apparatus of denominational machinery is devoted to the promotion of evangelism. Its denominational publications and web sites are basically all evangelism, all the time.

Oh there’s the occasional break for the culture war and to promote the new Kirk Cameron movie, but no one is missing the SBC’s concern with evangelism.

I’ve lived through more evangelism training programs than I can name. [Continue reading]

In eight years, I’ve seldom launched a post off of a comment. No disrespect to commenters. They are fine folk, for the most part. But I almost never comment on another blog myself. The sort of person who chases down some phrase like “contemplative prayer” and then goes to battle in the comment threads of all guilty blogs seems to me like someone with issues. I’m sure the parties involved see it as a form of evangelizing the apostate community, so I’m glad to occasionally provide a brief but fleeting target.

The previous post has been a truly great discussion- one of the best ever- on spiritual formation and where evangelicals in certain corners of the wilderness might find some deepening resources for liturgical prayer, reading scripture, spiritual direction, a more ordered, practical devotional life and so on.

With such a juicy target, how could we escape the inevitable. [Continue reading]

Yes, that’s one of the comments I’ve received via e-mail regarding the official iMonk photograph.

(And- at least in my experience- it’s always a woman. Why is that? Does maternal instinct want to see baby smile?)

I’ve been fighting this battle for quite some time, and I don’t plan to give up. It’s a small thing, but it’s all about what it means to be a human being and what it means to be a Christian. [Continue reading]

I’ve got a descrition of the Jesus Shaped Church over at Jesus Shaped Spirituality.

UPDATE: This post is starting to upset people, which is predictable. Add comments at your own risk because I’m surly.

I’m trying to not write when I am mad, because I always wind up getting in trouble with somebody, deleting the post and so on, but I don’t think I’m going to calm down about this in the near future, so it’s time to type.

For starters, I am just amazed at why anyone would want to be involved with Jesus unless you were convinced that what Jesus said, Jesus taught and Jesus did was the truth. I cannot understand why someone wants to be involved with Jesus if they don’t either intend to believe and emulate Jesus or at least encourage, assist and applaud those who do. Taking the Christian label and then acting like Jesus was someone from whom we should never take advice or example is incomprehensible.

Now I’m not talking about who to vote for in November. I’m basically talking about the fact that if a person follows Jesus at all there is going to be some sacrifice involved. Economic sacrifice. Sacrifice of security. Sacrifice of certainty. If someone wants Jesus without the call to discipleship that means they either a) give up making a lot of money or b) give away your money? Fine, but that’s another Jesus. [Continue reading]

I have a new post at Jesus Shaped Spirituality called “Jesus Says Cross the Line.”

I have all the stuff with me for a podcast, but it’s hard to do podcast production when you are on the road. I’m sorry to not get something out this week, and I’ll do my best, but this is one of the few weeks I’m not going home for a day. (Anyone want to do my laundry?)

The George Carlin post has generated more comments that I’ve chosen not to post than any post in IM history. It’s amazing. And I want to say a few things about it. [Continue reading]

Read the original (written back when I was a Calvinist): On Christless Preaching.

Recently I was traveling to a conference with a friend, and I listened to a sermon. Preached by a Christian, a Baptist, a minister at a church, a graduate of a Christian school training ministers to serve and communicate Jesus.

This preacher gave a message that he had worked hard to prepare; a message he had presented before. A message he deeply believed in.

It was a message well organized, passionately delivered and completely sincere. It was a message with an application about having a purpose in living that many people need to hear.

So why am I writing about that sermon? Did it change my life? [Continue reading]