Category Archives: Theology

Jesus saves, unless you’re an Episcopalian?

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One of the more bizarre sermons I’ve found lately comes from the presiding bishop of the Episcopalian church, which is the presiding church for Anglicans in the United States. This may a good example of why there is a shift in that loyalty and more Anglican movements are popping up in North America.

The full text needs to be read, but here some fun excerpts.

As she was talking about the need for diversity, she brought up the episode in Acts where Paul tosses out the demon from the slave girl. A drastic mistake, apparently.

“There are some remarkable examples of that kind of blindness in the readings we heard this morning, and slavery is wrapped up in a lot of it.  Paul is annoyed at the slave girl who keeps pursuing him, telling the world that he and his companions are slaves of God.  She is quite right.  She’s telling the same truth Paul and others claim for themselves,”

“But Paul is annoyed, perhaps for being put in his place, and he responds by depriving her of her gift of spiritual awareness.  Paul can’t abide something he won’t see as beautiful or holy, so he tries to destroy it.  It gets him thrown in prison.  That’s pretty much where he’s put himself by his own refusal to recognize that she, too, shares in God’s nature, just as much as he does – maybe more so!,” the presiding bishop said.

Paul, tossed into prison, had to repent of his attitude. This is what led to the earthquake, in her view.

But here is the really fun stuff: It is not JESUS that saves… it is DIVERSITY.

She concluded her sermon by stating that we are not justified by our faith but by our respect for diversity.

“Looking for the reflection of God’s glory all around us means changing our lenses, or letting the scales on our eyes fall away.  That kind of change isn’t easy for anyone, but it’s the only road to the kingdom of God.”

I know it is not ALL Episcopalians that believe this. (Blog titles are important to drive up my numbers.) :)

And the end of the article notes the harsh criticism.

But when the HEAD of your church is butchering the gospel…

 

A Pro-Life Ethic: Finding the place God wants you

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When I first moved to the Twin Cities and began ministry, I plunged into as many community activities as possible. I served on neighborhood boards, school committees, park committees, etc., looking for what was going on in my part of the city. What was God doing and how could I join him?

The shotgun approach worked for a time, but I reached a point where I was needing to back away from some things because I was honing in on what I thought God was asking of me. When I had lunch with a board chair on a committee I was resigning, he heard my heart and then gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever heard:

“You can’t boil the ocean.”

So true.

We think we can do everything. But when we try that, we do nothing. 

We have to pick our passions.

This is a place I find myself again, and I am praying this for my church.

I am working on a pro-life ethic, but when it comes to action, I know I can’t boil the ocean. I know my church can’t boil the ocean. We can’t tackle everything, but we can tackle something. 

This is what I am praying about, and I am thankful there are those in my church who are asking the same questions. What will be our “spot?” Where will we choose to get active?

For some it’s abortion and pro-life causes.

For some it’s human trafficking.

For some it’s hunger.

Housing.

Job training.

On and on.

These are the things we have before us. If we will ALL ask about our part, issues can truly be addressed.

Ask is what we shall do. It is the nature of the Kingdom.

 

A Pro-Life Ethic Revisited

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I want to return to my theme of a pro-life ethic. By this I don’t an ethic only anchored in abortion or right to life. It’s an ethic I want to build for ALL of life.

But I return to it because of the horrifying case of Kermit Gosnell. He was convicted of killing three babies after they were born. He performed many late term abortions.

For “pro-lifers” this is a rallying case.

Already pro-abortion people are couching this case in these terms:

Supporters of legalized abortion said the case offered a preview of what poor, desperate young women could face if abortion is driven underground with more restrictive laws.

I’m sorry. You may be trying to sell that, but I’m not buying. 

It’s just not plausible. Abortion is legal and these poor women were still exploited by this man. It was all “above ground” and babies who could have easily lived died.

This is a case where we truly need to walk through more of a true “pro-life” ethic. Not just a narrow view of limiting abortions. It’s helping the poor. It’s doing better in our education. It’s churches not abandoning the urban core so we can try and reach and teach young women.

It’s about having a pro-life ethic that will treat women well, so they will not be sexually exploited by men who abandon them. A pro-life ethic will need to address the SYSTEM. All the way through. Regardless if the original idea of some part of the system was “Republican” or “Democrat.”

Do not excuse Gosnell’s actions. Do NOT put this off as something that will further strengthen abortion laws. I am one “pro-lifer” who truly wants a conversation about later-term abortions ONLY. I have yet to meet a “pro-choice” person willing to concede. They are like NRA members foaming at the mouth if they are threatened with giving up 15 bullet magazines. THAT needs to stop.

I know there will not be any honest conversation out of this. Only excuses from the left. Only rants from the right. I know that.

But I pray for something more. And, if anyone is listening, I am willing (as one) to work for more. To work for BETTER. Because I know this: We can talk about poor women being on the margins, but those babies Gosnell killed were ALSO on the margins and they ALL deserve a voice.

One of these days my pleas may be heard. Until then, I pray. I ask. I plead.

Shouldn’t it be DIFFERENT?

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N T Wright in Simply Jesus leaves me with all kinds of crazy questions.

