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March 24, 2005
The Return of Monasticism?
This is the first article on a "new monasticism" that I have seen in the blogs. Dr. John Mark Reynolds, who is the is the founder and director of the Torrey Honors Institute, and Associate Professor of Philosophy, at Biola University, posted the article below.
It is a great post, and I think I was suprised to see it, since monasticism can tend to get a bad rap as he says, especially in our culture of mega churches and quick fixes.
What do you think? I have long admired the monastics, and I know there has been a resurgence, and renewed interest in their lives, writings, and theology.
Monday, March 21, 2005
The New Monasticism?
Monastaries often get an undeserved bad reputation. Chaucer may have something to do with it or the fact that our culture cannot imagine real community and giving things up.
If you believe, as I do, that the culture is in real trouble, then monasticism looks more appealing. There are forms of monasticism that allow for marriage and family life. Most monastaries are cultural centers and not isolated from society. Those communities that are isolated provide service through prayer. All encourage the life of the spirit over the life of the flesh. What is not to like?
Well, some things. . . as a brief review of the history of monasticism shows.
Monasticism was one of the most important innovations of Church history. It passed through several stages and was shaped by a number of remarkable personalities. In the West, it is safe to say that Christendom owes much of the its culture, philosophy, and historical memory to the labor of monks. In the East monasticism, ultimately helped shape the very liturgy of the church.
The early Church was a persecuted Church. Cut off from the protection of the Jewish exemption from emperor worship, the first Christians were the frequent targets of a hostile government. This shaped their demands and expectations regarding the Christian life. Living in the light of the martyrs' divine sacrifice, the early Church developed high standards for personal conduct and holiness. With any decline in persecution, and the sudden influx converts that would inevitably follow, the Church would notice a decline in the personal holiness of her members. What could be done about this?
Monasticism was one answer to that question. The end of martyrdom and the sanction of the state only increased the demand for some way in which the supremely dedicated Christian could show their love of Christ and His Church. Walker also suggests (125) that liturgical formalism demanded a way for individuals to express their devolution more freely.
These secular rationalizations for monasticism may have some merit, but they over look the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. Monasticism did much to evangelize the world, preserve culture and order in decaying lands, and renew the Church whenever nominalism threatened her. It is clear that the growth of monasticism was an important part of the providential work of God to bring His Creation back into right relationship with His Divine Nature.
Christian monasticism finds its origins in Egypt. This in itself is not surprising. The very climate of Egypt is ideal for inspiring the life of contemplation. Saint Anthony (@250) gave up all his worldly wealth, lived as a hermit, and battled his sinful flesh and many demons. This move to the desert was a natural one by the time of Anthony. Christians had always admired the ideal of celibacy, poverty, and the contemplative life. Origen, the great Alexandrine teacher, was a strict ascetic. (Walker, 125)
The strong Platonic element to the Alexandrine way of thinking may also have encouraged the monastic life. Platonism, or at least neo-Platonism, places a great value on philosophy and the life of the mind while placing little worth in the body or its needs. In Phaedo, Plato compares the body to a tomb. The life of the guardian and the philosopher king of Republic also is in many ways similar to that of the monk. This Platonic influence can be overdone, but it is too plain to be purely coincidence.
Most important, of course, is the fact that the monastic ideas are the ideals of the New Testament. John the Baptist is a forerunner not only of Christ, but of one type of Christian monastic. Jesus, Himself pure and celibate, had much to say about the misuse of personal wealth and the life of poverty. (See Matt. 19:21) Paul gave his blessing to the life of the celibate and was, perhaps, the model for the later missionary monk. In short, whatever reasons there were for its appearance, monasticism was a natural, evolutionary step for the Christian faith.
Monasticism early on divided between those like Saint Anthony who pursued a more or less solitary life as a hermit and those that lived with others in community. Saint Pachomius established the first monastic community from 315 to 320. He worked hard to secure a life where the common life under the rule of an abbot would create an ideal Christian community. He opened the monastic life to women and tried to avoid some of the spiritual problems found in some of the more extreme hermits.
Simeon Stylites (died 459) was one example of such a rigorous hermit. He lived on top of a pillar for thirty years. Such men are, perhaps, easy to ridicule in a naturalistic age, but one should be careful about doing so. Often such “holy folly†as that of Simeon can be a window for many folk to the deeper things of God. It also serves as a rebuke to secularism and to nominalism in the Church. These men, by their very “folly,†set an example of the absolute holiness of God and His total demands on the life of a Christian.
The common life of monasticism continued to develop in the East until it reached a point that would prove seminal for all later advances. Saint Basil in Asia Minor began to develop an orderly and much improved common life (360-379). The Rule of Saint Basil, which is either his or one of his many followers, stressed the common life. Good deeds and religious activity were tightly regulated and encouraged. Such monastic were widely seen as friends of the poor and oppressed.
In the West of the Empire, the situation was less stable. Athanasius brought the monastic movement to the West, but it long lacked organization. Martin of Tours brought the movement to France by 362. Still many in the West opposed monasticism. Unlike the East, monastic in the West were not always of the best character. Much later Chaucer would give a splendid example of this in his Monks and Reeves Tale in Canterbury Tales. Much of Western monasticism became centered on various reform movements to solve these problems. In one move in this direction, Eusebius of Italy, who died in 371, required all of his clergy be monastic. This helped guide the wild excesses of a lay monastic movement, but it did not solve the problem in the end.
The first and greatest of these reform movements was that of Benedict of Nursia (480-547). Disgusted with the evils of Rome, he left to become a hermit and eventually founded the great monastic community of Monte Cassino. His Rule was one of the most important documents of the Christian Middle Ages. In it, Saint Benedict created (in the words of Walker, 1270, a “garrison of Christ’s soldiers.â€
Benedict’s rule was very strict, it was after all an antidote to laxness. It was also very fair, by the standards of the time. Though the abbot had ultimate power in the community, all the monks had a say in many of the decisions. The monasteries were built around the ideal of constant worship. Saint Benedict also stressed hard work and intellectual activity. In a day when the fall of Rome in the West meant that literature was dying, Benedictine monasteries became centers of learning and culture. They were an ordered garden in a Western Europe that was rapidly becoming a wasteland. Western civilization was largely preserved and recreated within the walls of that secret garden.
Further to the West, there existed the Celtic monastic. Learned, artistic, and free of the control of Rome, they made far away lands like Ireland cultural centers. Before being absorbed by the Latin church, they created a Christian culture that is only now being discovered. By the time of Charlemagne, the rule of Benedict was nearly universal in Western Europe.
The monastic movement went, therefore, through three early phases. First, it was born as the reaction of individual Christians to the evil world that was around them. This early movement centered in the individual and extreme ascetic practices. Second, some monastic became more communal. Finally, this life was organized by spiritually gifted figures like Basil and Benedict.
The monk or nun, for all their imperfections became a model for the lay Christian to follow. This was not without its disadvantages. Too often the Church came to rely on the rigors of the monks, the renewal that would seemingly always flow out of the monasteries. (As would be the in the case, for example, with Saint Francis in the West and the Fathers of Mount Athos in the East.) As Walker points out, the monastic themselves often simply retreated from the world, allowing the good works in the community so stressed by Basil to fall into decay. In the West monasteries became (oddly) centers for indulgence and high living. Too few common folk raised a cry in England, for example, when Henry VIII seized the property of the monasteries of England. This suggest that the life of service had died out in those monasteries.
For all the dangers and problems that beset the movement, however, it is difficult to think of the church surviving the rigors of the fall of the Western Empire, Islam, secularism, Communism, and the other evils she has endured without the special strength of the Christian monastic. Is it time for another revival of intentional Christian community? Is there any reason that all the historical divisions of Christianity cannot embrace this idea?
posted by The Shark | 5:53 PM
Posted by Admin at 02:45 AM | Comments (0)
Remember this childhood game...MASH? Look how it has infiltrated our church and culture!
I came across an article on Relevant Magazine the other day, and it caught my eye as I remembered back to childhood and how I used to play MASH in church.
I never thought when I chose a Mansion in Paris and 2 kids with my wife Suzy (8th grade girlfriend) that I was setting myself up for some spiritual trouble! If you didn't get that last sentence, and you are scratching your head, then you obviously didn't play MASH. And you probably didn't wear parachute pants, or pin your pants either. Ahhh..hmmm...neither did I. At least not after 8th grade.
Posted by Admin at 02:35 AM | Comments (0)
Does this bother anyone?
I was recently reading an article in Leadership Journal on the innovations that are supposedly driving the church.
