The Brick Testament

Just found this in a Google search. Looks very funny!

The Brick Testament

Hospitality and our "enemies"

Several weeks ago, Soulforce Equality Ride came through Colorado and stopped at my alma mater Colorado Christian University. I was very pleased to see how the school handled the riders. This article from Christianity Today points out The Power of Hospitality

In an increasingly polarized political culture, shouting slogans is predictable, not newsworthy. As biblical Christians find themselves at odds with various groups, it's worth remembering that "fighting the culture" is more effective with meals and washbasins than it is with posters and bullhorns.

More goofy evangelicals

Christianity Today has a fascinating and disturbing article concerning Patrick Henry College and the recent depart of 9 professors. Take a look:

Shakeup at Patrick Henry College - Christianity Today Magazine

On March 8 another Source article, this one by Noe and Culberson entitled "The Role of General Revelation in Education," again prompted the administration's response.

"A common misconception among American evangelicals, and one that cannot be supported by the Scriptures themselves, is that the Bible is the only source of truth," the article began. "We argue that this misconception amounts to a blasphemous denial of Christ's words in Matthew 5 that 'he sends rain on the just and the unjust.'"

The 900-word article argued that "a Christian must refuse to view special and general revelation as hostile to one another. Nor should he hesitate to learn from a pagan. There is much wisdom to be gained from Parmenides and Plato, as well Machiavelli and Marx."

The article prompted a 2,600-word response by college chaplain Raymond Bouchoc, sent to students, faculty, and staff. The response, endorsed by Farris and Sanders, discussed seven "harmful implications" that could be drawn from the professors' article and claimed the piece "diminishes the import of Scripture."

Does acknowledging that the Bible is not the only source of truth reduce the significance of Scripture? What are your thoughts?

McLaren on The DaVinci Code

SojoMail sent out a great interview with Brian McLaren concerning The DaVinci Code. His comments, true to his form, will probably prove to be rather provacative. Below is a teaser:

SojoMail

One of the problems is that the average Christian in the average church who listens to the average Christian broadcasting has such an oversimplified understanding of both the Bible and of church history - it would be deeply disturbing for them to really learn about church history. I think the disturbing would do them good. But a lot of times education is disturbing for people. And so if The Da Vinci Code causes people to ask questions and Christians have to dig deeper, that's a great thing, a great opportunity for growth. And it does show a weakness in the church giving either no understanding of church history or a very stilted, one-sided, sugarcoated version.

On the other hand, it's important for me to say I don't think anyone can learn good church history from Brown. There's been a lot of debunking of what he calls facts. But again, the guy's writing fiction so nobody should be surprised about that. The sad thing is there's an awful lot of us who claim to be telling objective truth and we actually have our own propaganda and our own versions of history as well.

Let me mention one other thing about Brown's book that I think is appealing to people. The church goes through a pendulum swing at times from overemphasizing the deity of Christ to overemphasizing the humanity of Christ. So a book like Brown's that overemphasizes the humanity of Christ can be a mirror to us saying that we might be underemphasizing the humanity of Christ....

I would like to see churches teach their people how to have intelligent dialogue that doesn't degenerate into argument. We have to teach people that the Holy Spirit works in the middle of conversation. We see it time and time again - Jesus enters into dialogue with people; Paul and Peter and the apostles enter into dialogue with people. We tend to think that the Holy Spirit can only work in the middle of a monologue where we are doing the speaking.

So if our churches can encourage people to, if you see someone reading the book or you know someone who's gone to the movie, say, "What do you think about Jesus and what do you think about this or that," and to ask questions instead of getting into arguments, that would be wonderful. The more we can keep conversations open and going the more chances we give the Holy Spirit to work. But too often people want to get into an argument right away. And, you know, Jesus has handled 2,000 years of questions, skepticism, and attacks, and he's gonna come through just fine. So we don't have to be worried.

The conversation surrounding The DaVinci Code continues. What are your thoughts? Do you think Christians are looking for an argument? Do you think the average Christian is uneducated concerning church history and would be greatly disturbed if they started to learn?

End of the "E" Word?

It's so nice to feel affirmed by others in my reaction to the word evangelical. Here's a tease from a great article calling for the end of the word evangelical.

