I'm an emergent!

As I stated in a couple of posts back, I’ve been reading A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren. It’s been a pretty incredible experience for me. I don’t think I really like McLaren’s writing style, but what he talks about is almost dead on with where I am in my faith today. (Aside from his failure/refusal to claim that absolute truth exists). This book, in addition to Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, has helped me put words to what I’ve been thinking for a while now.

It’s time that we stop comparing the best of our views against the worst of theirs (whoever “they” are, be it liberal vs. conservative, evangelical vs. fundamental, etc.). Let’s recognize that we don’t have it all figured out, and that we don’t even have to have it all figured out! This journey that we’re on is less about knowing truth and more about exploring and sharing the truth we’ve come to.*

I hope we can realize we’re not called to “bring God” to people. God’s already with them! We just have to do our best to recognize where He’s at work and point that out.

I’m tired of being a defensive Christian. I’m tired of being an offensive Christian. Frankly, I’m tired of being a Christian (as the term stands today). I want to be a disciple of Christ. Nothing more.

I hope that we can emerge from our currently held factions and unite as the body of Christ to create a church that is passionate about making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching others to obey everything he has commanded us.




*I believe that we can know truth (i.e. God) but knowing and understanding fully are two distinct things. We will never fully understand God, but for too long we’ve held our understanding of God in opposition to other’s understandings. All I’m trying to communicate is that it’s less about being right and more about doing the best we can to be like Christ.

Never lose hope...

I know that I talk about Arrested Development too much on this blog. (This is my third post about the beloved show.) However, I have some inspirational news of inspiration.

According to Page Six, Showtime has picked up the show and ordered 26 MORE episodes!

I know those at Harding will be unable to enjoy this news, but all those outside the Bubble rejoice!

What church should be like..

I was chatting with a friend who is disenfranchised with church. He doesn't think it's authentic. Here's what he said:

"the most spiritual experience i've had in the past two years was an AA group I had to go to for med school preceptorship...

here is a group of people who are completely humble and ashamed of themselves yet so non-condescending and ultimately supportive of each other....really a reflection of what the church experience should be

it should be real, nasty, honest, uncomfortable, unpolished"

Well said! Isn't that what church should be? A group of drunks trying to find a better life?

Orthodoxy vs. Orthopraxy

I picked up a new book this weekend by Brian McLaren (pictured above) titled A Generous Orthodoxy. I'm not sure what I think about it yet, but I'm intrigued by what I've read so far. Specifically, the part that talks about correct orthodoxy (knowing what's right or true) leading to correct orthopraxy (doing what's right or true).

For too long I believe churches have been focused on having correct doxy with not enough emphasis on praxy. Scott Waltman, our education minister, addressed this on Sunday. He estimates that he's spent 10,000 hours learning about the Bible. 10,000 hours. Imagine what could be done if Christians spent 10,000 living like Christ?

Our church building is a perfect example of a -doxy emphasis. We have dozens of classrooms. Our church is built like a school!

I don't want to downplay the importance of studying and knowing the Bible. Feasting upon the word of God is essential for anyone who wants to be a committed follower of Christ. But until we start doing what the Bible is teaching, what's the point?

Our church is starting something I'm very excited about. On Wednesday nights, a night that has typically been spent as another hour of study, we're focusing on service. There will be no class (aside from a 4-week class that shares service opportunities) and every member who shows up will be put to work.

If we as Christians can focus less on knowing and studying and more on believing and living the church will never be the same. And I think that's a good thing.

Doubting Thomas

Doubting Thomas
Nickel Creek
Why Should the Fire Die?