1) Customization
2) Participaton
3) Incarnational Community
4) Relationships
Now. The last three make complete sense to me. But "customization." That seems like a problem to me. I understand their point in that we can provide a variety of experiences to help meet the needs of a wide array of people. We do that here in our ministry. But the word customization scares me. It sort of rings of catering to a person, which I think is quite dangerous when we are talking about Christianity. As Eugene Peterson might say, we are "taking the guts out of the gospel" when we try to be relevant in this way.
Customization smacks of fast food, do it your way. As little interference and roadblocks as possible, and please make it quick. It seems to be that of the suburban church mentality that can be so consumer driven, and when needs are no longer met....when customer service has dropped off, and the customization no longer fits..move on.
So I agree with part of this article. And the other. Well?
What do you think?
Posted by Admin at 02:27 AM | Comments (0)
Easter Sunday
John 20:1-29 (New International Version)
John 20
The Empty Tomb
1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!”
3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don't know where they have put him.” 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
17Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”
18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”
26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Posted by Admin at 02:14 AM | Comments (0)
Holy Saturday
Mark 15:42-47 (New International Version)
The Burial of Jesus
42It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
Posted by Admin at 02:03 AM | Comments (0)
Good Friday
Luke 23:26-43 (New International Version)
The Crucifixion
26 As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then " ‘they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!"
and to the hills, "Cover us!" ’[a] 31 For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals–one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."[b] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."
38 There was a written notice above him, which read:|sc THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[c]"
43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Posted by Admin at 01:45 AM | Comments (0)
Maundy Thursday
Matthew 26:26-30 (New International Version)
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."
30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Posted by Admin at 01:28 AM | Comments (0)
Easter Bunny Fun
I tend to be a pretty serious person at times. Maybe too much for my own good. And we are heading into some serious times of reflection the next few days and over the weekend.
But here is a great clip to brighten up your day, and make you laugh. My brother Wyatt, who is a fund raiser over at The Armed Forces Foundation, sent me this e-card. It had me rolling in my office.
Enjoy
Posted by Admin at 01:09 AM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2005
Overwhelmed and Numb
"We have been silent witnesses of evil deeds... Will our inward power of resistance be strong enough for us to find our way back? - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
That seems to be a relevant quote for the times we are living in. I feel completely overwhelmed right now. By life. Mostly by the sheer amount of tragedy and suffering that seems to be going on all at once. Whether it's the Terry Schiavo case, or the shooting rampage in Minnesota, I am overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed because I have never seen so much tragedy in my ministry, as I have this year. Maybe I'm overwhelmed because I watched the documentary Invisible Children last night.
Not only am I overwhelmed, and feel helpless, but I am outraged at how numb, and how little I can care about what is happening all around me at times. We can become so numb to the tragedies of life and sufferring, and poverty, and injustices, that we completely ignore it. We can get in our nice cars, go to work, eat out at expensive places, and pull back into our nice homes, and not even think about what is happening all around us.
I am reminded of something that I saw when I was visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. It was one of the most overwhelming experiences I have ever had. And as you leave the museum you are pointed to modern day holocausts and genocide that is going on now, such as in the Sudan. How did I not know about this? Millions of people dying, while we go on living our lives, without much of a care. And as you leave the museum, you are confronted with these famous words from Pastor Martin Niemoller, who was well aware of the evils of this world, and what happens when we ignore, or become complacent to them:
A poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller, Berlin, 1939.
Niemoller was a pastor in the German Confessing Church
who spent eight and one-half years in a Nazi concentration camp.
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists
and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
There is some debate to what he actually said, and so here is the other version as written in the congressional record:
The exact text of what Martin Niemoller said,
and which appears in the Congressional Record,
October 14, 1968, page 31636 is:
"When Hitler attacked the Jews
I was not a Jew, therefore I was not concerned.
And when Hitler attacked the Catholics,
I was not a Catholic, and therefore, I was not concerned.
And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists,
I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned.
Then Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church --
and there was nobody left to be concerned."
You get the point! Things are happening all around us, and we can become so numb to what is going on, that we eventually completely ignore or turn away from it. We do this because it does not concern us. But that is a tragedy. Why? Because one day it may concern us. But more imporantly, as Christians, as followers of Christ, we should be the first to enter into the sufferring and tragedy of life, and to be a light and a hope to those around us, whether it specifically concerns us or not. Why are we more concerned about what some Hollywood star is wearing, or where they are eating out at, than we are about the tragedies and sufferrings of life all around us?
We should not allow these things to happen around us, while we simply sit and watch. We need to be a voice in this chaos.
Maybe God is tugging at your heart, and asking you to get involved. To move out of our comfortable suburban lives (of which I live), and to be moved to action.
"AS he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things." (Mark 6:34)
May we be moved with the same compassion as Christ, and to enter into the lives of those around us, especially those that are suffering. May we not sit around on the sidelines with passionless lives, while people suffer, and life is devalued. May we not be the silent witnesses that Bonhoeffer is talking about.
Posted by rhett at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)
"Actually, sex doesn't sell."
That's the story according to the latest CNN article.
As someone who works with college students, and who deals with sexual issues quite a bit in the ministry, I was disturbed by some of the suggestions in this article.
Am I overreacting?
This article tells me a few things that are disturbing, ironic and more as you will see from some quotes from this article followed by my thoughts:
1) "People get itchy about straightforward sexuality," Universal Pictures publicity executive Michael Moses says.
That's a disturbing thought, because what I really feel is missing in this culture is a straightforward discussion on the issue of sexuality. That's why I preached on it for four weeks. But the irony is, sex really isn't dealt with in a straightforward manner in the movies. They don't show you the consequences, or pain, or emotions related to sex when it is done outside of God's plan. To Hollywood, it's all fun and games. No consequences.
2) "Outside of the sophisticated urban art-house milieu, most American moviegoers just don't want much sex in their movies. According to studio marketers, it tends to make them (especially men) uncomfortable. "If you spell sex in marketing materials, it doesn't sell," producer Peter Guber says. "If you spell fun, it sells. Sex inside a comedy candy-coats sex and allows the audience to feel comfortable. Laughter covers up insecurity."
Where do I begin? That if you are sophisticated you appreciate movies with sex. But those of us, who don't attend urban arthouses, aren't sophisticated, and therefore don't appreciate these movies. And you can't package just sex, but if it's sex and fun, it will sell. Seriously, who writes for CNN. Their hidden motives and agendas are killing me. What a sad commentary on our society if that is the case. So let's not deal with the realities of sex, but let's package it up into a fun little movie, and show no consequences, no pain, no reality, and then it will sell. Does anyone wonder why our culture is so messed up when it comes to sex.
3) "Sex sells, but not serious sex. Films can be sexy, but they can't portray the sexual intimacy most people crave. In the movies, you have to have safe sex palatable to a younger audience. The portrayal has to be violent or funny."
Unbelievable. Is this true? We want to go to a movie and watch people fooling around, and sleeping with everyone outside of marriage, or in marriage for that fact, but please don't show us a married couple who are intimate with each other. What a sad commentary. I'm one who prefers no sex in the movies...if that is a part of the plot, then can't you just allude to it like Alfred Hitchcock did..his point was made, and made better. How sad it is though, that what people really crave, is not what they actually want to see.
4) "Why? These days, sex is in the home. In the privacy of your own room, you can see all the racy material you want in "Sex and the City," "The L Word," "Queer as Folk," "Deadwood" and "Desperate Housewives."
Interesting isn't it. Sex does sell, but not in a public format. As long as people can view things in private there will always be a need for it.
5) "We are a Puritan society," Press says. "We'd rather watch it at home."
Oh gees. Well of course. Blame it on the Puritans..they've ruined everything. If it wasn't for those darn Puritans, Hollywood would be making great sexual movies.
What a joke! This article is disturbing on so many levels. It exposes CNN and the Main Stream Media's biases so evidently. That those who are intelligent, and enlightened, go to movies about sex. But the Christians and Puritans, they don't go to these movies, and they aren't intelligent.
And how sad it is if these things are true. Sad that Hollywood doesn't deal with the realities of abusing sexuality...and sad on the part of the movie viewer who is fine watching sex as long as it is detached from any type of committed marriage. Keep if fun. Just let everybody hookup! That's done us a lot of good!
Posted by rhett at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2005
Holy Week.....
I agree with Tod Bolsinger completely on this issue.
Our Easter suffers when we skip Holy Week. My Easter's have never been as meaningful as they were when I began to attend Ash Wednesday, and prepare myself throughout Lent. Seems that my evangelical upbringing thought Lent, and Holy Week to be "too Catholic" for any participation in it.
Interesting that Summa Aesthetica and I experienced our first ever Ash Wednesday together, and that we lived together in Guatemala during Semana Santa (Holy Week) in 2001.
Maybe that has to do something with wanting to branch out of the Evangelical bubble, and enrich our spiritual lives with the thoughts of Christians across the Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox spectrums.
