There is a significant conversation in our country about the role of money, profit and business. There are people on may sides of the discussion. The current presidential campaign and the wealth of Mit Romney has caused people to come to the defense of making money, and a lot of money. There are those who want to say that the American dream is about making money or getting wealthy. And even more there are those who say that the prime... Read more
How about this for a monthly leadership meeting? Council Meeting, July 2012 To begin, we lit a candle. Lighting the candle designates our space or circle of friends as unique; holy or sacred, if you like. The light of the candle is always changing and always the same. The flame changes as it consumes, converting gas into heat and light. The flame remains the same in shape, size, location, and color. The light of the candle is like the presence... Read more
PATHEOS – August 2012 July 4th …any and every July 4th…is firmly engrained in our American consciousness as being forever and always our nation’s major civil holiday. Over the years, we have made such a vociferous celebration of the whole thing, in fact, that much of the non-North American world is almost as aware as we are of “the Fourth” as a day of “the greatest significance.” Given that fact, one has to wonder about the events of July 4, 2012.... Read more
The Chick-Fil-A Kerfuffle about Gay Marriage has surfaced, what to me, is a greater worry – the tendency of religious people declare those who think differently as “prideful, arrogant and ahistorical”. The argument goes, “how dare you think you can suggest a change in thinking when for all these years faithful people have thought such and such”. I raise this issue in response to the owner of Chick-Fil-A on my radio show this week. The show airs live Wednesday’s from... Read more
Although there is not much in general these days that one can say about the church, perhaps the clearest sign we have of change is the ever-widening gap between what I will dub the still too common, “Sunday morning church-building crowd” and all the new faith movements including, for example, Emergents, Neo-monastics, Evangelicals 4 Justice, NAIITS (North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies) and Jesus Radicals,* (with homage to this faith lineage including organizations like, Evangelicals for Social Action, Sojourners,... Read more
On July 26 2012 this was my status of facebook… Many would say I’ve back slid; my compass is broken and I aimlessly heading off the edge of a cliff. But those close to me, my friends understand…I hope. That this has been a long process, at least 15 years…the last 5, immersing myself into the depths of the redemptive imagination and life of Jesus in the gospels. I will no longer be restricted by “christianity ” in my pursuit... Read more
Maybe it’s my age, but I take issue with the cultural necrophilia flooding the airwaves. I cringe to hear my son share his fascination with zombies. What is it about the dead, semi-dead or human predators that moves us so deeply? Whether it’s the vampire fetishes seen in Twilight or True Blood, the zombie apocalypse, realistic gaming carnage, or the Christian apocalypticism that takes little care for creation, all of these and more point toward a cultural necrophilia — a love of... Read more
Any notion that we do not belong to this earth, that Earth is a fallen universe, a prison for our soul striving to liberate itself from the material inertia, is dismissed as life denying alienation. — Zizek Over the course of the last ten years, Hollywood has been producing plotline after plotline that somehow either claims the end of the world (apocalyptic; think 2012 ) or some sort of ecological crisis (the day after tomorrow). this addiction demonstrates... Read more
:: By Zach Lind, re-posted by permission from Finding Rhythm: “It is as unloving to hold out hope to those who embrace a homosexual lifestyle as it is to assure idolaters, murderers, adulterers, and thieves that they are safe and secure from all alarm.” That is a quote from a recent article written by Michael Horton. In the article Horton attempts to make the case that homosexual behavior is a symptom of “human depravity” in the same way other sin... Read more
Sunday night after church I was out with a few fellow Journey-ers and we were talking about the future of seminary. It’s been a frequent conversation around the Village in recent years- what to do about educating this next generation of Christian leaders, who are currently being prepared for a Church that may or may not continue in its same form, and arguably not preparing them for leadership in the emerging church. There is also the issue of cost- not... Read more
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