How the Confession of My Sins Kept Me in the Church Part II

Today’s post is by Pat Kyle of New Reformation Press

Back in March of 2009 I put up Part 1 of this post and talked a bit about corporate confession and absolution and how its regular practice helped anchor me in the church. There is a second part to this story and it deals with private confession and absolution.

This will probably come as a shock to many of our readers, but the Lutherans retained the use of private confession, (as in “going to confession” in front of a priest or Pastor) and many faithful pastors still regularly hear the confessions of their flock and pronounce Christ’s forgiveness in absolution. Article XI of the Augsburg Confession says: [Continue reading]

Who Is My Neighbor?

Chaplain Mike presents this original story, based on real events.

Lee was a writer and photographer, the kind of person who drew strength and energy from being alone and working on her arts. She and Frank had been married twenty-four years; it was a second marriage for both of them, each having divorced from unhappy first unions. Neither had brought children to the marriage and, after a few tearful arguments early in their life together, the subject of having kids never came up again.

Frank worked hard, long hours, and provided well for them, freeing Lee to pursue her artistic interests. Then, unexpectedly, a few years before retirement, he was diagnosed with cancer and almost before you knew it, Frank was bedbound and his free-spirited wife lost her liberty. She attended to his needs night and day, feeding him, helping him to the toilet, passing his medicines, and getting him up in the recliner where he watched TV, increasingly distant and dependent. At first she got out for an hour or two here and there, but Lee could see that those opportunities were diminishing; she became more and more afraid to leave Frank alone for fear he would awaken confused and fall out of bed.

And so Lee became despondent. Frank’s constant demands kept her from pursuing the solitude and creative work she needed to refuel her spirit. They had no family to help them, and couldn’t really afford paid caregivers. Lee discovered she had few human supports on which to lean, and she felt alone, helpless and hopeless.

But a new sense of spiritual hunger also grew in Lee. She began reading the Bible and thinking about church. She got some counsel from a friend, who answered some of her questions about what kind of church to look for, and who also encouraged her with the thought that being part of a church family might provide some help with Frank.

[Continue reading]

From the iMonk Archives: Gospel Relevance=Gospel Application

Since we have been discussing the Gospel and how it shapes our Christian lives, let’s continue the conversation by taking a look at this classic IM post from April, 2007.

It amazes me that the apostles immediately know- they KNOW- that Christianity has to be applied in ways they had never thought before. Perhaps the story in Acts 10 is a window to how the Holy Spirit stirs us up to get off of the roof and down into a Roman’s house.

The Apostles apply the Gospel broadly. There must be a different kind of economics. There must be a different kind of inclusion around the table and in relationships. There must be prayer, breaking bread, teaching doctrine, but there is more. You cannot leave out the issues of hunger, inclusion, assistance, mercy ministries, economics or even political theology. While you can point out the kinds of issues that weren’t addressed, it’s remarkable what kind of issues are addressed…and how they are addressed.

“Christian culture” is always a counter-culture, not a consumer culture, an entertainment culture or a political lobby. “The Church” is a gathering of people loyal to Jesus who believe certain things, but it is a movement of people who apply the gospel to those issues in their midst that demonstrate the meaning of the Kingdom of God. [Continue reading]

Open Mic at the iMonk Cafe: How do Christians “Live In the Gospel”?

Chaplain Mike posts today’s Open Mic topic.

From an excellent article posted today at Leadership Journal called, “The Everyday Gospel,” by Tullian Tchividjian comes this quote:

I once assumed the gospel was simply what non-Christians must believe in order to be saved, while afterward we advance to deeper theological waters. But I’ve come to realize that the gospel isn’t the first step in a stairway of truths, but more like the hub in a wheel of truth. As Tim Keller explains it, the gospel isn’t simply the ABCs of Christianity, but the A-through-Z. In other words, once God rescues sinners, his plan isn’t to steer them beyond the gospel, but to move them more deeply into it.