Posted by rhett at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)
Penetrating Catholicism.....And Opening Up Our Reading Material
Summa Aesthetica has a wonderful post on Catholicism. He clearly addresses some of the issues that seem to divide Protestants and Catholics. And he also points out something that I think has long been missing in Protestant Evangelical circles. Why Evangelicals don't read more Catholic authors, scholars, etc., but rather write them off as if they are completely worthless because they are Catholic. It seems a worthwhile discipline and practice to not only read those people you like and agree with, but also those you dislike, and disagree with.
I have come across this a lot in different seminary circles where a student will dismiss a writer or scholar....not because they have read the original material themselves....but because they read some textbook that said to stay away from this author. How can you know what Thomas Merton stood for and wrote, unless you have read him yourself. But instead I come across sites on the internet that say he is completely heretical because they disagree with some points of his. Hey...if you wrote as much as he did, you are bound to write something that not everyone agrees with. And you may even write something that is a mis-step from what one would consider an orthodox position. But does that mean he isn't worth reading at all? Not in my opinion?
This is something that I see a lot in college ministry. A student will tell me how a certain author or scholar is bad, and not a Christian. And I ask why. And they say something like, "Well, my professor said so." or, "My pastor said so." I then ask, "Have you read that author?" Most of the time the answer is no. I dont' get this view that if you read someone who you disagree with, or who doesn't hold all the same Christian and orthodox views as yourself, you are somehow contaminating yourself. I don't particularly agree with the philosophy of Nietzsche, or the psychology of Freud, but I think they are worth my time to read, because they have so impacted society, different movements, and the lives of many people. It seems worthwhile to know what they say, so that I can better discuss, or debate, or argue for my own position.
One of my friends believes that many Christians in the pews have simply been content to let their church, their pastors, their leaders make decisions for them. That people often sit in the pew, and would rather have others doing the thinking for them. He compares this to the story of Moses in the Old Testament, and how the Israelites seemed more content to let Moses intervene on their behalf, and go before God, rather than themselves. We often what our leaders to go on our behalf, without us having to enter into the process ourselves.
I think my friend is right. Are their bad writers out there? For sure. Are there some dangerous philosophies out there? For sure. But maybe it's time we stop demonizing certain thinkers and writers, based solely on the fact that they don't fit into our nice Evangelical, Christians bubbles all the time. Maybe some people, who aren't Christian, have worthwile things to say.
Dostoyevsky has impacted my life more than any other writer. His insight into the human condition is unparalleled. So I just have to laugh when some of my friends either a) refuse to read him because he wasn't a Protestant evangelical or b) want to debate me that since he was Russian orthodox, he probably wasn't even a Christian.
It is time to get off my soapbox for now, but please read Summa Aesthetica's post below, or visit his blog at Summa Aesthetica.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Why I Talk About Catholic Theology
Here is a question that many of my friends and family probably ask themselves after encountering my blog: why on earth does he keep harping on this Catholic thing?
While this weeks posts are essentially detailed answers to this question, it may help if I enumerate a few reasons at the outset.
1. Protestants (especially evangelicals) do not read Catholics -- It amazes me that in the course of an undergraduate degree in Christian Studies I was never required to read any Catholic sources. The situation was not much better when I earned my MDiv. We did read some Catholic sources that were written before 1500, but I wonder whether the reasoning was, “Hey, they couldn’t help themselves…the Reformation had not yet taken place.” So, I feel it is part of my duty, as one who has begun to rediscover the great things happening in Catholic theology, to share with others who refuse to go there themselves.
2. Catholic theology is really misunderstood – I am tired of reading Protestant “scholars” that claim to summarize the Catholic position and make statements that are easily shown to be uncharitable and inaccurate. It really makes me wonder whether some of these people have read Catholic works themselves. As a result there is an amazing amount of misunderstanding on the lay level, demonstrating the awful power of “trickle-down theology.” By the time sloppy work makes its way to the pew, things get to be a mess. This is especially the case when it comes to the “easy target” issues like Mary, the Saints, the role of art in faith, etc. I want to help clear up some simple misunderstandings.
3. Sometimes Catholics are their own worst enemies – (The following critique could be made every bit as strongly of evangelicals--in fact, at some point I will make a similar critique—but for now…) Many evangelicals dismiss Catholics without a hearing because they have met some with questionable moral character. This is an irony that makes me snicker, since the age-old criticism of Catholicism is that it teaches that you can work your way into heaven. Evidently, some now think that they are not working hard enough. It is also funny because an evangelical would be the first to say that insist that people not dismiss them because of a few bad apples on the tree. Nevertheless, when Protestants see devotional practices that are more superstitious than pious, or encounter a Catholic who seems to have never seen a Bible and apparently slept through catechism, the Catholic Church as a whole is written off. Given the existence of TBN, dismissing Catholics for having kooks or scoundrels in their midst seems awfully hypocritical. Having long since reconciled myself with the beam in evangelicalism’s eye, Catholicism’s splinter does not bother me. So, one of my motivations is a desire to give a sympathetic explanation to those who are ordinarily dismissive.
4. The Linguistic Problem – To complicate everything, the Protestant/Catholic situation is marked by the same problems seen in the trans-Atlantic development of English. Although America was founded by English colonists, due to a large body of water, painfully slow travel, and the lack of communication technology, America’s linguistic patterns developed somewhat independent of its British roots. The result was the emergence of two nations separated by a common language (i.e. we have no idea what a Brit means when she says that she is about to take the lift to her flat to grab a few quid so she can get some petrol). Similarly, the Reformation severed lines of communication. Now Protestants find themselves 500 years removed from the Catholic conversation and discover that it is awfully difficult to understand one another. One of my interests is to decipher what is going on in Rome, and translate it for the rest of us who need to hear what they have to say.
I suppose more could be said, but perhaps this is enough to provide a bit of context for my recent research and writing. I am convinced that many of the sticky issues we face would be less sticky if we read each other’s work charitably. I hope this blog can be one small step towards that goal.
posted by Cameron Jorgenson at 10:27 PM
Posted by rhett at 10:38 AM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2005
Attacks upon Emergent....
Any type of Church or theological "movement" is going to have both its supporters and critics. But it is interesting that something that I anticipated at the death of Stan Grenz is beginning to come true. That is, that at the passing of Stan, the critics of Emergent would come out of the woodwork, knowing that one of the more strong theological voices of Emergent is no longer able to respond.
Maybe I'm overanalyzing things, but then I saw this story today, posted over at Willzhead. Then there is this astute observation by Tony Jones over at the Emergent blog.
I guess what is really frustrating is the lack of grace, and rather the venom by those who consider themselves strong defenders of orthodoxy, know only how to attack. Whether it's students from certain seminaries who show up at Emergent only to be critical, rather than constructive, or whether it's a blog such as this, that attacks with such anger video blogger The Voiz, I'm really shocked by the lack of kindness and grace in the dialogue process.
Just makes one wonder about the future of our churches and theology when Christians can't even seem to get along.
Posted by rhett at 07:06 PM | Comments (0)
"The mark of civilization, says Gelernter, is the shortening of the list of reasons that justify taking human life."
This is a crazy and sick world at times. And I just don't understand how little we can value life sometimes. What is happening down in Florida in the Terry Schiavo case is pretty appalling. I know many of you will have different opinions on this case. But it comes down to this for me. She has people who are willing to take care of her...her parents. The proper medical tests and cat scans have not been done. And all we have to go on is the word of her husband that she made a passing comment after a tv show one time that she did not want to live articfically. I believe in the right of someone not wanting to be kept alive artificially. But there needs to proof of that..some type of will. We don't have that here. How do we know she doesn't want to live? Wherever you fall on this issue, I do believe it is tragic and a moral failure on our part to disregard human life in this way.
This morning I was driving to Pasadena and I was listening to Dennis Prager and he pointed out this journal story from January 2004.
