Monthly Archives: January 2015

Semi-Open Mic: What conversations should we have in 2015?

Fuller Seminary has a nice page suggesting “15 Conversations the Church Needs to Have in 2015.” In his introduction to this page, seminary president Mark Labberton says, Our faculty are always thinking deeply about the issues, challenges, current events and pressing realities we need to grapple with in order to be the hands and feetContinue reading “Semi-Open Mic: What conversations should we have in 2015?”

Richard Beck: The moral implication of interpretive pluralism

Unpublished: Being Biblical Means Being Doctrinally Tolerant Richard Beck • • • Richard Beck gets down to brass tacks in an excerpt from an unpublished article he had written about how doctrinal gate-keeping can be a delusional exercise. The first sentence states an obvious point that is somehow ignored regularly by those who insist mostContinue reading “Richard Beck: The moral implication of interpretive pluralism”

Sundays with Michael Spencer: January 11, 2015

Note from CM: 2015 will mark five years since the death of Michael Spencer, the Internet Monk. Today, we continue our “Sundays with Michael” series with an excerpt from post that was originally published in January 2009. • • • It’s a sad fact that what God has revealed about himself in Jesus doesn’t exactlyContinue reading “Sundays with Michael Spencer: January 11, 2015”

Saturday Ramblings, January 10, 2015

Hello, imonks, and welcome to the weekend.  Let’s do some rambling! NFL wisdom:  “It’s like you look at a girl who looks like you, and you find out it’s your cousin, so you can’t go on a date with her even though you’d like to, because she looks like you. But then you see herContinue reading “Saturday Ramblings, January 10, 2015”

This Is Where I Live

This is a post that I have been meaning to write for a few weeks, since Chaplain Mike wrote his insightful post, “Another Look: This is not where I live“.  While I agree with Chaplain Mike, that real life happens outside of Internet Monk, I have a little bit of a different perspective.  This week’s post onContinue reading “This Is Where I Live”

Another Look: The Limits of Vulnerability

This is an excerpt from a post published in January, 2013. It has been edited and updated. • • • I think that the practice of “vulnerability” as personal transparency may have gone to seed. Just take one flip around the TV channels and you can see that. What are all of these confessional talkContinue reading “Another Look: The Limits of Vulnerability”

The Art of Comforting Presence

Who would have thought that a conservative political columnist would write an article that a hospice chaplain would find perfect for sharing about what it means to do my work and what it means for anyone to accompany sufferers in their journeys of pain and loss? But that’s what David Brooks did in his wise,Continue reading “The Art of Comforting Presence”

What can you do with a General?

What can you do with a General When he stops being a General? • Irving Berlin The other day, my friend John Armstrong posted the following status on Facebook. This pastor’s story elicited a large number of comments, and rightly so. Though quite different in detail, his experience reminded me of my own journey ofContinue reading “What can you do with a General?”