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Cracks in the Cathedral
Fascinating commentary on the demise of the Crystal Cathedral. A powerful paragraph: Robert Schuller is not the problem—contemporary evangelicalism is. Schuller was only leading the parade of those who believe they are responsible for making the gospel relevant. The lesson is not that Schuller got it wrong or that his theology is out-of-date; it is not that we just need to…
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Sacred
In August of 2010 I took a month-long sabbatical. During my times of prayer the Lord renewed my call as pastor. There was also a direction to seek out my former pastor from college and ask him to intentionally step in as my spiritual father/mentor. In that process was also a direction from the Spirit for my pastor to lay…
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Prayers
For Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Remembering the lives lost and the families suffering in this tragedy.
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Sunday
Sometimes we may get asked about our excitement for Sunday. Sometimes I get asked about why I am excited for Sunday above other days, or excited for the Church on a Sunday when the other days are just as important. Others days are important. But the Lord’s Day is simply a highlight and Chittister’s quote sums it up quite nicely…
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Thank you, Mr. Grisham
I am a HUGE John Grisham fan. I got hooked with The Firm, and have stayed a fan for 20 plus years. The past few years have been disappointing. I personally think his publishing schedule needs to slow down. He’s big enough to tell his publisher to go take a hike and give him a couple of years on a…
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Harmful and Objectionable
This email blast is really interesting about Apple and its apps. The Manhattan Declaration wanted to have an app for iPhone and was rejected. This excerpt is chilling: Apple rejected the app, saying in a letter on December 22 that the app contains “references or commentary about a religious, cultural or ethnic group that are defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited or likely…
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The Christian Roots of Communism
(The title is tongue in cheek.) But consider this from 5th Century monk Paulinus of Nola: We have no right to our possessions; they have been entrusted to us for the good of all. let us then invest with the Lord what he has given us, for we have nothing that does not come from him: we are dependent upon…
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Regaining Pastors as Theologians
The First Things article I referred to in my last post continues to challenge me. I may not have the role of a “wider theologian”, but I feel I must be the best theologian possible for my congregation. I don’t want to live in the realm of pragmatics or just practics. Yet, pastoral theology has a “practical” side to it.…
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Pastor and Theologian
A great article from First Things provokes some thoughts for me. I want to be faithful as a leader, a pastor, and expositor of the Word. These thoughts are good: The drain of our wider theologians from the pastorate to the academy has resulted in a two-fold problem. First, the theological water-level of our local parishes has dropped considerably. Inasmuch…
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My Own Biases
Growing up in a conservative Pentecostal setting has advantages. It seems no one likes to admit that these days. I do. It certainly has its disadvantages. I prefer to blame my own inability to learn quicker. That is mainly my problem. One bias I had growing up was a misconception of some theologians and the words that were being used.…