This paragraph is from the journal First Things which is edited by Catholic theologian Richard John Neuhaus. In January 2004, Neuhaus talks about the comments of Yale professor David Gelernter. Gelernter writes this concerning Terry Schiavo...and this is over a year ago. (posted below; if you go to the link, read pretty far down to get to it)
"Yale professor David Gelernter thinks it speaks well of our society that, when we have condemned a criminal to death, we “are in no hurry to [kill him], and will search on and on for a convincing reason not to.” Not so with the severely brain damaged, those in a “vegetative” state. Not so with Terri Schiavo, whose husband wanted her dead and was only saved for a time by Governor Jeb Bush’s calling of a special session of the legislature to give him authority to intervene. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Gelernter says: “What happens to the next Mrs. Schiavo? And the next plus a hundred or a thousand? How much attention will the public and the legislature be able to muster for this sort of thing over the years? The war against Judeo-Christian morality is a war of attrition. Time is on the instigators’ side. They have all the patience in the world, and all the patients. If this one lives, there is always the next. After all, it’s the principle of the thing.” The mark of civilization, says Gelernter, is the shortening of the list of reasons that justify taking human life. But now footnotes are being added to the list. “Thoughtful people have argued: once you start footnoting innocent human life, you are in trouble. Innocent life must not be taken . . . unless (here come the footnotes) the subject is too small, sick, or depressed to complain. One footnote, people have argued, and the jig is up; in the long run the accumulating footnotes will strangle humane society like algae choking a pond. Who would have believed when the Supreme Court legalized abortion that, one generation later, only one, America would have come to this? Mrs. Schiavo’s parents wanting her to live, pleading for her to live, the state saying no, and a meeting of the legislature required to pry the executioner’s fingers from the victim’s throat? I would never have made such an argument when the abortion decision came down, and I would never have believed it. I still can’t believe it. Is this America? Do I wake or sleep?” He wakes, as many others are awakening. Late, to be sure. But, please God, not too late to turn us toward becoming a culture of life."
Posted by rhett at 05:53 PM | Comments (2)
Finding Rest in God: Matthew 11:28-30
The Message:
Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)
28 "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. 29 Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 30 Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Wednesday night I preached on an issue that has been very convicting to me recently. That is the amount of time I actually spend with God. Time alone. Time in silence. Time in prayer. When I don't do these things my life seems to come apart at the seams...sometimes very fast...sometimes very slow. I think it may be more dangerous when it is a slow coming apart because I am often unaware of it, until it is too late. Not too late in the sense that life is over, but too late in the sense that I can't retract a decision or choice I may have made in bad judgment because I wasn't feeling "attuned" to God's guidance.
These last six months have been some of the most stressful that I have ever experienced. It's a very different type of stress than when I lost my mother to breast cancer, but it's an exhaustive stress nonetheless. The type of stress that comes from constant business. The type of stress that makes you think when you get up in the morning, just how great it would be to get back in bed.
It's just a busy time in life right now. Preparing for marriage. Looking for a home. Working in ministry. Being in the process of ordination. Pondering more graduate school. Etc. Etc.
But as I began to read more and more of the gospels I began to see more and more of a pattern in the life of Jesus. It is not a hidden pattern, and will not be new to anyone, but it is a patter that has been so convicting to me.
"In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed." (Mark 1:35)
"At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving." (Luke 4:42)
"Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God." (Luke 6:12)
Notice the pattern. Jesus, getting up early, and retreating to be alone, to pray, to be in silence. What's even more fascinating, all of these passages and others are usually followed by people looking for Jesus and wondering what He is doing. Almost to say. Why are you here alone praying, when there is so much work to be done? Miracles to perform? Demons to cast out?
But I believe that for Jesus, everything that He did in life, was dependent upon the time He spent alone and in prayer with His Father. So it is with you. Everything that you do in life: The work you perform. The relationships you are in. They are all dependent upon you spending time alone, in silence before God. When you don't do this, life begins to fall apart.
The word Sabbath is an interesting word. It is the seventh day of the week in the Jewish calendar, marked by rest from work and by special religious ceremonies. In Genesis 2:1-3 we find God resting on the seventh day after six days of work in the process of creating...Creation. "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation." (Genesis 2:1-3)
In Genesis 5:12-15 we see in the commandment to keep a sabbath, that the sabbath is all inclusive. No one is left out. Not slave or free. Not man or female. Not animals or livestock. A sabbath is important and given to everyone.
Sabbath is a completion of work. It is a completion of creation. It bring completion. It brings wholeness. Not only did the sabbath bring completion to creation, but it bring completion and wholeness to our lives. We can not work, work, work, without rest. Our work, our lives are brought to wholeness with a day of rest. With time with God.
In Rob Bell's NOOMA video, "Noise" he makes a compelling argument that there is a correlation between the noise and business in our lives, and our inability to hear God's voice. Rob tells of the story of the prophet Elijah in 19:11-13, where Elijah does not find God in the wind, or earthquake, or fire, but in sheer silence. Rob wonders if we are so unable to hear God at times because we surround ourselves in constant noise. Cell phones. Radio. TV. Movies. Etc. Etc. But maybe it's really in the silence when God speaks?
We all live very busy and crazy lives. We are often weary and carrying very heavy burdens. That's why it is such a beautiful moment of grace when we come across this passage.
"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
I love that passage, and so should you. Christ is giving us the opportunity to come to him when we are exhausted, and tired from life. When the burdens that we have been carrying around have finally broken our back and brought us to our knees. And when we come to Christ, He offers us rest. But it's an interesting rest. It's not a final resting place, but rather a place where we stop, receive rest and revival, and then head back out into life to continue about our task. It's almost as if it's a stopping station. Christ knows that we are tired and worn out. And because of that He has given a place for us to come and get refreshed, so that we can continue the task that He has given us in life. How can we finish our task, our mission, if we don't receive that rest from Christ.
God has a plan for your future. You were created for a purpose, with passions and dreams and tasks to carry out. But you can't carry them out when you feel so exhausted and disconnected from God that you can't hear His guiding voice. What are the heavy burdens in your life that you are carrying right now? What do you need to come to God with?
When we come to Christ, He promises to take off the yoke that is so entangling our life, that is choking us off from Him. A yoke is a device that is put around an animal's neck that keeps it on course during farming, or ranching, or other activities. And often we are carrying the yoke of the world around us, and it is guiding us in directions we do not want to go, or should not be going. And when we come to Christ, He removes this yoke, and replaces it with the gentle and humble yoke of His teaching, of following Him. When we put on His yoke we become His disciple, and we learn to live life from Him. Christ says we need this rest for our souls. We need this rest so that we can keep going. We need this rest to protect our souls from temptation. How many bad choices do you make when you are tired and worn out and exhausted? How much easier is it to give into tempation when you are weary?
We are given this opportunity, and a choice to make. Either we live with the tight, and the choking yoke of the world as it leads us wherever it wants to take us. Just like a big dumb ox with a yoke around its neck. But Christ is saying to us, "take my yoke...wear it...and you will find rest."
St. Augustine said, "Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you."
Isn't it about time, that you come to Christ, and rest at His feet? Isn't it about time that you lay down your heavy burdens before God? Isn't it about time that you let Christ take off the burdening yoke of the world, and let Him place His yoke upon you?
How are you going to do that? You need to actively carve out some time each day to be with God. Start small. Maybe 20-30 minutes. Begin your day in prayer, so that that morning time with God will sustain you through the day. You need to also carve out one day a week where you do nothing. You don't work, you don't study, but you rest. You seek out time to be alone, to be in silence, and to listen for the voice of God. You can start small. Maybe you don't start off with a whole day, but a few hours in that day.
But start somewhere. Your life. Your future. Your relationships. They are all dependent upon the time that you spend alone in silence with God, listening to His voice. Don't let the noise of this world drown out what God is saying to you.
Posted by rhett at 05:42 PM | Comments (0)
"The Interesting Problem of Abstinence and STD's"
Summa Aesthetica has got a great post on this Yahoo news article. It is of great interest to me as I have just finished up a few weeks ago a four week series on "Sex, Christianity and Culture." Please read Cameron's post at Summa Aesthetica as he writes with some very witty and insightful thoughts on this issue
Posted by rhett at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)
In anticipation of the notes from Wednesday night's sermon...
Wednesday night I preached on finding time to be in solitude and silence. To get away from all the noise, and to come to God with our tired and weary lives. I talked about the importance of carving out a Sabbath each week, so that we can find rest. Obviously I haven't listened to my own advice, since I haven't done that myself yet. You will find the notes in another day or so, but in the meantime, I love this paraphrase/translation from Eugene Peterson in The Message:
Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)
28 "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. 29 Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 30 Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Posted by rhett at 12:59 PM | Comments (0)
Christian Blogging Conference
I haven't been pushing this conference enough, but GodBlogCon is taking place at Biola on Thursday, October 13 through Friday, October 15. I will be leading a workshop on blogging for college students/ministry.
This should be an amazing conference, and a great place to not only network with others, but to learn more about blogging. Check this list for more details about speakers, workshops, etc, etc. I am really looking forward to this. This is the first time that something of this nature and size has been put together for Christian bloggers, and I am expecting the conference to bear a lot of fruit for the future of the blogosphere.
Posted by rhett at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)
March 17, 2005
The bloggers reflect on the passing of a great theologian, and a wonderful man...
