Author Archives: Chaplainmike

Jesus Has Left The Room: Pharisees, Zealots and Culture Warrior Youth Ministry

UPDATE: Frank Turk hits it into the upper deck on this story. I’d welcome other links as well. Areopagitica had the first post I saw on it. UPDATE II: Six months ago, Restless Reformer and BHT fellow Travis Prinzi was on this story. Jeff Sharlet says he will post the whole story at his siteContinue reading “Jesus Has Left The Room: Pharisees, Zealots and Culture Warrior Youth Ministry”

Recommendation: Mother Kirk by Douglas Wilson

I was going to attempt a response to Frank Turk’s statements on liturgy– it’s not even in the Psalms!- but instead I’ll just recommend the best book in print on how to do church: Douglas Wilson’s fantastic look at all things ecclesiastical, Mother Kirk. On a five-star scale this book gets eight. It’s simply unsurpassedContinue reading “Recommendation: Mother Kirk by Douglas Wilson”

Stupid Evangelical Tricks: Two Ways to Do Church

I’ve been opining about worship music for a long time. One of my favorite IM essays on the subject is “Looney Tunes: The Goofy Theology of Some Worship Leaders.” But you don’t have to go to the extreme to find some fairly weird assertions about music and Christians. Take Rick Warren’s famous assertion that worshipContinue reading “Stupid Evangelical Tricks: Two Ways to Do Church”

Stupid Evangelical Tricks: Five

It’s been a while since I did an old-school “iMonk-rants-about-evangelicals” post, but all of them are still there in the essays department. Someone could assume- wrongly, I assure you- that those criticisms all came from the days when I was a Calvinist, and now that I’ve jumped off that bus, I have no problems withContinue reading “Stupid Evangelical Tricks: Five”

In The Study: My Good Friday Meditation

In my work setting, I’ve done a Holy Week meditation each day this week. This is today’s Good Friday meditation. My mother had an unusual experience as a teenage girl. She was present at the last public hanging in the United States. She recalled that day in the mid-1930’s very clearly. It was, she said,Continue reading “In The Study: My Good Friday Meditation”

A Second Look at the Ordinary Pastor

Lynn (fictional) wrote me a letter with complaints about her pastor. Lynn, It was good to hear from you. It sounds as if your new home and John’s new job are just right for your family. We all miss you, but this will be a good chapter in your life together. Hopefully, we’ll see youContinue reading “A Second Look at the Ordinary Pastor”

Gospel Relevance=Gospel Application

Studying Acts with my students, it’s freshly clear to me that the immediate struggle of the early Christians was not only, or even particularly, theological, but practical. How do we live out, in the church, family, community and world, the significance of Jesus NOW? What kind of behavior, actions and community appear in “”the KingdomContinue reading “Gospel Relevance=Gospel Application”

Roxburgh Journal Interview with Mike Goheen + Resources

In my continuing attempt to help others understand the missional church conversation, I’m finding some great resources on Allelon’s web site. This Roxburgh journal interview with Missiologist and church planter Mike Goheen is full of rich insights and lots of helpful ways to see how the missional church and the traditional church can become theContinue reading “Roxburgh Journal Interview with Mike Goheen + Resources”

Review: The Truth War by John MacArthur

UPDATE: Lifeway was kind enough to send me this link to an “Author Interview” with Dr. MacArthur regarding this book. UPDATE II: Macarthur’s takedown of John Armstrong is critiqued by Andrew Sandlin. I would like to thank Phenix and Phenix Literary Publicists for providing a review copy of this book. There are two ways IContinue reading “Review: The Truth War by John MacArthur”