Chaplainmike

Power: WTH on Discipline and Other Issues at Mars Hill

NOTE: I asked our friend, Wenatchee the Hatchet, to update us on one of last year’s scandals involving the discipline process at Mars Hill Church. You may recall that we used this situation as a basis for discussion last year, and then decided to leave further discussion to others who were better informed. (See “MPT PostsContinue reading “Power: WTH on Discipline and Other Issues at Mars Hill”

Enjoy It While You Can

This year will mark the end of an era in baseball. The greatest reliever of all time, Mariano Rivera, announced the other day that 2013 will be his final season. I will make sure I’m watching whenever I can. We wrote about Mo last year when he was injured. Now we’re looking forward to oneContinue reading “Enjoy It While You Can”

“I Am” and “I Practice” — An Important Distinction

If we want to practice what some, including Michael Spencer, have called a “generous orthodoxy” – a commitment to the creedal Christian faith that recognizes “one holy catholic and apostolic Church” – then we must learn to speak about our own personal faith identities and commitments precisely. Here is the way I have learned toContinue reading ““I Am” and “I Practice” — An Important Distinction”

iMonk: And Some Doubted

From a classic Michael Spencer post, March 2007 The Bible can be amazing. We can say all the theologically correct things you can think of, but when the Bible surprises you, when it reaches across the centuries and touches you with a sentence or a phrase, there’s something very special that convinces you on aContinue reading “iMonk: And Some Doubted”

Saturday Ramblings 3.9.13

I’m tired, iMonks. Very tired. Bone tired. Tired in every way tired. I’m too tired to come up with my usual sidesplitting, hilarious opening paragraph. I know this comes as a great disappointment to you, but I’m sure you will forgive me once we get to the end and you see the great bonus videoContinue reading “Saturday Ramblings 3.9.13”

Site Update: Thanks for your patience (or, “I don’t like Spam!”)

It is likely that many of you have experienced delays seeing your comments appear in recent days when commenting on Internet Monk. It seems we are going through one of the periodic spam onslaughts that affect us. Please be assured, your comments are not being intentionally held. We do not generally practice active moderation of comments.Continue reading “Site Update: Thanks for your patience (or, “I don’t like Spam!”)”

Fr. Ernesto on Liturgy

Thanks to our dear friend, Fr. Ernesto Obregon for contributing his insights on liturgy from the Orthodox perspective today. I encourage you to read his blog, Orthocuban. * * * Liturgy is not simply what we habitually do It is common to speak of liturgy as though it is little more than what we habituallyContinue reading “Fr. Ernesto on Liturgy”

Opening a Can of Worms: What are the Reformation’s Gains and Losses?

You see by the question mark in the title that I come not opining, but asking because I truly want to know. I’ve shared in a recent essay of my background in various churches that came, not due to purposeful hopping, but rather because I was the child of a broken home and depending onContinue reading “Opening a Can of Worms: What are the Reformation’s Gains and Losses?”

Radical Enough? (part one)

Note: You may want to read the Christianity Today article, “Here Come the Radicals!” by Matthew Lee Anderson in conjunction with Dan’s post. Thanks to Dan for sharing these perspectives with us. Check out his blog at Sliced Soup. * * * A dozen or so years ago, I took my youth group to anContinue reading “Radical Enough? (part one)”

The Simple Texts

Yesterday I officiated a funeral. When I met with the wife of the deceased a few days ago to discuss the service, she told me that her husband insisted that Psalm 23 be read at his funeral. When his mother had died, the minister leading the service apparently did not read it — whether outContinue reading “The Simple Texts”