Showing posts with label Theology. Show all posts

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No. Unless you begin to become dependent on her as your shepherd-your pastor.

...The Bible is clear that women shouldn't teach and have authority over men. In context, I think this means that women shouldn't be the authoritative teachers of the church-they shouldn't be elders.

This doesn't mean you can't learn from a woman, or that she is incompetent and can't think. It means that there is a certain dynamic between maleness and femaleness that when a woman begins to assume an authoritative teaching role in your life the manhood of a man and the womanhood of a woman is compromised.

What I just said is unbelievably controversial. There are thousands, even millions of people that think this idea is absolutely obscene...

So the answer is, no it is not wrong for you to listen to Beth Moore, but it could become wrong. 

OK, I'm not sure "theophany" is the appropriate theological construct to apply to a song called "God's Away on Business." But, for fans of either Tom Waits or the Cookie Monster, it's an interesting mashup.

Well, yes.  But as I watched the video below I questioned why so many people can find this love offensive.  Some, I'm sure, find the video offensive.  The song is called "God Is Not a White Man" by Gungor.  The first part of the song, with the refrain, goes like this:

God is not a man, God is not a white man
God is not a man sitting on a cloud
God cannot be bought, God will not be boxed in
God will not be owned by religion

God is love, God is love
And He loves everyone

Image via WikipediaLook, I think one of the things that comes through on this blog and in my reflection is that I have pretty good evangelical roots.  It's not something I got in New York so much.  I was 15 and under when I was there.  But it's something I got in my years in Indiana when surrounded by Wesleyans...not of the United Methodist kind but of the actual "Wesleyan Church" kind.  Evangelicalism was somewhat "in the water" of Indiana, inside and outside of the United Methodist Church.  And it was a pretty conservative sort of evangelicalism.

And, to this day, I really do believe that being an authentic follower of Jesus Christ requires one to have some type of conversion experience ("justification" for my good, old Methodist friends out there) and some type of growth in faith (regeneration or "sanctification" for said Methodists).  I believe in confession of sin and I believe that Jesus Christ is the only way for this to happen, and, therefore, it is right and good and important to share the message of Jesus and live in such a way that persons can see Christ's love through one's actions.  Saying all of this, I think,  makes me an evangelical in a pretty classic sense.

That said...I think there is a lot of room for interpretation in there.  There's a lot unsaid in all that's said above.  And, in spite of believing all of this, I know that my theology is sometimes questioned and sometimes questioned to my face...even believing all that I do about Jesus.

(Please note, this really isn't commonplace for me...the whole questioning thing.  I don't walk through life with persons shaking their heads every time I open my mouth.  I am surrounded by a bunch of people who know me and appreciate me and, I pray, see Christ working through me and can hear the depth of my faith in my preaching, my speaking, and in my writing.  But I do occasionally get the "head shake" or the "I'll pray for you."  Some base it on nothing other than knowing I'm part of the United Methodist Church.  And some within the United Methodist Church base their opinions on nothing more than my location, now, in the West -- a bastion of what some see as liberal Methodism.)

And so, I was more than a little amused as I stumbled over to The Pangea Blog and a post by Kurt Willems.  It's entitled "You Might Be an Evangelical Reject" and I resonated with many of his bullet points.  Clearly he has struggled with self-identity over the years, probably from a much more evangelical side of evangelicalism.  His points made me think and ponder...which is a good thing.  See the original post for a complete list of his bullet points.

In so far that evangelical means the belief in repentance and conversion into a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, the term describes me.  What I continue to find, is that such a central conviction is NOT enough to appease those who want the term to mean other things.  So, based on my experiences, I want to let you know that: You Might Be an Evangelical Reject If…