The passing of Stanley Grenz last week has brought out a lot of reflections and tributes on the life of this theologian. Visit the lower right hand corner of Stanley Grenz to read what the blogosphere is
Posted by rhett at 05:28 PM | Comments (0)
Hail, Mary.....Time Magazine's Cover Story
This should be a great series to watch unfold as Mark D. Roberts tackles TIME magazine's cover story:
Mark closes his post today, by making the following comment:
"Van Biema rightly points out the influence of The Passion of the Christ on Protestant (including evangelical) reflection on Mary. Besides this movie, what else in the last two decades do you think has had a major impact on Protestant views of or feelings about Mary? I think Van Biema missed something quite significant. Can you guess what I'm thinking of? You can e-mail me your ideas, or, better yet, put them in the guestbook."
I'm throwing out my own challenge to Summa Aesthetica to post on this issue, as I know this is something that is close to his own interests and studies.
Posted by rhett at 05:08 PM | Comments (0)
I am beginning to wonder.....
One of my friends posted a comment yesterday in regards to the post about the church who "purged" people from it's congregation because of their lack of committment (see a couple of posts down). Jason wrote:
Posted by: jason - E-mail=[mailto:j_decker@mit.edu] Homepage=[] at March 16, 2005 23:22:18
Hey Rhett,
Do you have an opinion on this? Sounds a little over-the-top to me. And by "a little", I mean "a lot".
Even though they try to make it clear to non-Christians and fence-riders that the invitiation to "get out" isn't meant for them, can you imagine how it must look to these folks?
I don't suspect it looks good. Is paternalistic control over individual members a good-making feature of a christian community?
I would be turned off---well, right after I was kicked out.
--jason
My opinion. I agree with Jason that it seems a little over the top. In my own ministry I cannot imagine myself in a position of asking someone to leave because they were less committed. But I could see myself asking people to get involved in the life of the community, and encourage them in that journey. Very few people who attend church (at least in my experience) and are ones that we tend to deem as not committed, are actually a drain, or some type of parasite (if I can use that word) to the church body. Most of them are great people who are trying to find a place to fit in.
So here's what I am wondering? Maybe it's not so much the people that are coming into our churches who are not committed, but maybe there is something wrong with the way we do church. Maybe we've made Christianity and church too much of a spectator "event" with the way we have structred things? Maybe people sitting in a 3000 seat sanctuary is not the most conducive to growing in the Christian life? Maybe the bigger a church gets, and the more staff that is needed, may actually make the people in a congregation less committed, because they tend to sit around and watch the "paid pastors" do the work?
Maybe Christianity is just hard work, and we expect it to be easy? Maybe we need to look at ourselves as the church, and as pastors, rather than always pointing out the problems with the congregants?
I love what Eugene Peterson said in his interview with Christianity Today.
(Christianity Today Question)
"Since the Reformation, though, we've championed the idea that the church can be reformed."
(Eugene Peterson's response)
"Hasn't happened. I'm for always reforming, but to think that we can get a church that's reformed is just silliness."
"I think the besetting sin of pastors, maybe especially evangelical pastors, is impatience. We have a goal. We have a mission. We're going to save the world. We're going to evangelize everybody, and we're going to do all this good stuff and fill our churches. This is wonderful. All the goals are right. But this is slow, slow work, this soul work, this bringing people into a life of obedience and love and joy before God.
And we get impatient and start taking shortcuts and use any means available. We talk about benefits. We manipulate people. We bully them. We use language that is just incredibly impersonal—bullying language, manipulative language."
(Christianity Today's Question)
"One doesn't normally think of churches as bullying."
(Eugene Peterson's response)
"Whenever guilt is used as a tool to get people to do anything—good, bad, indifferent—it's bullying. And then there's manipulative language—to talk people into programs, to get them involved, usually by promising them something.
I have a friend who is an expert at this sort of thing. He's always saying, "You've got to identify people's felt needs. Then you construct a program to meet the felt needs." It's pretty easy to manipulate people. We're so used to being manipulated by the image industry, the publicity industry, and the politicians that we hardly know we're being manipulated.
This impatience to leave the methods of Jesus in order to get the work of Jesus done is what destroys spirituality, because we're using a non-biblical, non-Jesus way to do what Jesus did. That's why spirituality is in such a mess as it is today."
Posted by rhett at 04:50 PM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2005
Tonight's message
It's that time of year...finals..cramming for papers...complete exhaustion. Well, tonight I'm looking at the Matthew 11:28-30, and Jesus' offer for us to come to Him when we are weary and carrying heavy burdens.
Look for notes on tonight's message...tomorrow.
Posted by rhett at 07:31 PM | Comments (0)
Church uses "Purge Sundays" to send non-committed elsewhere
Smart Christian links this interesting story on how a church asks those who are not committed, to leave.
This might seem like a strange story if I didn't hear this option being discussed so often.
Posted by rhett at 07:19 PM | Comments (2)
C'mon...Really?
Sorry...but that's about all the comments I can muster on this article....I love how any type of data can be skewed and interpreted so that a sensational title for an article can be given.
Genes Contribute to Religious Inclination
Posted by rhett at 06:44 PM | Comments (3)
March 15, 2005
Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith
If pastor Rob Bell's first book Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, is anywhere near as good as his preaching and teaching or his nooma video series, then this should be a great book.
The book will be released this summer, but you can download some of the beginning chapters over at Zondervan.
Posted by rhett at 09:07 PM | Comments (0)
March 14, 2005
Do you still not know what a blog is?
The times are moving fast, and so is technology. Podcasting is the next big thing, and here is an article of how it is being used in the church. e-church. (linked from Smart Christian)
I'm still learning about them myself, but I know it is big news when the Fox Sunday news had a special segment devoted to podcasts.
Or check out a great blogger/videoblogger at The Voiz
Google podcasts if you are interested.
Posted by rhett at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)
What is postmodernism? An interview with Stanley Grenz...
As some of you know, at least if you have been reading my blog the last couple of days, theologian Stanley Grenz passed away over the weekend. Not only was this a loss to his friends and family, but it was a huge loss to the theological world as well. Dr. Grenz was a wonderful thinker, and brilliant writer.
He was one of the theologians who was able to cleary articulate and write on the topic of postmodernism and its relevance to the Christian faith. Check out this interview with Stanley from May of 1999 with Next-Wave's Interview with Stanley Grenz. (linked at Smart Christian)
And here is Brian McClaren's, reflections on Stanley Grenz.
Tod Bolsinger has some great thoughts on Stanley Grenz as well.
Posted by rhett at 04:30 PM | Comments (0)
"Does my schedule, my time, my life look like that of a person who wants to hear God's voice?"
In his DVD teaching series NOOMA, pastor and theologian Rob Bell of Mars Hill Bible Church asks this question, in his talk, Noise.
It's a great question, and it's an area of my life that I am greatly struggling with...an area reserved for God...a time and place that I clear of all distractions so that I can listen more clearly to God's voice. Becuause it's quite evident from my schedule, my time, and my life that God is not a high priority at this point. Sure, if you were to look at the things that I spend my time doing, it may appear from the outside to look like a life that is dedicated to serving God, to listening to God, to speaking about God. But at a closer look, you would see that my life is so crammed with stuff, that God is the first thing that I push to the side.
And then I wonder why I can't hear God? Why I don't more clearly understand or discern what God is asking of me? Why an easy decision is more difficult than it should be, because I've so crammed my life with noise and activity that even the day to day simple stuff becomes hard.
"Is there a connection between the amount of noise in our lives and our inability to hear God?" (Rob Bell in Silence/NOOMA)
I think that there is. Look at the pace of your life? Look at your relationship with Jesus Christ and the time you spend with Him. Is there any correlation?
"Have you spent the same amount of time worrying and talking about your difficult, confusing situations as you have spent in silence, listening to what God might have to say?" (Rob Bell in Silence/NOOMA)
I would have to say no. In fact, I spend most of time talking about my problems and situations with others, rather than praying about them, or sitting alone to be with God.
This is a very busy time in my life. I'm full-time college director at Bel Air Presbyterian Church. I'm getting married in June. My fiance and I are shopping for a home to buy. I'm heading out on a mission trip in two weeks. And on and on and on. My life is not any busier than yours, but what I've realized is that the more busy my life has become, the less time I have spent with God.
So as you are coming up on the end of your quarter and semester, and you have finals, and papers to write, and relationships to maintain and jobs to keep, slow down enough to ask yourself if God is getting pushed outside of your life.
"At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place." (Luke 5:42)
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35)
Why is it that Jesus made time to be alone with God His Father each day, yet we don't seem to think it's that important for us to do in our own life? And it was not something that He squeezed in, but rather, His day often began with time alone with His Father in prayer.
These are just some questions to think about and ponder as we head into Wednesday night. God has been teaching me a lot about the pace of my life and the time that I spend with Him, and that is something I want to share with everyone on Wednesday night. So be thinking about the idea of silence, or rest, of solitude, of keeping the Sabbath. And be in prayer about this and how God may reveal these things to you.
