Comments on: iMonk 101: Gospel Relevance = Gospel Application

By: Mich

Mich — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:57:00 +0000

iMonk,
Great post and some incisive comments from Sam and Jeff. The crux of the matter is do we make personal salvation or discipleship the aim of 21st Century Christianity?

I believe Personal Salvation is the bane of Evangelism–we get them saved then cast them on the rocks of legalism, moraltiy and mindlessly misquoting scripture. When was the last time a Pastor preached or taught on being a disciple of Christ? Where are the modern day Pauls teaching on living in Christ and radical and liberating nature of the Gospel?

I still think communities will be forged online in the future, because we can’t get manna in church anymore.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:56:26 +0000

I agree, although in light of your “evangelical demise” posts, aren’t you open to the observation that all that is going on is that you disapprove of right-wing culture warring, but approve of left-wing culture warring?

Too often — and your attempt to caricature it as it as a caricature ain’t gonna stop me from observing it — it seems today that those who say that the Gospel means challenging the status quo, mean that it challenges the status quo as long as the challenge doesn’t align with what those oh-so-unhip Republicans want to change.

I’ve experienced it personally — when I talk to teens and 20-somethings about my prison ministry, it’s all “that is sooo cool.” When I talk to the folks from the same groups about abortion being a sin, or sex between unmarried folk (of any gender) being a sin, I get the opposite reaction.

By: graceshaker

graceshaker — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:50:26 +0000

lest the road be wide and jesus a liar..

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:38:07 +0000

Once upon a time; (it seems like a life time ago), we use to sing a song that contained these words:

“And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. They will know we are Christians by our love…”

Does anyone sing that song anymore? And if they do, do they realize the meaning and implication of what they sing? May God forgive us….

Peace…

By: Clavem Abyssi

Clavem Abyssi — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:29:41 +0000

I’ve heard a lot of people tempted eschew the title of Christian in favor of some more pristine neologism. I sympathize with the intention: the word has indeed become a byword among the nations. However, I’m reminded of the words of the “Imitation of Christ”:

Nature fears shame and contempt, but grace is happy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus…. Nature seeks to possess what is rare and beautiful, abhorring things that are cheap and coarse. Grace, on the contrary, delights in simple, humble things, not despising those that are rough, nor refusing to be clothed in old garments.

The name of Christian is indeed an old garment, a true coat of many colors. It has so many stains that one wishes to be rid of it. But while some stains are excrement, wine, issue and other filth, some others are blood: some is from violence, but some is from tending to the wounded while other stains are the blood of martyrs. Do you really wish to throw out this garment?

And also a saying of the Desert Fathers:

A young man who bears insults willingly is like a tree watered daily.

By: Laura

Laura — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:25:14 +0000

I actually love this ALMOST unreservedly. Can’t quite go all the way into unreserved, but pretty darn close.

What I wholeheartedly agree with is the need for Christians of every stripe to ASK THE QUESTION. Don’t think that the Gospel doesn’t have implications for ______ part of your life.

But… on the other hand…

I struggle with this with my students — encouraging them to “live Christianly” without turning them into neurotic, “I have to pray about the color of my wallpaper,” indecisive weirdos. But I guess that’s my issue, not yours.

By: Jeff M

Jeff M — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:44:30 +0000

Sam,
I will admit to feeling the same way you do sometimes. On those sites like Facebook and others, I have been putting in that same phrase, “I follow Jesus Christ” in the religion ID for a year or two now. I don’t know if that is the best answer, but it is frustrating to see Christians become a derogatory term again, only this time it isn’t a backhanded compliment like it was in the 1st century.
iMonk,
there were and will always be people who do not want the Gospel to change things
This is a key for me. If the gospel doesn’t change anything in my life, what’s the point of it? More and more I am convinced that we are better off rumbling, bumbling, stumbling and fumbling forward trying to follow Christ’s example than we are sitting around waiting for a theological epiphany or vision of our life’s work for God. He is used to cleaning up messes and working through failures. We are just too afraid to make any these days.
Thanks for being willing to make a mess.

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:38:28 +0000

This post and the post on rude “Christians” have helped me decide to completely stop using the terms “Christian” and “church”. These terms carry so much baggage to the point that they have become almost meaningless. I am a follower of Jesus and am trying to model what I do after what He did and taught. Anything else is following people and what they think, and that basically gets us nowhere.

Jesus prayed, Jesus loved, Jesus fed the hungry and the list goes on and on. If it isn’t on the list, don’t do it. We don’t have time.