Christianity Magazine: Editorials - Editorial comment on christian issues by John Buckeridge: Church finances and christian giving

I’m an evangelical – but sometimes I’m reluctant to own up. I’m not alone – in a survey conducted for Premier Radio and the Evangelical Alliance 87% of the sample describe themselves as evangelical but only 59% reveal their ‘evangelical’ identity to others (News page 8). Not that we’re ashamed of the gospel of the Lord Jesus or being identified as Christians, it’s just the ‘evangelical’ tag that we sometimes struggle with.

So what should evangelicals who don't like the word call themselves? Any ideas, suggestions?

Students, Staff Involved in Fatal Crash - Taylor University

This is a terribly tragic incident. May we all be in prayer for the families and friends of these 5 people.

Taylor University officials report that a van carrying professional staff and students was involved in a collision with a semitrailer on Interstate 69 near Highway 18.

Dr. Blomberg and the Gospel of Judas

Dr. Craig Blomberg reviews "The Gospel of Judas". Here's a quote to encourage your engagement:

Denver Journal - 9:0211 - The Gospel of Judas.

The acceptance of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John cannot be reduced simply to the choices of the winners in ancient ecclesiastical politics. But the vehemence with which some people keep repeating this mantra shows that in our increasingly postmodern, ahistorical world, history today can be rewritten and re-invented by those who shout the loudest, whether or not they have the necessary supporting evidence!

So what do you think about all of this?

Conservatives and liberals : Living with tares

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that I pastor, is struggling with the issue of "living with tares." We are a conservative church in the midst of a liberal denomination. What do we do? I found this article insightful. Here's a quote:

Living with Tares - Christianity Today Magazine

Why do I not join those who have left or are leaving? Why do I stay? Serving a broken and divided church is a hard calling, and I do not minimize the difficulty of the task or the inevitable disappointments that I will encounter on the journey. But the Lord, for his good purpose, has (I humbly believe) thrown into one church Christians of radically different and sometimes theologically incompatible perspectives. Is it possible that in the midst of this painful discontinuity, he may do a work that none of us can foresee? It is in that hope and in remembering that he is Lord of the church and in charge of the big picture that I follow Jesus in the Episcopal Church.

So what do you think? Should conservative, evangelical churches and pastor's stay in liberal denominations?

Wray's close call

I haven't blogged in a long time. I'm really enjoying my silence. I have been reading a lot of great books and praying about my future and the future's of the churches I serve. I have become rather self-conscious about my blog and what I have written, mostly because of the possible pending search and call process. How will my blog effect that process? My brother thinks I should delete it. I 'm most concerned about my thoughts being taken out of context by others. Oh well, I'm probably over-analysizing!

So what has prompted this post? This local story and some photos I took. I couldn't resist.

Rocky Mountain News: Local

Yuma County Sheriff Sam McCoy said arching power lines caused by high winds yesterday may have sparked a 23,000-acre prairie fire that injured four firefighters and burned at least seven buildings.

Power, Possessions and Stewards

These are challenging words from Andy Crouch concerning possessions and power.

Learning from Fools - Christianity Today Magazine

Possessions and power are instruments of blindness. They endanger our very souls. The only safe thing to do with them is to forsake them, to put them beyond use, beyond the reach of our foolish dreams.

Rich aliens: possessions and God's Kingdom

This is a very interesting article on the relationship of church and culture. Listen to these challenging words:

Too often, of course, the contemporary church simply mirrors the culture. Increasingly, we are less a holy city drawn together around Christ and more a part of the suburban sprawl that celebrates individual autonomy, choice, entertainment, and pragmatic efficiency.

Sadly, I feel this statement is true. This morning I finished the excellent book God & Your Stuff: The Vital Link Between Your Possessions and Your Soul. In this book, the author Wesley Willmer, argues that the use of our possessions is our trademark as Christians and a test as stewards. Willmer argues that "if Christ is not first in the use of our money, he is not first in our lives." Jesus said it this way, "where your treasure is, there your heart is also." By this challenging standard, no wonder the church mirrors culture typically just creating a christianized subculture of the larger culture. Sadly, most in the Christians in the church mirror cultural attitudes toward money and possessions. Few Christians call into question our materialistic lifestyles.

