The late Robert Webber is best known for his writings on worship, but he thought and wrote about many areas of church life, seeking an ancient-future way forward in the post-modern age in which we live. One of his last projects was called Journey to Jesus. It represents his attempt to adapt for today’s congregations the [...]
iMonk: Discipleship as Polemicism
27 Apr by
From a classic Michael Spencer post, Who and What Are Forming You?. From April 2007 * * * For a large portion of my recent evangelical journey, I have found myself wandering between three varieties of evangelicalism: Southern Baptist fundamentalism Evangelical Calvinism Generic contemporary evangelical revivalism …It’s occurred to me that at least two of [...]
The Second Turning: or How JT, a Field of Dreams, a Marble Tomb, and Learning to Do Nothing Saved My Life
3 Apr by
This is a book about the second turning. In the first turning, a Christian experiences the transformation from a natural person to a spiritual person. Instead of “self” being the center of life — exploring, cultivating, adoring it — God becomes the center. This miracle is brought forth by the Holy Spirit giving us new [...]
iMonk: And Some Doubted
9 Mar by
From a classic Michael Spencer post, March 2007 The Bible can be amazing. We can say all the theologically correct things you can think of, but when the Bible surprises you, when it reaches across the centuries and touches you with a sentence or a phrase, there’s something very special that convinces you on a [...]
The Simple Texts
5 Mar by
Yesterday I officiated a funeral. When I met with the wife of the deceased a few days ago to discuss the service, she told me that her husband insisted that Psalm 23 be read at his funeral. When his mother had died, the minister leading the service apparently did not read it — whether out [...]
iMonk: All My Wrestling
5 Feb by
From the classic Michael Spencer post: The Ecclesiastes Attitude * * * The God of the Bible knows what he is doing. His work is, as scripture says, “past finding out.” He asks for no advice. He is not holding question and answer press conferences. He is not writing books of ten easy-to-understand bullet pointed [...]
iMonk: “I Have My Doubts”
19 Jan by
From Michael Spencer’s classic post, I Have My Doubts * * * I have my doubts. About it all. God. Jesus. Life after death. Heaven. The Bible. Prayer. Miracles. Morality. Everything. “But you are a pastor. A Christian leader.” That’s right, and I am an encyclopedia of doubts. Sometimes it scares me to death. I’m [...]
iMonk: “Getting Better?”
16 Jan by
From Michael Spencer’s classic post, When I Am Weak * * * Evangelicals love a testimony of how screwed up I USED to be. They aren’t interested in how screwed up I am NOW. But the fact is, that we are screwed up. Then. Now. All the time in between and, it’s a safe bet [...]
The Gospel of the Empirical Perceptibility of Grace, or in other words, Keep it Physical, Stupid!
19 Dec by
In my studies I am reading Ola Tjørhom, who represents what has been called “evangelical catholicism.” He is concerned that the Reformation project went seriously wrong, and one of its greatest failings was its lack of recognition that the ecclesiology of the Reformers remained essentially catholic even while they criticized Rome in terms of doctrines and [...]
Eschatological Me
6 Dec by
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20, KJV) You died, and your life is hidden with [...]
