Christians are doers. We think churches are supposed to be “doing” places. Pastors and church staff are the chief doers but everyone else knows they are supposed to be doers too. We expect churches to have an active approach to mission, to have programs that will enable people of all ages and different life settings [...]
The First Story of Israel (Gen. 2-3)
9 Jan by
* * * Genesis 2 is not another version of the creation of the cosmos. It shifts the focus to the story of Israel. – Peter Enns, Jared Byas, Genesis for Normal People Let me tell you a story. God prepared a good land, a land of abundance and promise. He formed a people and [...]
Spam Spam Spam Spam
26 Nov by
Many comments have been stuck in cyberspace lately, caught in the incredible amount of spam we have been receiving. We apologize if your comment has taken a long time to show up. As Monty Python would tell us, “I’ll have your Spam—I love it!”
iMonk Classic: Ordinary Thoughts
4 Aug by
Classic iMonk Post by Michael Spencer From August 2007 First, thoughts. You go to the doctor with pain in your chest. He spends the whole hour talking about God. Is this OK? You go to a musical production of “Oklahoma.” The cast comes out and gives their testimony the entire time. Is this OK with [...]
Saturday Ramblings 7.14.12
14 Jul by
I am old enough (and I turn yet another year older on Tuesday) to remember getting up on Saturday mornings and staying glued to the TV from 8 in the morning until 11, watching the Looney Tunes cartoons. Bugs, Daffy, the Road Runner … all my favorites gathered into one nice, long program. Only after [...]
A Ban on “Biblical”
20 Apr by
I made a New Year’s resolution this year: I will try my best to avoid using the adjective “Biblical” to describe what I think “the Bible teaches.” The use of this word as a prescriptive adjective to promote positions and convictions is rampant among Christians. The problem is, it usually obscures more than it enlightens, [...]
iMonk Classic: Ten Questions About the Bible + one rant
10 Feb by
Classic iMonk Post by Michael Spencer From February 2007 • • • 1. State briefly what you believe about the Bible. The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is set down in Scripture, or may be deduced from Scripture. In scripture, God revealed what [...]
The Naked Emperor
25 Oct by
I am going to spend a little time talking about what I see in the evangelical world. I believe I can write about this from a well-informed viewpoint. For thirty-some years now I have been involved in mass media in one form or another, with much of that time involved in Christian radio, TV, and [...]
A Dog Named Beau
16 Oct by
This morning, Damaris shared a poem about taking in creation with the Creator. About relaxing and enjoying what the Lord made for us to enjoy. She suggested we might just take time to scratch a dog’s belly. Lean on a fence post. Do something that is not “productive” or “necessary.” We were encouraged to take [...]
iMonk Classic: Dr. StrangeLiturgy
15 Oct by
Here is one of my favorite classic essays by Michael Spencer. I, too, grew up as a believer in the “tent revival” atmosphere. I, too, was taught that liturgy equaled deadness and man-made religion. Now I am looking for liturgy. Now I’m looking for music that is all about God, and not about how I [...]