…After meditating on Paul’s words, a friend told me that all our problems in life stem from our failure to apply the gospel. This means I can’t really move forward unless I learn more thoroughly the gospel’s content and how to apply it to all of life. Real change does not and cannot come independently of the gospel. God intends his Good News in Christ to mold and shape us at every point and in every way. It increasingly defines the way we think, feel, and live.

I too have held and heard this incomplete understanding of the Gospel as I have lived and served among believers over the years. Today, I think differently. Now my aim is to continually grow in my grasp of how the Gospel is for me and applies to me, a Christian.

How about you? What does it mean for you, as a Christian, to believe and live in the Gospel?

Sometimes Being Right is Wrong

Today’s post is from IM First Officer Michael Bell.

I have a great appreciation for my Pastor. I appreciate his perspectives on most issues, and I appreciate his leadership within the church. However, for the last two years we have disagreed quite strongly on one particular significant issue. What that issue is, is not important to the topic at hand, but suffice to say, it is an issue that has divided many churches in the past, and had the potential to cause much dissension or division in our church as well.

But it didn’t. [Continue reading]

Reminder & Review: Pocket Dictionary of Liturgy & Worship

Since our posts and comments have referred a lot to liturgy lately, I thought it might be good to revisit a nice little tool to help people understand various aspects of liturgical worship. Our first look at this book can be found here. Today, we have a another look and review from Patrick Kyle of New Reformation Press. Thanks, Kyle!

Over the holidays we threw a party for our friends on New Year’s Day, kind of a post party party. One of my friends walked in with a book that immediately caught my eye.  It is titled the ‘Pocket Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship’ authored by Brett Scott Provance and put out by IVP Academic. This volume is one in a series of fourteen Pocket Dictionaries published by IVP.  This series looks to be really promising. You can check it out here.

Being only slightly obsessed with liturgy I quickly prevailed upon my friend to lend it to me. [Continue reading]

A Letter from an Agnostic

Today, Chaplain Mike posts this note that was sent to iMonk. How would you try to help this inquirer?

Mr. Spencer,

In the past few months of my life something has driven me towards Christianity. I can’t exactly say what, I believe it to be a combination of things but it has lead me to hours of research, mostly in the field of apologetics. I’ve never been a Christian and was not raised in a Christian family. If anything I would say that I’ve always been agnostic. Throughout my years, I’ve been a student of philosophy and religion. I’ve studied most modern philosophy, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and various other world religions but have never followed one and have never been drawn towards Christianity. Like many my age, I grew up in a place where Christianity was considered “un-cool”. None of my friends were Christian and even today I have few who are. Yet, recently something has peaked my interest in God and Jesus Christ.

To get to the point, my problem is not that I don’t want to believe, it’s that I’m caught in the middle.

[Continue reading]

Michael Sends an Update

Here’s a quick run-through on the facts of my situation.

1. I have cancer and I am receiving treatments for it. On Christmas Eve, a small mass was removed from the back of my brain. That’s the balance center, so my main symptoms are balance, nausea and appetite issues. That are all improving. I have 5 radiation treatments to go on the post-op and then it’s on to several rounds of chemo a bit closer to home.

2. At this point, writing for IM is pretty much out of the picture, and will be for a while. But I have some restoration of keyboard ability and that’s a very positive development. Meanwhile, Chaplain Mike is doing an awesome job and I especially appreciate the helpers.

3. Denise: Denise is Jesus. That’s about all I can say. One flesh. Servant. Agape love. It’s all there. Pray for her and our children. [Continue reading]

My Post-Evangelical Wilderness

By guest blogger Chaplain Mike

Spend any time at all around Internet Monk, and you will hear about the “post-evangelical wilderness.”

This is one of the phrases that first attracted me to Michael’s writings, and it is clear from reading those who have commented over the years that it has resonated with many.

What it means for me practically at this point is this: “church” is problematic for me right now.

Let me tell you why.

[Continue reading]

From the iMonk Archive: The “Happy Enough” Protestant

MOD: This discussion has degenerated into the usual “my side v. your side” dirt clod fight. Unfortunately, this shows some of us have missed or forgotten the spirit of the original post. Go back and read it again, folks. I can celebrate my tradition and the good, biblical aspects of it, without having to denigrate yours. Comments are closed.