Posted by rhett at 03:53 PM | Comments (0)
March 12, 2005
Stan Grenz has died...
I just read over at Doug Pagitt, Willzhead, and at Theoblogy, that Stan Grenz has passed away. Doug Pagitt states:
"Stan Grenz has died
As hard as it is to comprehend, Stan Grenz has passed away.
I have seen an official statement from the family, but my understanding it that it was a brain aneurism. He went to sleep Thursday and never awoke. He officially died at 4 AM.
His wife and family are in great pain from what I have heard.
Stan was not only a leader in thinking, and a great benefit to me and many of us, but he was a really good man. He really was a good man. He will be deeply missed.
Brian McLaren is going to write a eulogy for and it will be on the Emergent blog."
Stanley Grenz was the author of numerous books, and was one of the few theologians today who was able to write and articulate the task of theology. His book Revisioning Evangelical Theology is a classic and a must read.
It seems really weird and surreal that I was sitting in his workshop at the Emergent Conference in February, and that he is no longer here. This is a huge loss to everyone!
Posted by rhett at 10:22 PM | Comments (0)
Please be in prayer...
I don't have first hand information, but I have been reading over at Emergent, and over at Doug Pagitt, that writer and theologian Stanley Grenz is not expected to live after a brain hemorrage.
This is the exchange of information on these blogs that I have been reading:
"Talked to Ivy Beckwith and she said that apparently Stan had a brain hemorrhage and not a heart attack, and is not expected to live.
March 11, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Stan Grenz Update
I received this from Jules Glanzer -
Hi Doug,
According to Regent, Stan had a serious heart attack and is not expected to live. He has bleeding on the brain. I do not need to tell you to pray. From my perspective, we need him around.
Jules
We should be in prayer for his wife Edna and children, Joel and Corina."
Please be in prayer over this situation. For those who don't know who Grenz is, he is one of the foremost leading theologians, writers, and thinkers in the world today. Please be praying for he and his family.
Posted by rhett at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)
March 10, 2005
Just some of the things our students are up to.....
Check out one of our students--professional snowboarder Matt Thompson....well, crashing in France (click on the photo). Matt sent out an email saying he is doing okay...just your normal sprained left hip flexor, torn meniscus and a slight tear in his pcl in his right knee.
Matt....we miss you, and can't wait to have you back in our midst.
Posted by rhett at 03:52 PM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2005
Eugene Peterson's new book
I just picked up Eugene Peterson's new book today, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology.
I'm only one chapter into this new book so far, but it is so obvious once again why I think Peterson is the best writer and thinker on issue relating to ministry, the church, spirituality, theology, and more.
If you haven't read Peterson, you must.
Posted by rhett at 04:03 PM | Comments (0)
March 08, 2005
Women and Physical Appearance
I just came across a fasincating editorial in Relevant Magazine about women and physical appearance, titled Size L AND...?.
I am not positive if all of her history is right in her editorial because I have not done the research in this area. But I think and believe that her underlying thesis and ideas are correct. That we are culture that obsesses over a physical idea that does not exist, except in photos that are airbrushed, and in movies and television where actors and actresses are paid millions of dollars to keep up a certain appearance.
This is a huge issue not only in our culture, but it is devastating issue in our city of Los Angeles, and more closely in our college ministry, as I see lots of women struggle with eating disorders, depression, drugs and more, as they strive to look a certain way.
One of the main downfalls in the use of pornography especially, is that a false ideal has been established in regards to physical beauty. Because of this, then men who view pornography, or struggle with it, have then set up a false ideal of what they expect a woman to look like...and it will never live up to the standard that has been set. And it doesn't even have to be pornography. It could be the ideal that is set up by a million different other magazines and publications and images, such as Cosmopolitan, People, Us, Style......doesn't matter. A false ideal has been established, and now women are struggling to keep up with it.
I think a huge burden falls on us as men, especially Christian men, to not maintain that false standard of beauty and appearance, but rather to encourage women, and especially those in our group, that there are more important things to strive for.
I could go on because I'm up on a soapbox, but I need to time to regroup and think over this issue.
But let me just say that it breaks my heart that many women that I know have fallen into this trap, of constantly trying to live up to the world's standards of what is beautiful. But it's a standard that can never be met, and it leaves a trail of wreckage in it's wake.
Posted by rhett at 09:32 PM | Comments (0)
Wanted: Quest Bloggers--And College Pastor Bloggers
Bloggers are everywhere these days! If you don't know that, then check out this article below as just more proof. First Blogger Admitted to White House Briefing
That why I need you! If you are a part of The Quest ministry here at Bel Air Presbyterian Church, and you start a blog, then I will post you on this site. Now of course, there will be some rules and stipulations. I won't post just anything. But if you start up a blog, and you post some good content, then I would like to link you on my blog.
My vision is that by the end of this year, at least one quarter of our students have blogs. That is shooting pretty low, but we need to start somewhere.
So check out the blogs, starting with some blogs on my page, then expand out into the blogosphere, and see what you find.
I'm also looking for college pastors who blog. If you are one of them, please fire off an email to me. Or if you are a college pastor, who doesn't blog, but would like to start one, then contact me.
Posted by rhett at 09:14 PM | Comments (1)
Fascinating Stuff on Bible translations and paraphrasing...
(Please read below: But listen to Eugene Peterson's lecture on how and why he came about to translating The Message. Fascinating.)
The issue of translating the Bible into different paraphrases, or different translations, such as the the TNIV has stirred up quite a controversy. Pastor, writer, scholar, and all around theologian Mark Roberts has a wonderful series on his blog, "Is The TNIV Good News?" Dr. Mark Roberts explains this issue very thoroughly, especially in terms and meanings that are very easy to understand.
This may be an issue that means nothing to you, but I think it is a fascinating subject, and one that concerns everyone who is a reader of the Bible. My own opinion is that the TNIV is a great translation, and is closer to the language inclusiveness of the NRSV, which is the preferred text we used at Fuller Theological Seminary, and which is the Bible we use at our church, and place in our pews.
For a very fascinating insight into translating the Bible from the original languages, listen to Eugene Peterson's discussion of why and how he came about to translating The Message. It is in 7 audio files that you can listen to online in about an hour. It is well worth your time and will be a very educational learning experience of what goes into the process of translating.
Posted by rhett at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)
March 07, 2005
Wednesday Night Worship
Make sure you come out and join us this Wednesday night at 8pm in Evans Chapel for an amazing night of worship. Musician Tyrone Wells and drummer Mark Chipello of Stafford will be performing in the college group. Besides having their own projects, they are two of the members of the worship band, The Longing.
You won't want to miss this night of worship....
Posted by rhett at 06:39 PM | Comments (0)
Damah Film Festival This Next Weekend
If you are living in Los Angeles it is impossible that you will not be impacted by the film industry around you. One of the issues that Christians often wrestle with is trying to find the balance, or the point of integration between their spiritual lives, and that of filmaking in the "industry." Well, here is a great opportunity to be a part of a great film festival that addresses these issues, and that is concerned about the spiritual aspects of the human experience. If you are someone who is interested in filmmaking, or who just loves going to films, this is your opportunity:
(from their website)
"Damah (dù mah’)[1] noun. Hebrew 1. a metaphor that transforms. 2. an art form that starts with a commonly accepted way of looking at the world and adds a surprise or unexpected twist that results in a new perspective that inspires and transforms the viewer. 3. the merging of the known, the unknown and the transcendent. 4. similar to the storytelling form known as the parable."
(the mission of Damah from their website)
"Damah encourages an emerging generation of filmmakers from diverse perspectives to voice the spiritual aspect of the human experience through film and provides a forum for these artists to develop, discuss and display their vision.
Damah is a non-profit organization that relies on the submissions, contributions and the goodwill of many diverse communities."
The Damah Film Festival - Spiritual Experiences in Film cordially
invites you to our Best of Damah Gala. Come out and see some great
short films that explore the spiritual dimension of our lives.
Best of Damah Closing Night Gala
Screening of Winning Films & Awards Presentation
Saturday, March 12th
7:30PM
The WGA Theatre in Beverly Hills
(on Doheny just south of Wilshire)
Cost: $15
Here is the link to purchase your ticket to the Saturday night event:
Posted by rhett at 03:21 PM | Comments (0)
March 04, 2005
"Have a blog, lose your job?" ouch
Posted by rhett at 03:44 PM | Comments (1)
A Question to Bloggers....Based on the post prior to this one!
As a blogger, or as someone who communicates to the masses in ministry, how would respond to, or how do you interpret Eugene Peterson's words? I would be interested to hear what the thoughts of all bloggers on this matter, especially if you are in some form of ministry.
The below article by Eugene Peterson raises an interesting question about the relationality of ministry...of ministering to people, one at a time, as opposed to the mass, that is impersonal.
