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Deep Church & Ordinary Means
Unbeknownst to me when I posted earlier today, two of my long-time friends interviewed Jim Belcher, author of Deep Church, earlier this year for their podcast: Ordinary Means. In this interview Jim introduces and discusses his book with two guys, Matt Bohling & Shaun Nolan, who unhesitatingly identify themselves with the Traditional Church. Great discussion… To listen click: Deep Church.
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The Deep Church
At the suggestion of a friend, I recently read Jim Belcher’s Deep Church. I was not disappointed. This is thoughtful and thought-provoking book. The subtitle really captures the theme of this book: A Third Way. With all the discussions about “how” to do church, and the polemic approaches of the Traditionalists and the Emerging/Emergent, some of us…
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Humble Ambition
Pioneer missionary William Carey is noted for his mantra: “Expect great things from God, and attempt great things for God.” These are tremendously inspiring words. They call us to think about the God in whom we believe, and whom we serve. Jesus reminded us that “With God nothing is impossible.” (Luke 1.37) When Paul thought of…
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Jesus Freaks
Studying the Church at Smyrna, while working through a series from the 7 Churches in the Book of Revelation, reminded me that persecution of Christians is not just something that took place on the pages of ancient history. Persecution of Christians is an ever-present tragic reality. We are told by historians and scholars that more…
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Suffering Saints
I have begun a series of messages at Walnut Hill Church from the Seven Letters to the Churches in Revelation. This past Sunday we looked at the Church at Smyrna, from Revelation 2.8-11. The Church at Smyrna is most intriguing for a couple reasons. First, the name Smyrna litterally means “City of Myrh”. If myrh sounds familiar…
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Won’t You Be My Neighbor
A group of pastors invited the mayor of their city to discuss his dream for the city, along with the issues that were hindering that dream from becoming a reality. The mayor came with a list of pervasive issues that the pastors in this group were eager to address: at-risk kids, elderly shut-ins, dilapidated housing, and hunger. But before addressing…
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Gospel at the Center
At my core I am committed to gospel-centeredness and being gospel-driven. But I confess I don’t really know what that means. The rich complexity of the gospel and the scope of the implications from the gospel are far beyond my ability to grasp, plumb, or fathom. So I am drawn towards faithful expressions of the gospel that expand my understanding and depth of insight. I am…
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What’s Glenn Beck Doing at Liberty University?
It was with some bemusement that I took note of the speaker for Liberty University’s 2010 Commencement: Glenn Beck. I am not sure what message was conveyed by this choice. One possibility seems commendable. Another possibility, I fear, may be a sad reflection of attitudes within and around contemporary American Evangelicalism. Liberty University, long steeped in Baptistic Fundamentalism, maintained its commitment to the conservative…
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Thinking Christianly
Thinking Christianly is not simply thinking by Christians, nor is it thinking by Christians about Christian things, nor is it thinking by Christians about or in order to develop a ‘Christian line’. Thinking Christianly is thinking by Christians about anything at all in a profoundly Christian way. Where their minds are so informed and influenced by…
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7 Reasons We Need Small Groups
Our church has begun a process to initiate Small Group ministry. Though I am familiar with the “whys” and the methods of small groups, I am by no measure an expert. Fortunately, we do have in our church others who a far more knowledgeable than I am about the implementation of this aspect of ministry. Still, the early going has been…
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Considerations for the Gay Marriage Discussion
While I suspect that the question of Gay Marriage is a settled issue for most of the readers of this blog, it seems anything but settled in our culture. We are inundated by the rhetoric of both activists and those who are merely sincere and sympathetic to the seeming inequalities. Christianity Today has published an informative article by…
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7 Rules for Reconciliation
To live in community is to live with – at least – the potential for conflict. I have acted wrongly on too many occasions; I have wronged others; and I have been wronged by others. I find few things more emotionally taxing than living in conflict. But God calls us to live in community, where…
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3 Simple Keys to Effective Evangelism
Some time ago Tim Chester, of The Crowded House, in the UK, wrote a series of short insightful posts titled: Effective Evangelism. In summary, Chester wrote: There are three keys to effective evangelism: Love Jesus Love People Live Life
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What a Great God We Have
What a great God we have! Not only does he redeem us through the ignominious crucifixion of his much loved Son, but he sends us his Spirit to enable us to understand what he has done. – D.A. Carson, The Cross and Christian Ministry
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The Gospel vs. The gods of the Elite
God has not arranged things so that the foolishness of the Gospel saves [only] those who have IQ’s in excess of 130. Where would that leave the rest of us? Nor does the foolishness of what is preached transform [only] the young, the beautiful, the extroverts, the educated, the wealthy, the healthy, the upright. Where…
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