Kurt Willems' Blog at Patheos
I have been thinking about something lately and I want to invite your feedback. This going to be a short post as I am hoping to hear your opinions. For the sake of continuity and discussion, if you are willing – please post your responses here on the blog if you are a FB user. Here is the question…
If you could interview God while you were still alive (as opposed to when you meet God in the new creation), what is the one question that you would ask?
The final value that we will explore for the church and her leaders is that of being an Anabaptist. This is the stream from which my faith-tradition flows, and it includes several key elements. Although the word or idea of “Anabaptism” is not found in the Bible, it is a unique approach to the Scriptures and the way of Jesus that sets this value apart. Rather than attempt to describe the movement in its fullness perhaps I should give a summary statement and then allow another source to inform us of an overview the Anabaptist way.
The summary I offer is: “The way of Jesus subverts the empires of this age.” At the heart of what it means to be an Anabaptist is a commitment to follow the teachings of Jesus, and to allow the subversive nature of discipleship to expose the “empires” of the world and of popular culture for what they are; counterfeit realities. Empires are often powerful nations, but can be any system, person, or thing that culture imposes on our imagination to keep us in bondage, limiting us from experiencing the kingdom of God. A covenant community is invited to renew her mind, to convert our imaginations into Christ-like actions, and to live as an alternative to the default operation of a fallen world. [Read more...]
Here is a guest post from web friend, Al Molineaux. Connect with him on Twitter.
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Mark Driscoll recently made a statement indicating that men should not be stay-at-home dads. He went on to inform his listeners that if anyone did to choose such a lifestyle they would face church discipline. Although the comments were mainly aimed at men, career women were obviously included as a target.
It is hard to think that such statements would be made this far in to the twenty first century yet we should not be too surprised. This offering comes as part of the general backlash being raised against the rising tide of a more progressive approach in the evangelical scene.
The forthright pastor used 1 Timothy 5:8 as his proof text, a verse that records the Apostle Paul saying ‘Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.’
I could spend most of my time commenting on his lack of understanding of the text or the fact that he takes the whole thing out of context but I think there is a deeper issue here. I will, however, briefly point out that the preacher ignores the earlier reference to widows and places the emphasis upon men when the Greek text does not.
I need to mention at this point that I am the father of four beautiful daughters and I am proud to be so. Their mother is also beautiful and somewhat feisty and together we have raised our girls to be capable young women. You may think that this would make me somewhat biased when it comes to talking about such things. I will admit to the potential for bias if you will concede that my circumstances may well have focussed my mind a little sharper on the issues involved.
My wife and I dealt with the egalitarian argument and women in leadership some years ago when we took the time to read every available book on the subject and speak with many church leaders from a variety of backgrounds.
My bride of thirty years is a capable preacher and leader in her own right and, I might add, has changed the mind of more than one theological seminary teacher on the subject. [Read more...]
Once there was a man who was very good at his chosen profession. Although he was young everyone recognized that he was a rising star within his organization. One day he took a business trip. Before he arrived at his destination he unexpectedly encountered his arch-enemy along the road, and that enemy left him on the roadside defeated–and somehow–totally blind.
This man was led by the hand toward his destination, a strange town where he knew practically no one, and was left alone in a room for three days. During those three days, in the darkness of his new-found condition, he had time to reconsider everything he had learned about his profession. He was a man of great learning, especially with respect to the “Bible” of his business. And oddly enough the “Bible” of his business was in fact, the Bible–at least the Old Testament.
The man’s name was Saul, and you can read this story in the Book of Acts, chapter 9. Saul had a passion for the Old Testament. Some Pauline scholars speculate that Saul had committed the entire Pentateuch to memory. Imagine: Saul had memorized every word of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Despite such a passion for the Bible, when the author Himself came to earth Saul could not recognize that the One who inspired the Scripture was standing in front of him. How could someone who studied the Old Testament scriptures all their lives miss the Subject of those scriptures? I would like to suggest this answer: it’s easier to relate to a book than a living person. Books are manageable. Books can be memorized and mastered. Books can be analyzed and interpreted. Books can be used to support conclusions we have have already decided upon. [Read more...]
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