If Jesus IS King… why are in such a mess? What has gone wrong? Or, what IS going wrong?

One of the tough questions he poses:

What is the use of announcing love and peace if you make angry, violent war to achieve it?

The message of the gospel is so incredibly powerful, and I am finding more and more we are diluting the message. We think we have a great “product” to “market” to this world. All we are doing is selling some very nice looking cotton candy.

Jesus is KING, and that should have more implications in our lives than we are seeing these days.

There is ALWAYS Something to Attack

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Just when I think I find something new to explore, to look at and see if it something that begins to describe what I am sensing in my own spiritual life, along comes an attack on that exact position. Anthony Bradley takes a swing at the terms “missional” and “radical” and calls it the “new legalism.”

Just when I was liking Greg Boyd a few years ago, I began reading things from others about why I should hate Greg Boyd.

Before that it was John Maxwell.

Before that it was Chuck Swindoll.

There is always something to attack.

Bradley’s whole premise seems to be, “Hey! Why can’t we be normal?”

To which I says, “Why NOT?”

First of all, who in the world really knows what MISSIONAL really is? I mean, even missional people can’t define it! They start with, “Well, it’s not…”  Thirty minutes later, I’m asleep and their still getting to what it might be.

But as for Bradley’s definition he says: This term is used to describe a church community where people see themselves as missionaries in local communities.

Wow. How offensive. How undesirable.

Are there cautions? Of course there are cautions. There are always cautions. Greg Boyd, as much as I still like him, is ticking me off by his non-answers more and more. There is always something NOT to like.

By the way, I like John Piper, too. Now, I’m really messed up!

Radical Christianity. Bradley calls this narcissistic. Listening to David Platt, I hear about going to the unreached peoples of the world. Give up some comfortable things and go serve a world that has yet to hear the gospel. I am not a philosophy major, so I may be shooting in the dark on this one, but that just doesn’t sound very narcissistic. But, what do I know? I don’t have a PhD.

To be clear, I DO agree with Bradley on the need for caution. But only on the need for caution. Legalism? Maybe some signs. But I can find those signs anywhere. I think Lutherans are legalistic about calling people Pelagian. ;)

In some missional leaders and “radical” leaders I don’t find people using shame. I find them using challenges. Challenges from the Gospels. That’s just downright offensive, I know. I want to sleep in more myself!

Bradley asks why can’t we just love God and love our neighbors? I completely agree. But with some missional and “radical” writing I find some very helpful ways to put feet on those ideas. Not always, but there are some helps there.

If you are tired and weary, by all means take a break. Rest. Find rest in Christ. Find rest in my church! Don’t feel like you have to go “kill” yourself to please me, some other preacher, or some other church.

But at some point, find a way to love God and love your neighbor. Get beyond yourself again. Find some challenges. They don’t have to be the same challenges of a Shane Claiborne or David Platt. They need to be from the Spirit. But rise to that challenge.

So, I am thankful that Bradley has finally given me a better definition of “missional.” It’s a definition I can really latch on to, whether I wear dreadlocks and live in an urban commune or not!

What is “Good News?”

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Reading in an Acts commentary by N.T. Wright, I am summarizing some of his thoughts on what it means to have “good news” come to us.

Good news isn’t about getting in touch with your inner spiritual self. It’s not about committing yourself to a life of prayer, worship, and good works. It’s not even about believing some particular theory of how God deals precisely with our sins in the death of Jesus.

It is about recognizing and acknowledging and hailing JESUS CHRIST AS LORD. Paul proclaims it in his letter to the Philippians (2:10) and also in Romans (10:9). We confess him as LORD. He is in control.

 

Rob Bell just…

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… Actually, I have no comment… and honestly no care.

I just needed some blog hits today and having Rob Bell in the tag really helps.

Friends, there are just so many more things that are far more worthy of our spiritual attention and prayer.

Rob Bell makes me yawn.

 

Careful, Your Inner Zealot is Showing

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Scot McKnight has a good word regarding “evangelicals” and “zealotry.” We need to be mindful of what is GOOD and JUST, and not allow our own quest for “being right” get in the way of true freedom in Christ. But, overall, our zeal should be for Christ and his Kingdom and not our own particular agendas, no matter our particular theological or philosophical leanings.

One of the “fears” of zealotry Scot mentions:

A fear of what freedom in the Spirit just might create. In other words, the operative word inside the fear of freedom is control. Control of self and control of others. If we construct zealous rules, fences around the Torah to prevent anyone from getting remotely close to breaking some law, then we can control what others will do.

No Other Name

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12 Salvation can be found in no one else. Throughout the whole world, no other name has been given among humans through which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, CEB)

“People say this is arrogant, or exclusive, or triumphant. So, indeed it can be, if Christians use the name of Jesus to further their own power or prestige. But for many years now, in the Western world at least, the boot has been on the other foot. It is the secularists and the relativists who have acted the part of the chief priests, protecting their cherished temple of modernist thought, within which there can be no mention of resurrection, no naming of a name like that of Jesus. And the apostles, in any case, would answer: Well, who else is there that can rescue people in this fashion?” (N.T. Wright, Acts for Everyone)