Today we revisit a classic IM post Michael wrote in March 2008.

Because I’ve been wrestling with Protestant/Catholic issues throughout this past year, I receive a lot of email from those who have moved outside of their lifelong evangelicalism and somewhere within sight of the catholic tradition, if not the Roman Catholic church.

Some of that mail takes me to blogs and the writing of people who are in a tortured state of mind and heart. Some are ministers strongly drawn to Roman Catholicism. They have read Hahn and Howard. They are listening to The Coming Home Network on EWTN. They are tired of evangelicalism’s circus atmosphere, its deficits and its many problems.

The unity, antiquity and beauty of Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy stand in stark contrast to the divisions, innovations and shallowness of evangelicalism. I have no problem understanding this attraction. It seems that Luther made a terrible mistake, and every person who “goes home” can take satisfaction in healing that historically disastrous and unnecessary rift. [Continue reading]

Book Review: Welcoming Justice

Today’s review is by Ryan Cordle, Michael Spencer’s son-in-law. Thanks, Ryan!

For two years I have worked at a ministry as a high school teacher. In these couple of years I have seen how God’s movement for reconciling people is real. At our school, we have students from everywhere, quite literally. Our kids come from all over North America, and from Africa, Asia and Europe. The historical significance of what I see on a daily basis is not lost on me. We have African American students who share rooms, meals, and time with their best friends who happen to be white. I have seen Korean students forget their racial prejudices with which they were raised, and act charitably toward their Japanese classmates. There is no explanation as to why this happens except that God is working.

In Welcoming Justice: God’s Movement Toward Beloved Community, Charles Marsh and John Perkins join an impressive list of authors, which includes Stanley Hauerwas, Jean Vanier, Emmanuel Katongole, and Chris Rice, who have written as part of Duke’s Center for Reconciliation book series published by IVP. The goal of the series is to theologically and practically explore reconciliation. Naturally with Marsh and Perkins as authors, Welcoming Justice gives insight into the necessary racial reconciliation that should sit at the top of any American church’s agenda.

Marsh and Perkins alternate chapters in the book, as is the case in the other two books in this series, which seek to give equal time to both an academic and a person doing reconciliation work on the field. Perkins comes across to the reader as nothing short of a sagacious prophet, who is graciously sharing his wisdom with the world. His anecdotes are at once enjoyable, and theologically dynamic.

Marsh summarizes Perkins’ powerful work, “…(Perkins) shows us to read the Bible faithfully is to read the Bible as the comprehensive divine plan of human liberation from the perspective of God’s Kingdom” (106). For Perkins, we must realize that God will move through broken communities in broken places in order to fulfill his divine plan. Therefore, reconciliation must start with brokenness, and it must find its source of power in community through the Holy Spirit.

I pray that the series of books IVP and Duke are producing will become standard reading for pastoral students, and for those with any heart for Christian community. I believe the upcoming generation of (Post-)Evangelicals will do a lot of great things in showing the world that the church can lead by example in the relationship between races. In a world where brokenness is real, the only power the church has is to offer the healing love of Jesus. Perkins and Marsh communicate this clearly, and I can think of no better voices for young Evangelicals to learn from in the field of reconciliation.

UPDATE: Another Look at Visitation

Back during Advent, I put up a post on one of my favorite Gospel words: visit.

I encourage you to go back and read it HERE.

In that post, I made this comment: “I think it is what pastors and Christian people used to do, what they were expected to do. But something changed in the church.”

Over at the Out of Ur blog today, Collin Hansen cites and comments on a recent report that shows just how far we’ve come from those days when visitation, and pastoral visitation in particular, was considered an essential part of ministerial work.

Go read his observations, and then return to comment.

[Continue reading]

I Am the Least of These

I heard it again in church today. Last week, it was in our church bulletin, used to announce a youth mission project. It is the poster passage for all manner of missions and social justice ministries. How can you go wrong with a text that epitomized Mother Teresa, the very Scripture by which she herself defined her own ministry?