I do not think that Eugene would see blogging as a bad thing, or as unimportant, but he raises a question about the slow work and face to face relationality that is involved in ministry.
Peterson says this:
"So, how do you help all these people? The needs are huge. Well, you do it the way Jesus did it. You do it one at a time. You can't do gospel work, kingdom work in an impersonal way.
We live in the Trinity. Everything we do has to be in the context of the Trinity, which means personally, relationally. The minute you start doing things impersonally, functionally, mass oriented, you deny the gospel. Yet that's all we do."
Posted by rhett at 12:33 PM | Comments (3)
"I think relevance is a crock."--Eugene Peterson
"I think relevance is a crock. I don't think people care a whole lot about what kind of music you have or how you shape the service. They want a place where God is taken seriously, where they're taken seriously, where there is no manipulation of their emotions or their consumer needs.
Why did we get captured by this advertising, publicity mindset? I think it's destroying our church." (Eugene Peterson)
Wow! That is one of the statments that Eugene Peterson makes in his latest interview with Christianity Today, called Spirituality for All the Wrong Reasons.
In my estimation, as well as many other pastors and theologians, Eugene Peterson may be one of the most important writers on the Christian life, spirituality and the church. No one understands the heart of the gospel message more than Eugene Peterson. He is a convicting voice in a society that wants to cater the message to culture, in the process watering it down, or "taking the guts out of it" as Peterson would say.
I think Peterson is a prophetic voice, and that when he speaks, people should be listening and thinking.
Please read the full article above...it is well worth your time. But here is some snippets from his interview...best read in full context of course. Very convicting stuff, especially since I pastor in Los Angeles, a place where church too often caters to the culture around it. Check out the following excerpts, but not if you don't want to be convicted. If you are in pastoral ministry, you best read this article. (These are answers from Peterson without the context of the questions):
"I don't want to suggest that those of us who are following Jesus don't have any fun, that there's no joy, no exuberance, no ecstasy. They're just not what the consumer thinks they are. When we advertise the gospel in terms of the world's values, we lie to people. We lie to them, because this is a new life. It involves following Jesus. It involves the Cross. It involves death, an acceptable sacrifice. We give up our lives.
The Gospel of Mark is so graphic this way. The first half of the Gospel is Jesus showing people how to live. He's healing everybody. Then right in the middle, he shifts. He starts showing people how to die: "Now that you've got a life, I'm going to show you how to give it up." That's the whole spiritual life. It's learning how to die. And as you learn how to die, you start losing all your illusions, and you start being capable now of true intimacy and love.
It involves a kind of learned passivity, so that our primary mode of relationship is receiving, submitting, instead of giving and getting and doing. We don't do that very well. We're trained to be assertive, to get, to apply, or to consume and to perform."
"Do we realize how almost exactly the Baal culture of Canaan is reproduced in American church culture? Baal religion is about what makes you feel good. Baal worship is a total immersion in what I can get out of it. And of course, it was incredibly successful. The Baal priests could gather crowds that outnumbered followers of Yahweh 20 to 1. There was sex, there was excitement, there was music, there was ecstasy, there was dance. "We got girls over here, friends. We got statues, girls, and festivals." This was great stuff. And what did the Hebrews have to offer in response? The Word. What's the Word? Well, Hebrews had festivals, at least!"
"We've all met a certain type of spiritual person. She's a wonderful person. She loves the Lord. She prays and reads the Bible all the time. But all she thinks about is herself. She's not a selfish person. But she's always at the center of everything she's doing. "How can I witness better? How can I do this better? How can I take care of this person's problem better?" It's me, me, me disguised in a way that is difficult to see because her spiritual talk disarms us."
"What other church is there besides institutional? There's nobody who doesn't have problems with the church, because there's sin in the church. But there's no other place to be a Christian except the church. There's sin in the local bank. There's sin in the grocery stores. I really don't understand this naïve criticism of the institution. I really don't get it.
Frederick von Hugel said the institution of the church is like the bark on the tree. There's no life in the bark. It's dead wood. But it protects the life of the tree within. And the tree grows and grows and grows and grows. If you take the bark off, it's prone to disease, dehydration, death.
So, yes, the church is dead but it protects something alive. And when you try to have a church without bark, it doesn't last long. It disappears, gets sick, and it's prone to all kinds of disease, heresy, and narcissism.
In my writing, I hope to recover a sense of the reality of congregation—what it is. It's a gift of the Holy Spirit. Why are we always idealizing what the Holy Spirit doesn't idealize? There's no idealization of the church in the Bible—none. We've got two thousand years of history now. Why are we so dumb?"
"I think the besetting sin of pastors, maybe especially evangelical pastors, is impatience. We have a goal. We have a mission. We're going to save the world. We're going to evangelize everybody, and we're going to do all this good stuff and fill our churches. This is wonderful. All the goals are right. But this is slow, slow work, this soul work, this bringing people into a life of obedience and love and joy before God.
And we get impatient and start taking shortcuts and use any means available. We talk about benefits. We manipulate people. We bully them. We use language that is just incredibly impersonal—bullying language, manipulative language."
"Yes, except something backfires on you when you're impatient. How do we meet the need? Do we do it in Jesus' way or do we do it the Wal-Mart way?
Spirituality is not about ends or benefits or things; it's about means. It's about how you do this. How do you live in reality?
So, how do you help all these people? The needs are huge. Well, you do it the way Jesus did it. You do it one at a time. You can't do gospel work, kingdom work in an impersonal way.
We live in the Trinity. Everything we do has to be in the context of the Trinity, which means personally, relationally. The minute you start doing things impersonally, functionally, mass oriented, you deny the gospel. Yet that's all we do.
Jesus is the Truth and the Life, but first he's the Way. We can't do Jesus' work in the Devil's way.
I get exercised about this because many pastors are getting castrated by these methodologies, which are impersonal. There's no relationship to them. And so they become performance oriented and successful. It's pretty easy in our culture, at least if you're tall and have a big smile. And they lose their soul. There's nothing to them after 20 years. Or they crash. They try all this stuff and it doesn't work, and they quit, or quit and start doing something else. Probably 90 percent of the affairs that pastors have are not due to lust, but boredom with not having this romantic kind of life they thought they'd get."
"When you start tailoring the gospel to the culture, whether it's a youth culture, a generation culture or any other kind of culture, you have taken the guts out of the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not the kingdom of this world. It's a different kingdom."
Posted by rhett at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)
March 03, 2005
Sex Part 4/Sex, Christianity and Culture: Redeemed Potential
Finally, after attempting my first ever sermon series on sex, and surviving it, I would have to say that is was a much more enjoyable experience than I would have imagined. Enjoyable? Yes, because it was obvious from the student's facial expressions, to the tears, to the comments afterwards, to the many emails that I received, that speaking on sex was a much needed subject. It's a much needed subject, especially in our culture which is drowning in a distorted view of sexuality, and how God designed it to be.
The series began by looking at the overall picture of Sex, Christianity and Culture, and followed with posts focusing on "Created Goodness", "Sinful Distortion" and "Redeemed Potential." These are descriptions that I borrowed from late Christian ethicist, pastor, author, theologian, Lewis Smedes. Those seemed like appropriate, beautiful descriptions of the predicament we find ourselves in sexually. "Created Goodness": Looking at how God designed sex, and brought man and woman together in the Genesis 1-2 account. "Sinful Distortion": Looking at the ways we have taken the goodness of sex, and how God created it to be, and how we have taken it into sinful, destructive directions. "Redeemed Potential": Looking at how we are all given the opportunity through God's grace and mercy, to be forgiven, to be redeemed, and to move forward in our lives, out into a new direction.
So it is with that in mind that I finished my last sermon in this series, looking at that very issue of, "Redeemed Potential."
The word "redeemed" is a very interesting word, especially in the Biblical sense. It's a word that comes off the tongue very easily, very smooth, and it has a very nice and beautiful sound to it. "Redeemed." "Redemption." Sounds good. But thought it's a word that sounds beautiful, it is very different underneath the surface. Underneath it's a very gritty, and disturbing, and dirty word. Not dirty as in bad, but dirty as in not being clean. It's a dirty process that brings about a beautiful result. What is beautiful to us, cost someone something. It cost God His Son Jesus Christ, and the cost was death. It's a beautiful word, that was brought about by a bloody process.
It is a word that in the New Testament means to "buy back a slave or captive", or making someone "free by payment of a ransom." It means "to release." Outside of the New Testament its meaning was very similar to the ancient Greeks, where it could mean "to be relieved of an occupation" or to "permit to leave a country." It is the process by which one leaves a former state, and heads down the path into a new life, into something better. But as you can see, there is a cost. The cost is not on our part though which is the beautiful thing from our perspective. The cost, the ransom, the release, was paid for by someone else.
