Thanks to a new online friend of mine, John over at microclesia for the link to a Christianity Today synopsis of a lecture given by Scot McKnight on The Five Streams of the Emerging Church. The five streams are, in a nutshell: prophetic postmodern praxis-oriented post-evangelical political Check it out for a more in-depth analysis. But I’ve got to get honest here. I had a dream-like picture years ago. It was several men, built rather like the man in this... Read more
This is a pic I took of my daughter Casile and her best friend Emily. I asked what they thought was the best and the worst of our church. They like the fact that our church is so “slack”, is what they said… there’s no dressing up and everything’s relaxed. During “worship” you can stand, sit, wander around, talk, drink coffee and eat donuts, or sleep on the floor. Whatever. Even during the “sermon” there’s discussion, disagreement, and dialogue. It... Read more
Douglas Coupland, in his excellent book, Life After God, particularly in a chapter entitled, “In The Desert”, writes: The radio stations all seemed to be talking about Jesus nonstop, and it seemed to be this crazy orgy of projection, with everyone projecting onto Jesus the antidotes to the things that had done wrong in their own lives. He is Love. He is Forgiveness. he is Compassion. He is a Wise Career Decision. He is a Child Who Loves Me. Read more
Many people who reveal and expose so much of themselves give the impression that they are authentic, real and vulnerable. I’ve long since learned that when someone gives that impression, they are usually (not always) using this impression of authenticity as smoke and mirrors to deflect people from their truest selves. Why? Because they may be deeply ashamed of who they really are, fear rejection, or need to be admired and accepted. They could also be your typical INFPs who... Read more
My personal thanks go out to John over at macstansbury for leading me to a very cheesy YouTube video of a young lady singing James Blunt’s “Your Beautiful” to her mac. Only mac-users can understand her pain. Read more
The New Dictionary of Theology writes of Gregory of Nyssa (d. 385-ish), who observed the stages of the ascent of the soul: Gregory is also noted for his influential mystical writings in which he traces three stages in the ascent of the soul from apatheia, freedom from passion, through gnosis, mystical knowledge in which the senses are left behind, to theoria, the highest stage in contemplation in which (since a created soul cannnot see God) one passes into the limitless... Read more
Yesterday for my talk I read from John 7: 37-52. In a profoundly radical statement, Jesus says, “Let anyone who thirsts come and drink.” Jesus makes a simple invitation ascribing spiritual authority to the individual. Each one can come, if they are thirsty, and drink. But right on the heels of this subversive invitation all kinds of oppositions, obstacles, excuses, distractions and alternatives come rushing in: popular opinion (some say he’s the Prophet, some say he’s the Messiah, some say... Read more
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