You know it. The last day. The final judgment. The Son of Man seated on his throne in judgment. All nations gathered before him. Sheep and goats. Left hand, right hand. Those who inherit the kingdom. Those who hear the most horrifying words, “depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”.

What makes the difference?

“…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

When did we do this?

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:35-40)

And so, as the pastor exhorted us this morning, Christians must have a “least of these” mindset. Like Jesus, who came to proclaim good news to the poor, release to prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom for the oppressed (Luke 4:18), even so his followers must humble themselves to reach out to the neediest of our neighbors and serve them with the Savior’s love.

This passage is so stirring, so stimulating to the imagination, so sobering in its implications, that one cannot help but pause to take stock of one’s own life in its light.

Except…

Except that I am convinced we have it all wrong.

[Continue reading]

Increasing Marriage Age and Its Implications

COMMENTS NOW CLOSED.

Today’s guest post is from IM First Officer Michael Bell.

Moderator Note:

This is Chaplain Mike.  After a couple days of spirited discussion, allow me make a few comments here.

First, thank you to Michael Bell for a thoughtful and provocative topic and presentation.

Second, I’ve allowed this to go on without much moderation or comment because doing so has clearly shown how chaotic the situation is in society and the church with regard to this issue.

Third, I too thought there would be more conservative voices expressing strong views.

Fourth, at least one thing is clear. We are all sexual sinners, and we know it today perhaps better than at any time in history. And those of us who are Christians, who supposedly believe the Bible and are committed to its moral and ethical teachings, are in the unenviable position of trying to figure out what to do after we’ve already let the proverbial horse out of the barn in terms of capitulating to culture. The church needs some profoundly wise and winsome leaders to help us through this mess.

Fifth, another aspect of this whole discussion that has gone untouched is the role  technology plays in the sexualization of our lives and culture. I don’t believe the human heart has changed over the years, but folks, we have been literally inundated by tidal waves of social change simply because of what advances in technology have made possible over the last 30-40 years. Anyone else remember when the only published nudity or graphic sexuality available was hidden behind the counter or shown in some grungy theater in the vice district?

I mean, think about this for a few moments: If you were a kid growing up today, what would you think is “normal” with regard to this subject? And as for solutions, short of taking up Amish or monastic lifestyles, how in the world can we ever hope to fight what has become the very atmosphere in which we live?

Finally, I hope my light hand on this discussion hasn’t given anyone the idea that IM is a free-for-all. It’s not. There are rules, and you can read them here (see faq #10).

Thanks again for your participation. Continue to pray for Michael Spencer. And please pray for me that I will do an adequate job of helping out in his absence.

I have read a number of statistical studies over the last several months that all are somewhat related to the same topic, that is, that the increase in marriage age over the last sixty years has serious implications for the church. Primarily among these implications is the increased temptation facing the youth of American Evangelical churches. Let me show you what I have dug up, statistically speaking, about the extent of this temptation and the resulting effects. [Continue reading]

Sleep on this idea…

Guest post by Chaplain Mike. Yawn…

We don’t have too many big snow storms where I live, in central Indiana. We are usually on the line between rain and snow, and therefore happen to miss both the drastic wind-chills and ginormous snowpiles of our northern neighbors and the early spring warmth and colors of those just to our south. We are ice and slush. Winters tend to be all gray and brown, and they are just long enough to give you cabin fever, just frigid enough to be miserable, just warm enough to make those of us who at other times in our lives dwelt in true north country miss a real blizzard.

However, we’re having a decent storm today, and I stayed home to work, glad I didn’t have to get my windshield squenched by one of our Hoos’yer good ol’ boys who relish the opportunity to show off their 4-wheel drive trucks in a pathetic attempt to scare their timid lower midwestern neighbors into a state of panic. This is a day when many middle fingers will be exposed to the elements.

Today’s weather got me to thinking about an article I read in the New York Times by Graham Robb a couple of years ago, about the way things used to be back in the old countries of Europe, when winter was truly dangerous and difficult.

Apparently, our European ancestors were much smarter than we are. They took the winter off.

[Continue reading]