What will be left when I've drawn my last breath
Besides the folks I've met and the folks who've known me
Will I discover a soul-saving love
Or just the dirt above and below me

I'm a doubting Thomas
I took a promise
But I do not feel safe
Oh me of little faith

Sometimes I pray for a slap in the face
Then I beg to be spared cause I'm a coward
If there's a master of death
I bet he's holding his breath
As I show the blind and tell the deaf about his power

I'm a doubting Thomas
I can't keep my promises
Cause I don't know what's safe
Oh me of little faith

Can I be used to help others find truth
When I'm scared I'll find proof that it's a lie
Can I be led down a trail dropping bread crumbs
That prove I'm not ready to die

Please give me time to decipher the signs
Please forgive me for time that I've wasted

I'm a doubting Thomas
I'll take your promise
Though I know nothin's safe
Oh me of little faith

...prophecy included in Revelatshuns...

I had a radical thought a few days ago. I’m sure I’m not the first to have this radical thought, which means it probably isn’t that radical after all. However, with that rousing introduction, read on!

I was raised in the church of Christ (as evidenced by my lowercase "c") and I still hold onto much of the teaching I received (I still flinch when people say pastor, for example). One of the major lessons I was taught has become a motto, or very nearly a mission statement, for the church of Christ: Speak where the Bible speaks, be silent where the Bible is silent.

I was taking a shower the other day and I started thinking about that phrase and the foundation for it. It seems to me that the phrase itself is not a Biblical concept. Obviously those words are not in scripture (which I didn’t know until I was in high school), but neither is the basis for the statement.

The closest we come to this idea is in Rev. 22:18-19. However, it appears that the author is talking about the words of prophecy included in Revelatshuns rather than the entire Bible. Of course, there was also no Bible when Revelateshuns was written, nor did the authors know that their writings would be included in a collection, so how could the verse be written with the whole Bible in mind?

I’m interested in what others think about this subject. I haven’t explored scripture exhaustively to discover if "Speaking and silence" are somewhere else, so if there are some valuable verses out there, please share them.

Fox has arrested development on Arrested Development

I hate to bump my previous post already, but this news is too important to wait. It appears Fox has cancelled Arrested Development after its 13 episodes this season.

Christmas time is here...

Christians and Politics

It seems that many Christians want to see America return to its "moral foundations." Yet, as seemingly wonderful as a "Christian" nation would be, if it were simply a political victory that enforces rules of better behavior, it would be empty.

How often do we hear that political triumph over the enemies of godliness is the best strategy? Yet, a political solution is a merely a sidetrack. It tempts us to shift our eyes away from what must be the focus of true followers: concern for the lost and for the growth of believers in Jesus.

It’s easy to become distracted or to believe we are doing our Christian duty by marching, politicking, protesting, and supporting groups that do these things. However, it may distract us from our most important duty of glorifying God through Christlikeness and an unwavering commitment to the eternal destinies of friends and enemies alike.

Writer's Block

I wanted to make a new post today so i could bump that hideous STOP story down a few notches, but nothing came to mind. I have a terrible case of writer's block. So, rather than write nothing, I'm writing about my writer's block.

I don't know how often you have to write in your personal life, but it's pretty much what I do all day long. (Not on Xanga or blogger, but for my job as coordinator of The Creel Institute, a teaching and training division of The Strategy Group LLC)

If you're ever stuck with writer's block just start writing about anything. Even writer's block for example! However, if you're really, really stuck, a great way to start writing is to visit Wikipedia and click on "Random Article." Just start writing about whatever pops up.

My random article was about: Parchive.
Parchive (or parity volume set archive) is an error-correction system that can be applied to a collection of files to allow recovery when one or more of the files is lost. It was designed to be used on Usenet for transmission of large files such as movies. It is implemented using Reed-Solomon error correction. (OK, so it's not foolproof.)

Comment with your random article!

Well, now that I've cured my writer's block, it's time to make money for the company. Peace.

STOP the madness!

Well, Harding's been written up. It's about time too. The apostasy shown and the total disregard for all things church of Christ is disgusting.

The complete STOP article.

j/k, lol, :) and all that jazz.

However, I do agree with the editor's "P.S." I guess we'll accept money from anybody?