By Chaplain Mike
Today’s Gospel: John 10:1-10
he goes before me into every day
before he sends me forth
he himself has gone before
the way is made ready
the path prepared
i don’t see it at first
it is mine to watch and listen
to filter the noise
to hear that voice
to go, to listen
to distinguish, to respond
to discover what he has already done
before i do a thing
and in my doing
find more than what i do
and so life abounds
Classic iMonk Post
by Michael Spencer
From May 24, 2006
Note from Chaplain Mike:
With the release of Bart Ehrman’s latest book, Forged: Writing in the Name of God–Why the Bible’s Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are
Bart Ehrman is rapidly rising up the list of names appearing frequently in the watchblogosphere. As Ehrman gets more attention on the secular media, more apologists and defenders of the faith invoke Ehrman’s name and contend with his work in New Testament studies. A recent post at a well known watchblog took off from the Washington Post’s coverage of Ehrman.
Ehrman’s rise in public visibility is due to several factors. He’s an ex-evangelical, which the MSM finds irresistably appealing, having attended MBI and Wheaton, but losing his faith in later graduate school at Princeton. Today he describes himself as an agnostic, though I detect no antagonism or resentment toward religion or zealous need to convert others to unbelief.
Ehrman is a prolific author, rivialing NT Wright in production, with a whole basket of best-selling titles generated in the last few years, many riding the wave of interest in radical Jesus studies, Gospel revisionism, gnostic Gospels, The DaVinci Code and other “hot†media topics. Publishers know that Ehrman is gold with a segment of the reading public, and he has been obliging with works on The DVC, Mary Magdalene and The Gospel of Judas.
Ehrman has also been building a reputation as a teacher accessible to the average educated layperson. He has a number of popular teaching series available through “The Teaching Company†dealing with historical Jesus studies and New Testament studies. As head of the religion department at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ehrman has the credentials and the communication skill to be a “media-friendly†communicator.
Ehrman’s writing is very readable and understandable. He writes good prose that is simple and largely free of jargon. He takes his time to illustrate and explain difficult concepts. It is easy to see why Ehrman’s books are popular and actually read, rather than just purchased and shelved. Many scholars simply aren’t good writers. Ehrman breaks that stereotype.
Continue reading “iMonk Classic: Who’s Afraid of Bart Ehrman?”
It’s that time of week again. Saturday has come around, just like usual. And I’ll bet they have Sunday scheduled for tomorrow. Well, before we move on to Monday, let us stroll through some leftovers from this past week. Or, as we like to say, let’s ramble.
There is an epidemic in Ghana. An epidemic of false pastors. Ghanaians flock to the churches led by these false pastors in search of answers for unemployment, bad marriages and childlessness. Instead, they end up paying “consulting fees” in order to hear what God has to say to them.
Meanwhile, in the United States…
I have a friend who once was in the Navy SEALS. I asked him a question once about what he had done in the SEALS. “If I tell you, Jeff, I’ll have to kill you.” And he wasn’t kidding. I decided I really didn’t  want to know what he did all that badly. For some reason, the pastor of a church in Nashville, Pennsylvania was not shy in talking about his exploits as a SEAL. And he didn’t threaten to kill anyone. Perhaps it was because he really wasn’t a SEAL. What would cause a pastor to fabricate such a story? Apparently he is not the only pastor to have claimed to be in the SEALS.
Meanwhile, Disney is not letting any grass grow under their feet when it comes to the Navy SEAL team that dispatched Osama bin Laden. They have trademarked “SEAL Team 6” so that you can buy hats and t-shirts and lunch boxes with “SEAL Team 6″ emblazoned on them. Only please…don’t.
By Chaplain Mike
I will devote some time next week to answering your questions. Usually, I set the agenda for what we discuss because, well, because that’s my job. However, I would like to give you a turn at asking some questions, and I will do my best to answer them.
Here’s the procedure:
I don’t consider myself an expert on many subjects, so I am not doing this to be an “Answer Man” or anything like that. It’s just a chance for us to have a conversation in a different way, with you bringing up the topic.
By Chaplain Mike
Christian community is like the Christian’s sanctification. It is a gift of God which we cannot claim. Only God knows the real state of our fellowship, of our sanctification. What may appear weak and trifling to us may be great and glorious to God. Just as the Christian should not be constantly feeling his spiritual pulse, so, too, the Christian community has not been given to us by God for us to be constantly taking its temperature. The more thankfully we daily receive what is given to us, the more surely and steadily will fellowship increase and grow from day to day as God pleases.
Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in which we may participate.
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, p. 19
I saw this church sign yesterday (name of church removed), and knew I had to comment on it—
Slogans don’t say everything, but they can be telling. In this case, I believe these three little words identify a major problem in myself and throughout American evangelicalism—
We expect too much.
It is a popular pastime in our society to deride the entertainment industry for its barrel-scraping lack of original ideas, but sometimes stereotypes exist because they’re true. Plus, barnside targets make for easy scores. Take, for example, the time-honored story of a man and a woman who can’t seem to get along, but, for some reason, find themselves overcoming obstacles and falling in love. Often these ill-matched lovers are brought together through some whimsical means, like sharing a taxicab or bumping into each other in a produce section, spilling a display of forbidden fruit onto the floor.
And then there are times when the machinations of love (and screenplays) use the good ol’ green card to bring our pair together. One of them must get married in order to evade deportation back to their country of origin; the other begrudgingly agrees to such a marriage of convenience. Hijinks ensue as the couple first can’t stand each other, and then gradually begins to accept each other, then after a series of struggles end the story with an embrace and a kiss and a happily-ever-after.
Not only does that describe the plot of many a romantic comedy, it also describes a widespread evangelism technique I’ve seen at work in my midwest, Bible-belt environs. Usually it plays out like this: “You don’t want to be deported (i.e. go to hell), do you? Instead, accept this marriage proposal (i.e. free gift of grace) from this other person (i.e. Jesus) so you can go to heaven (i.e. live happily ever after at some point in the future).”
I’ve actually seen this international love story play out in the opposite direction in the lives of my wife’s parents. He was a rugged and handsome football player from Texas; she was a delicate flower from Costa Rica. She moved to the United States to provide for a family back home, met him, and though they didn’t even speak the same language, they fell in love and married. My future in-laws got a marvelous, life-giving relationship with their best friend and, tucked away in her back pocket as an ancillary benefit, my mother-in-law became a U.S. citizen.
Reading Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived
Martha of Ireland is without a doubt the smartest person I have ever conversed with, even if our conversations all occur through email. Knowing that she is 1) a faithful follower of Jesus, 2) a Catholic, and 3) not afraid to share her thoughts, I went to her with a topic that troubles many Protestants—and, to be honest, many Catholics as well: Praying to saints. A very controversial subject to be sure.
I had always heard from my Catholic friends that we Protestants have it all wrong. We are not to “pray to saints,†but ask these saints to pray for us. I thought Martha would say, “Yes, that’s the way it is. Why can’t you people of the Reformation get it straight?†But as always, Martha has a few tricks up her sleeve.
This is a longer essay than we normally offer to you. Still, I had to leave out  much of what she wrote to make it fit here, but all that I edited is good stuff as well. Anyone else think that Martha should be working on her first book?  JD
Jeff has very kindly asked for my opinion on another matter, so without further ado, I am quite happy to plunge into the fray on a fraught topic. I should warn you, I will probably drive you mad because I am going to be saying both “Yes†and “No†at the same time – not so much “Either/Or†as “Both/And.â€Â If you are expecting calmly reasoned exegesis of scriptural warranty for the practice, boy, do you have the wrong vampire! This is going to be from the heart, not the head (ironic for me, since I generally approach my faith from the standpoint of convincing the intellect). So this is personal reaction and my own views on the topic; if I blithely gambol through the flowery meads of heresy at any point, do not blame the Magisterium, which is the last word on the subject.  As always, if you are unsure about any point of dogma, doctrine, or discipline, check the Catechism. Individual members of Holy Mother Church can have very weird opinions, but the Church herself is protected from error (she is not protected from making a darn fool of herself in various matters, but that is a question for another day).
And it is a very fraught topic indeed.
Yes, the strains of “bowing down to idols,†“worshipping Mary,†and my particular favorite, “praying to dead saints†have once again, like the voice of the turtle, been heard in the land. And the usual reply, which I have seen from American Catholic convert apologists, goes something along the lines of “No, you’re mistaken. Catholics do not worship Mary. Catholics do not pray to saints. What we do is ask the saints to pray for and with us, the same way you would ask a friend or your congregation at church to pray for you.† And that is fine as far as it goes, and true, and I am not going to say they are wrong.
Except I am going to say they are wrong.
By Chaplain Mike
What Ken Ham is to evolutionary biology, David Barton is to American history.
Ham is not a scientist, nor is Barton a historian. Yet both claim to know and present THE truth about their respective subjects. And because they are such hard workers and good marketers, they have become the spokesmen of choice for the Christian Right with regard to the issues they represent.
