Chaplainmike

Virtue and the Limits of Vulnerability

I received some thoughtful mail as a result of my response to Mark Driscoll’s book on marriage. Here is one of the best examples: Dear Chaplain Mike, I have just finished reading your post Top of My “Don’t Read” List. In it you mention that American culture has a strong “therapeutic ethos” and that thisContinue reading “Virtue and the Limits of Vulnerability”

And in this Ring…

Ed and Lisa Young, founders of Texas-based Fellowship Church, will spend 24 hours in bed on the church roof next week and stream themselves live on the Internet to encourage married couples to see firsthand the power of a healthy sex life as prescribed in their new book, Sexperiment. Two days after their book, Sexperiment:Continue reading “And in this Ring…”

Sermon: Three Unwise Kings

NOTE: Sometimes during and after preaching a sermon, even when it has been written out beforehand, you realize connections and nuances you had not noticed when writing it. That happened this morning as I preached this message. So I have done a bit of editing to reflect that, including a change in the title. •Continue reading “Sermon: Three Unwise Kings”

iMonk Classic: Stupid Ministry Tricks: The Best of My Bone-Headed Ministry Mistakes (+ A Bonus!)

Classic iMonk Post by Michael Spencer From June 2009 It came to me today that many of you have probably felt that this web site was remiss in offering practical encouragement to those who are laboring in the work of ministry. Here I am, 33+ years into this business, and I haven’t really shared muchContinue reading “iMonk Classic: Stupid Ministry Tricks: The Best of My Bone-Headed Ministry Mistakes (+ A Bonus!)”

Saturday Ramblings 1.7.12

Twelve? Did I just type “12” in the headline? I did. It’s 2012 now! Our first Rambling session of the new year. And it’s a doozy. Mr. Bones is back from a long but well-deserved vacation. Adam Palmer checked in with yet another technology as religion story. The Synonymous Rambler went back into hiding. We’veContinue reading “Saturday Ramblings 1.7.12”

Top of My “Don’t Read” List

NOTE: Before you read this post, please read the Moderation Rules in the box below. • • • Unless something unforeseen arises, I won’t be reading Mark Driscoll’s new book, Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship & Life Together. I have read the first chapter and several passages quoted in reviews, but only inContinue reading “Top of My “Don’t Read” List”

Meet The Team

It’s a new year, and there may be some who have not been at the iMonastery for very long. Perhaps you don’t know the faces behind the names here, or the stories behind the faces behind the names. So I thought as we kick off 2012 we would start with a look at the iMonkContinue reading “Meet The Team”

My New Year’s Non-Resolution

Yes, it’s that time of year again. The time when retailers parade merchandise in front of our eyes to guilt us into buying things we’ll never use, like juicers (“Just put in one large bag of oranges, and Viola! Out comes a small glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice!”), self-help educational materials (“Learn to speak Mandarin ChineseContinue reading “My New Year’s Non-Resolution”

IM Book Review: The Great Emergence

If I were a certain kind of preacher or Bible teacher, I might try to make some “spiritual law” out of this. As it is, I will take it as a interpretive way of looking at history that may help people of faith who are concerned about the Church discern some instructive patterns and enableContinue reading “IM Book Review: The Great Emergence”

Paul Wallace Says, “Intelligent Design Is Dead”

“Because ID is established in scientific ignorance, it cannot last. It is passing even now.” • Paul Wallace • • • In an article on the Huffington Post, Paul Wallace has stated his agreement with those who declare that the Intelligent Design movement is dead. But rather than list and explain the scientific reasons forContinue reading “Paul Wallace Says, “Intelligent Design Is Dead””