• You’re uncomfortable calling other branches of Christianity “apostate.”
• You have significant questions about controversial theological “hot button” issues of the days and are some-what comfortable with the subsequent cognitive dissonance.
• You read theologians from all across the spectrum.
• You think that science and scripture both reveal God’s truth in complementary ways.
• You think that what we believe about the so called “end times” actually matters for how we do mission today.
• You recognize culture wars as pathetic attempts for Christians to grab for power.
• You don’t use the word inerrancy to describe biblical authority because its too rigid a definition and a modernist categorical imposition on the Holy Spirit inspired Scriptures.
• You think women should do anything BUT be silent in the church. (Can I get an AMEN from my sistas?)
• You think that postmodern philosophy helps theology more than it hurts it.
• You drink alcohol sometimes (in public).
• You believe that there are significant parallels between the Roman Empire of the 1^st Century and the United States of modern day.
• You believe social justice is central to the gospel of the Kingdom.
• You’ve said “I’m not that kind of Christian…”
• You considered or actually voted democratic in the last two elections.
• You think that African American Activists have valid points when it comes to justice issues.
• You have gay friends.
• You’ve been in a conversation where the other was appealing more to the constitution of the USA than actually biblical theology.

Image by Story Accents via FlickrYou know, I always thought Oprah was a little "New Age-y."  Well, actually, I always thought she was VERY "New Age-y."  I can't say I watched more than a dozen of her shows in full over the years, but I occasionally caught one when changing channels and finding an interesting guest or topic being discussed.  I'd think she was Christian, then maybe-kinda-sorta Christian, then I'd think she surrounded herself with magic crystals that affirmed her as human being and kept her in relationship with all of her followers in a little Oprah-cult.  Perhaps not that bad, but I think she's been purposely hard to pin down when it comes to her beliefs.  My guess is that's one of the things that makes her so accessible to millions of viewers.

Maybe she's a seeker who embraces the call to love and to serve and accept (some things those of us who call ourselves Christian everyday can struggle with).  And yet I can't help but think she'd have a hard time with some of standard beliefs of Christianity...such as the words of the Apostles' Creed.  Moreover, I know that she's ruffled more than a few Christian feathers with all of her various nods to self-help and individualism and her comment at one point, I believe, that Jesus isn't the ONLY way of salvation.  She always seems to be appealing to a much larger base than traditional Christianity would allow.

Regardless, when she speaks, she has a large audience.  Her words are taken seriously by lots of folks out there.   So, it is with some surprise that I read her comments on her final show yesterday.  You can read the whole thing over here. 

“People often ask me, What is the secret of success of the show? How have we lasted 25 years? I nonjokingly say, ‘My team and Jesus.’ Because nothing but the hand of God has made this possible for me. … I know I’ve never been alone, and you haven’t either. And I know that that presence, that flow—some people call it grace—is working in my life at every single turn. And yours too, if you let it in. It’s closer than your breath, and it is yours for the asking.
…

“I have felt the presence of God my whole life. Even when I didn’t have a name for it, I could feel the voice bigger than myself speaking to me, and all of us have that same voice. Be still and know it. You can acknowledge it or not. You can worship it or not. You can praise it, you can ignore it or you can know it. Know it. It’s always there speaking to you and waiting for you to hear it in every move, in every decision. I wait and I listen. I’m still—I wait and listen for the guidance that’s greater than my meager mind.
…

“The only time I’ve ever made mistakes is when I didn’t listen. So what I know is, God is love and God is life, and your life is always speaking to you. First in whispers. … It’s subtle, those whispers. And if you don’t pay attention to the whispers, it gets louder and louder. It’s like getting thumped upside the head, like my grandmother used to do. … You don’t pay attention to that, it’s like getting a brick upside your head. You don’t pay attention to that, the whole brick wall falls down. That’s the pattern I’ve seen in my life, and it’s played out over and over again on this show.
…

“So, audience, I want to keep in touch. I want you to jot down my new email address: Oprah@Oprah.com—easy to remember, huh? This is going to be my personal email account for all of you. When you get something in your in-box from me, it will be from me directly, and I’ll be reading as many of your emails as I can as I move to my next life on OWN. I want you to know that what you have to say matters to me. I understand the manifestation of grace and God, so I know that there are no coincidences. There are none. Only divine order here.
…

Until we meet again . . . to God be the Glory.”

Rob Bell.  Universalism.  Hell.  Gospel Coalition.  Evangelicalism.  Etc.

Francis Chan enters the discussion.  Here's a video intro to how he's looking at the topic...with a lot of humility.

This gets at a lot of my personal feelings about it.



And, just because it's the coolest introduction ever, this is how Chan was introduced at the EXPONENTIAL event in 2009.  I think you can only watch this after you've seen how humble he appears in the first video.

