Chaplainmike

If You Have A Calvinist For A Pastor…

A friend is pastor of a large SBC church I’m familiar with, and a faction in the church is trying to end his ministry because, according to this group, Calvinists are the sum of all evil. Several friends have written and called for my views, so this post is a generic reply to them all.Continue reading “If You Have A Calvinist For A Pastor…”

Internet Monk Radio Podcast 5

Internet Monk Radio Podcast 5. Mostly about promoting and provoking spontaneous learning. About 20 Minutes.

Liberty, Conscience and the Glory of God

The text for a sermon I heard this morning was I Corinthians 10:23ff. 1 Corinthians 10:23 – 11:1 23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 EatContinue reading “Liberty, Conscience and the Glory of God”

American Idolatry: “Men”

Read Two Books. Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity, an absolutely wonderful book, and John Piper, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals. The writing of Gordon Macdonald is also good in this area. What I mean are leaders, so excuse the sexist language, but I’m wanting to get at something the BibleContinue reading “American Idolatry: “Men””

American Idolatry: The Good Life

Anyone interested in this series of posts would want to read The Great Giveaway by David Fitch. I want to begin in what will seem an odd direction, but it is important to remember some basic characteristics of the church if we are going to see the effect of idolatry on it. Christianity is aContinue reading “American Idolatry: The Good Life”

A Small Arsenal on Eschatology

I’ve written in several places about my experience with questions from the students and staff I minister to. By an overwhelmingly number, most of the questions have to do with the end times, eschatology and the Book of Revelation. Predictably, these are the areas of least interest to me, so finding useful resources has beenContinue reading “A Small Arsenal on Eschatology”

American Idolatry: What’s Entertainment?

In this series, Michael briefly examines the idolatries that have infected evangelicalism, especially the Southern Baptist Convention. Previous Posts: American Idolatry: With God On Our Side A previous IM essay on a similar topic is “Christianity: Silly or Serious?” Entertainment. Entertainment is an idolatry that has become so much a part of evangelicalism that youContinue reading “American Idolatry: What’s Entertainment?”

American Idolatry: With God On Our Side

Michael begins a new series on American Evangelical Idolatries. A similar IM essay is eric rigney’s “Christianity and Patriotism.” We were driving home from a visit to Richmond, Kentucky when I stopped at a Dairy Queen in Mckee for a few moments. As I was leaving, I noticed this sign painted on the side ofContinue reading “American Idolatry: With God On Our Side”

Why Mark Driscoll Bothers You (or Not)

UPDATE: Driscoll has a short piece of video at Desiring God for those of you who might not have heard him explain his approach to being “missional.” My review of Confessions of a Reformission Rev. can be found here. After reading yet another sniping comment tossed at Mars Hill Church pastor Mark Driscoll, I startedContinue reading “Why Mark Driscoll Bothers You (or Not)”

Review: Reinventing Jesus

In a flood of books about the radical revisionism regarding Jesus going on in current New Testament studies, it is important to those with less than endless book allowances to find the right book that accomplishes as much as possible in a helpful way. Reinventing Jesus is such a book, and I recommend it highlyContinue reading “Review: Reinventing Jesus”