David Barton’s bio at WallBuilders states:
David Barton is the Founder and President of WallBuilders, a national pro-family organization that presents America’s forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on our moral, religious and constitutional heritage.
…His exhaustive research has rendered him an expert in historical and constitutional issues and he serves as a consultant to state and federal legislators, has participated in several cases at the Supreme Court, was involved in the development of the History/Social Studies standards for states such as Texas and California, and has helped produce history textbooks now used in schools across the nation.
A national news organization has described him as “America’s historian,” and Time Magazine called him “a hero to millions – including some powerful politicians. In fact, Time Magazine named him as one of America’s 25 most influential evangelicals.
Barton is getting some attention these days.
Continue reading “Official Historian of the Culture War (for the Right)”
By Chaplain Mike
Mark Galli, Senior Managing Editor at Christianity Today, is writing a book that reflects on Rob Bell’s controversial Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived
More about Rob Bell later. That’s not my point today.
Instead, I simply want you to read some strong words from Galli, affirming the Protestant way of being the church and dealing with differences on doctrinal matters, such as those raised in the Bell blow-up.
As a “Reformation” believer myself, I affirm these words heartily and long to see God’s people actually live like this. At the same time, this is not the whole story, for it still raises questions in my mind about the nature and structures of authority (and lack thereof) in the Protestant world.
Be that as it may, I find Mark Galli’s words bracing, challenging, and worthy of discussion.
We are wise to nurture an atmosphere in churches, and families, and websites where any question can be asked without fear of judgment, where theological ideas are addressed and not merely dismissed. We sometimes act as if Jesus said, “I might be the way and the truth and the life—unless a better idea comes along.” No, we can have complete confidence in the face of any question because we know that whatever is true has its origins in God’s truth in Jesus Christ, and that Jesus Christ really is the Truth that sets us free. This will require in many instances some sensitive listening and hard intellectual work. But who said love, even loving God with the mind, would not entail suffering?
We have to become radically Protestant again. At times like these, there arises a longing in Protestant breasts for the magisterium, for an authoritative body to pronounce a final verdict to deal with the troublemakers by edict. But that is not a Protestant theology of the church and the Holy Spirit. We believe that God is sovereign in his church, that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, that through discussion and debate, a sifting process allows the truth of God in Christ to deepen and broaden. If Jesus is truly Lord of his church, his truth will make its way into the church’s life, one way or another. Our job is to prayerfully read Scripture, talk with one another in the bonds of love, and, yes, when the time comes, make the tough calls. Again, a congregation or a denomination has the perfect right and responsibility to say, “This conversation is over for now. This is what we believe. Let us move forward in mission grounded in this article of faith.” There are times to call a spade a spade, and to say clearly that someone is engaging in false teaching and it’s damaging the health of the church. All this is part of the sifting process of the Holy Spirit in history. But we are wise not to end some conversations before they’ve even started, especially when it often seems that the Spirit may be starting the troubling conversation afresh in the first place.
I’d love to hear what you have to say, Protestant or not.
By Chaplain Mike
I cut my teeth as a preacher and pastor in the 1970’s and 80’s. There were not many evangelical ministers in my circles who, at one time or another, did not have serious schoolboy crushes on Chuck Swindoll.
Swindoll is the pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, the chancellor and former president of Dallas Theological Seminary, a prominent radio preacher on Insight for Living, and a prolific author. Back in the day, he was evangelicalism’s star preacher and media face. I bought almost every one of his books and referred to them often for one thing—the illustrations. Guy could tell a story and make a point. “Gifted communicator” doesn’t begin to cover it. He had more charisma and talent in the nail of his little toe than I had in my whole body. He came across as warm, caring, genuine, and friendly. His Marines training showed in the confidence with which he carried himself and in the authority with which he spoke. A protegé of Howard Hendricks from Dallas Theological Seminary, he shared his mentor’s wit, humor, and infectious laugh. His smile could blind and overpower an army of critics.
Along with James Dobson, Chuck Swindoll was the heavy hitter in evangelical media in those days. He was Max Lucado, Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, and Joel Osteen all rolled into one as far as his popularity and impact. He had a radio program, audio and video series, study guides to go along with his many bestselling books and his broadcast sermon series. He was a highly sought speaker at conferences and large Christian events. A friend once told me they had visited his church in Fullerton, CA, and saw people literally running from the parking lots to make sure they would get seats in the sanctuary to hear him preach.
Continue reading “The “Sermonator” and the Culture of Pizzazz”
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