In some religions:

DEVOTION (of the faithful)  --->>> SALVATION  (by some deity)


In Christianity:

SALVATION (by THE Deity) --->>> DEVOTION (of the faithful)


Hmmmm....

All throughout Lent we'll be addressing devotion.

This is  cool.

photo © 2010 Luke Jones | more info (via: Wylio)
The Barna Group is out with some more research on Christianity and it's gonna be interesting.  Their work is usually a wake-up call to the church (whether or not the church wants to wake up) and this is no different.  Here are the six megathemes based on their work over the last 11 months.  I've followed each point with some commentary.

From the pen of David Hayward over at NakedPastor.com

Perhaps the best sign, theologically, that I've seen come out of that rally.  Bumper sticker theology is lazy.  The same goes for "sign" theology that is present at some rallies.

I'm sure you have your "Reformation Cards" and will open up all of your "Reformation Presents" today.  But, if not, here's a little Reformation Present for you.

Image via WikipediaRichard Hall, over at Connexions, in Britain, recalls a version of "Amazing Grace" if it were composed by Arminians and finds one as if it were composed by Calvinists -- in a satirical way.  He remembered part of it and then found the whole thing over at Challies. 

Arminianism, for those a little rusty, really stood apart from the Calvinists in believing that grace was resistible and that persons are not predestined to believe but believers are predestined to be with God.  (It's amazing what a little refresher in Wikipedia will bring).  People fought long and hard about this, with the Calvinists saying Arminians (including John Wesley) bordered on "works righteousness."  I recall a story of someone pointing out to Wesley the words of "Rock of Ages" saying, "NOTHING in my hand I bring, only to the cross I cling."  And I recall Wesley's critique of a traditional understanding of predestination, saying, "If predestination is really true, then why do I stand here preaching if it doesn't matter and it's all predetermined who will believe.  It was really Wesley's understanding of prevenient grace that stood at the border of these two theological perspectives.

As said above, there were a lot of heated arguments about these differences and you can still find them today.  So, it was with great interest and much giggling that I read Richard Hall's post at Connexions today which includes a theological smackdown between Arminiansm and Calvinism through parodies of "Amazing Grace."  These are funny.  But more, they get at theological critiques each side had/has of the others.

So, the (satirical) Amazing Grace for Arminians (found at Challies.com) is:

Arminian “grace!” How strange the sound,
Salvation hinged on me.
I once was lost then turned around,
Was blind then chose to see.

What “grace” is it that calls for choice,
Made from some good within?
That part that wills to heed God’s voice,
Proved stronger than my sin.

Thru many ardent gospel pleas,
I sat with heart of stone.
But then some hidden good in me,
Propelled me toward my home.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Because of what we’ve done,
We’ve no less days to sing our praise,
Than when we first begun.

Amazing thought! You call it “grace”
That saves and damns at whim?
That blinds the lost, condemns a host
And turns them into toast?

Tis “grace” like this that makes me fear
This “grace” my fear inspires:
Whatever I may think or do
I’m fuel for his fires.

The dangers, trials and snares I see
Are all illusory:
I’m either picked before I’m born
Or else, I’m history!

The Lord has promised naught to me
If I’m not on his list
If this is grace, how bad’s the curse?
I’m going to get drunk. 

This is a pillow apparently brought home by a 7 year-old from Bible camp.  Note how God's "comforting" word also brings doom.

The story is that this is a note in a store, perhaps to dissuade shoplifting. 

"Have you had the following religious experience?" That's the question asked by the 2008 Baylor Religion Survey, authored by Dr. Rodney Stark and others, in an extensive look at the "depth and complexity" of America's religious landscape. The survey's findings are revealed in the book What Americans Really Believe, by Rodney Stark.

The surveyors spoke to 1,648 adults chosen randomly from across the country. When asked the question about having certain religious experiences, this is how many Americans answered YES:

• I heard the voice of God speaking to me: 20%
• I felt called by God to do something: 44%
• I was protected from harm by a guardian angel: 55%
• I witnessed a miraculous, physical healing: 23%
• I received a miraculous, physical healing: 16%
• I spoke or prayed in tongues: 8%

”I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.