And it is in large part the clergy's fault! Pastors have not been trained in a theology of stewardship and therefore are not training the church. My seminary education did not include a mandatory class on stewardship. And the church I grew up in tended to preach the subject when it was necessary.

This year I am planning on preaching on stewardship once a quarter. It will not be a desperate appeal for funds. It will be an invitation to discover the powerful spiritual discipline of giving. And hopefully, slowly but surely, the folks in my church and their pastor will begin shattering the mirrors of culture in our lives.


Technorati Tags: theology, materialism, money

The last bag of tortilla chips in town...

There are some unique experiences to living out in the sticks. Last night I had a particularly funny one.

At about 5pm, my wife asked me to go to the grocery store for a few items: tortilla chips, bananas, cheese, and a lime. The plan was to have nachos for dinner. All was going well until I turned down the chip aisle. I wish I had my camera with me. There were very few bags of chips left and not a single bag of tortilla chips.

"No problem," I thought, "I just go to Alco next door."

There were no tortilla chips at Alco. "I'll check Ampride," I thought.

After waiting at the train crossing for the train to pass, I entered Ampride. No tortilla chips! The last possible store is 7-Eleven.

There at 7-Eleven was one bag of Tostitos bite size tortilla chips! Dinner was saved!

Just another day living out in the sticks!

Commercialization, Aslan, Hobbes, and the Church

This is a fantastic article, dealing with commercialization and Narnia. It is utterly amazing to me how the church is seen as an opportunity to make a buck selling worthless books and tons of unecessary knicknacks!

A Tale of Two Kitties - Christianity Today Magazine

In an age in which any notable spiritual movement immediately begets a plethora of associated products (calendars, Bible covers, journals, T-shirts), the logic and form of commercialism demand our critical attention, not merely our easy acceptance. When does the logic of commercialism not make sense? When is it a problem to turn certain ideas or realities into merchandise? When is defying popularity and consumer demand an act of integrity? When should form outweigh marketability? When should a lion remain bookish, and a tiger remain cartoonish?

Great questions for us to consider (even though I really liked the movie!).

Technorati Tags: Narnia, commercialism, church, culture

Pat speaks, God listens!

Pat strikes again! Yesterday, Robertson suggested that Sharon's stroke is God's judgment. This guy is truly unbelievable!

``God considers this land to be his,'' Robertson said on his TV program ``The 700 Club.'' ``You read the Bible and he says `This is my land,' and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, `No, this is mine.'''

Sharon, who ordered Israel's withdrawal from Gaza last year, suffered a severe stroke on Wednesday.

In Robertson's broadcast from his Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach, the evangelist said he had personally prayed about a year ago with Sharon, whom he called ``a very tender-hearted man and a good friend.'' He said he was sad to see Sharon in this condition.

He also said, however, that in the Bible, the prophet Joel ``makes it very clear that God has enmity against those who 'divide my land.'''

Sharon ``was dividing God's land and I would say woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the EU (European Union), the United Nations, or the United States of America,'' Robertson said.

Technorati Tags: religion, evangelical

Finding True North

This is a great article. I have felt much of what the author feels. Many times serving small churches (especially after serving in large even mega churches) is difficult especially when it comes to comparing what you are doing with others. But I know God has called me here.

Yet I do not know for how long. In September 2005, the session of the Presbyterian Church I serve voted to end the yoke relationship with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). This decision is effective when I leave. Yet both churches are not in a hurry to see me leave. Kind of a crazy situation.

This is why this article is so great. Especially powerful are these thoughts:

As appealing as the church may have been, we had not been given the liberty to leave. I chose to remain at my post.

I had several other opportunities to change churches. Most of them seemed like "better" opportunities—larger congregations, more staff, nicer locale. Some were opportunities I had solicited.

In most cases the thing that kept me from accepting a call, even when I wanted to say "yes," was the lack of a personal sense of release. Yes, this is subjective. But I did not feel that I could go until I sensed that the Holy Spirit had said, "You are dismissed."

So that's where I am. Praying, waiting, seeking God, asking, "Am I dismissed?"