In the Bible you can see this word used in various contexts, whether its the words of Psalm 130:7, where the people sing about redemption as they ascent to the temple to worship. Or maybe it's the words of Jesus in Luke 21:28, where he talks about the end times and the destruction of the temple, and the redemption that waits. Maybe it's Paul's words in Ephesians 1:7, where he talks about the redemption brought about by blood. The blood of Christ. Paul continues this theme somewhat in Colossians 1:14 talking about redemption and the forgiveness of sins. Or what about this haunting and beautiful image in Hebrews 9:12: "He entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." Wow! And then there is this passage with which I think we can most often identify with, especially when our body, soul, mind and spirit has been wracked by sin. Romans 8:22-25, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
When it comes to redemption in the sense we are talking about, the redemption of our sexual sin, there is not a specific word. Rather, redemption is a much larger word, one that covers all sin, sexual or not. It is a word that covers the whole messy process of our lives. It is the process that cleanses us from our pasts that are not pretty, whether we struggled with sexual sin (pornography, hooking-up, pre-marital sex, etc.). God's redemption brings life out of the death that was consuming us while we were still yet slaves in bondage.
What does redemption look like then if you have failed sexually? Well, I think it can look like many differnet things. Or it can take on many different forms. There is no pattern, there is no step by step process, but I do think the Bible can bring some of these things to light.
1) I think it's a realization on our part that we can't continue to live life or fight sin on our own. It's a realization that we are fallen people and that there is a different way to live life. A life that God is offering us. I see this in the story of John 4, where Jesus confronts the Samaritan woman in her sin, and offers her "livng water." He offers her a new way to live. But first of all he makes her aware of her sin, and that there is a better way. "Jesus said to her, 'Go call your husband, and come back.' The woman answered him, 'I have no husband.' Jesus said to her, 'You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" (John 4:16-18). Jesus gets to the point, pointing out her sin, but offering her a new life, a new way to live. I think we too must come to the realization of our sin, and choose the life that God has offered. Sometimes we realize it on our own. Sometimes it's through our friends and family and other times God steps in and brings it to our attention.
2) It's a conscious decision of accepting God's grace and mercy, and leaving our life of sin. Sure we will still sin in our life, because we will not be perfect. But I think God is asking us to leave our intentional life of sin that we so often live and relish in. We know if we are in a sinful sexual relationship, and that we must get out. We know if we have the tendency to drink too much and get drunk. We know these things. We know these sins we must leave behind. To be offered a new life, a new way to live, also means completely leaving the life you have lived...behind you. In John 8:10-11, after Jesus helps the woman caught in adultery, he says to her: "Jesus straightened up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one sir.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.'" This is a beautiful story of redemption that calls us to go and sin no more.
3) Redemption, and being redeemed is always the process of choosing life over death. Time and time again throughout the New Testament, especially in the gospels, Jesus offers people a new life. Jesus even goes so far as to break some of the rules, commandments, and philosophies of the day in order to bring life to someone. Jesus heals a crippled man on the Sabbath (John 5), seeing the bigger picture, while the religious leaders around him only see the violation of the Sabbath. This is the God, the Jesus that we worship, who is always about the work of redeeming us.
Ultimately, I think redemption is a word best understood when it is in action. It is a word that I could translate, define and parse, but what good is a word like that unless it is in the process and work of people's lives, and in the work of God. When we can get our eyes and hands around it, and get an image, or a glimpse of what it looks like, then we often have a better understanding of what that means to our lives.
I believe that those who have most strayed from God, are often the most capable, and most humble in understanding what true grace, true mercy, and true redemption means. We can be Christians who grow up in the church our whole life, throwing around words, very important words like redemption, without really knowing what they mean. Without really knowing the cost of those words. Without really knowing the grittiness and underbelly of what makes a word like redemption sound so beautiful. I think the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 is a story that can best communicate the meaning and the image of redemption. Someone like the prodigal son who has left everything, and who has strayed far from God; so far that he is living with the pigs; that is someone who really understands redemption. That is someone who knows what it means to be in far away lands, away from the Lord, but then to return, without questions, without judgment, but rather in a place of grace and love and mercy. We often do not get that. Maybe that's why I keep a copy of Rembrandt's Prodigal Son in my office. To remind me of what redemption looks like. Maybe that's why I love reading Henri Nouwen's book, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming.
Images can best often convey redemption and the act of redeeming better than words. Maybe it's something like the movie Shawshank Redemption where we get a glimpse of a man who has been wrongly imprisoned, swim and climb his way through sewage, only to come out into the open and free. Or maybe it's the scene from the movie, The Passion of the Christ, where Mary Magdalene is wiping up the blood of Jesus, while reflecting on her past, and how Jesus redeemed her from the crowd that was about to stone her. It is a moving scene, as she crawls up from the ground, while Jesus stretches out his hand to her. Redemption: This process, by through the blood of Jesus, He reaches down into our lowly and sinful state, and pulls us up into new life.
Or maybe it's the beautiful scene in C.S. Lewis', The Chronicle of Narnia. In the book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, there is a beautiful, and captivating scene in which the boy turned dragon, Eustace, is confronted by the lion Aslan, who is the God figure. In this scene Eustace recounts how he tried to strip off his layers of dragon skin, only to discover there were more layers than he could take off. It wasn't until he allowed Aslan the lion, to pierce his skin with his sharp claws, and pull off layer after layer. It is a scene of redemption that only comes about when we submit to God, and allow Him into our lives to clean up the mess we have made.
No matter what you have done, or how you have lived your life, you have never run far away enough that God has left you. And if you don't know Christ, maybe now is the time to know Him. When people come to me and say that their life is too messed up, that there is no possible way that God would take them back, I just have to say to them. Have you read the Bible? Have you seen the lives of the people in the Bible, lives that God took, and redeemed, and whom He used to serve Him. What about the Apostle Paul, who we find in Acts 8 murdering and persecuting Christians, and who in Chapter 9, God gets a hold of, and redeems.
Redemption. A beautiful word that rolls off the tongue. But a word that cost God greatly.
For more information on these topics, link to the previous blogs below, as well as linking to the articles on the right side of this page under current sermon information.
Sex, Christianity and Culture: Created Goodness, Sinful Distortion and Redeemed Potential
Sex Part 1: Sex, Christianity and Culture
Sex Part 2: Sex, Christianity and Culture: Created Goodness
Sex Part 3: Sex, Christianity and Culture: Sinful Distortion
Posted by rhett at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)
The Quest Talent Show......
One of the privileges I have as the college pastor at Bel Air is the opportunity to serve with students on various mission trips throughout the world. This year, we are planning to send approximately 25-35 students to four different countries. I am leading a spring break trip with eight students to Mexico City to team up with one of our partners, Partners in Hope. We also have a month trip this summer going to Malaysia with our partner, Frontiers, as well as a two month trip to Turkey with our partner, Caleb Project. And last, we have a trip going to Kenya with our Bel Air worship team.
But to send all these students out on trips we have to raise a lot of money, anywhere from $1200--$2,500 per student, depending on the trip. In order to help raise money and offset the cost, the students in our ministry are hosting a college student talent show, this weekend at 7:30pm in Evans Chapel on the campus of Bel Air Presbyterian Church. The cost of the tickets for the show are $5, and all proceeds will go to mission support.
This is a very funny, and talented bunch of college students, so if you are in the Los Angeles area, and want to come out and check the show, we would love to have you.
For a sample of some of their humor, check out their Napoleon Dynamite video they created for our Mammoth Ski Trip.
Posted by rhett at 03:36 PM | Comments (0)
David Crowder and Sunsets and Sushi...Great new worship album!
For those of you who know me, I think that David Crowder and the David Crowder Band are best Christian worship band today. They continue to push the boundaries, and experiment musically in ways that no other Christian artist has. That's probably evident by the fact that you can walk into any worship service and a good majority of the songs are written by David Crowder.
Check out their new album, Sunsets and Sushi, which is a musical experiment of sorts. It's basically a re-mix of their songs, in what I would call a clash between David Crowder and someone like the Postal Service, among many others. They seem to be the only band who not only dominates the Christian worship music genre, but is able to push their sounds out into the secular culture. What other band is able to fill up a local club and bar venue in the heart of Hollywood like the David Crowder Band did last year. What a stunner that was to the club management and workers, especially to the bartenders who couldn't figure out why they weren't selling many drinks, but instead had to watch a few thousand crazy Christians raise their hands in worship all night.
The David Crowder Band has also collaborated with drummer Zach Lind of the great band Jimmy Eat World.
So if you love worship music, especially music that is continually maturing, growing, and pushing the musical envelope, than pick up their new album, and be sure to pick up David's new book, Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi. Appar