A Blogosphere Reality Check

pajamas_bloggerJust a quick note to all of you regular IM readers. I’m in the thick of writing a book. Approximately 20 chapters in this project, and I’m about 6 in at this point. Deadline is late October, but here’s the kicker. My book has to be 80% material never appearing elsewhere. In other words, no book of reworked blog essays. Given that requirement, the book is pretty much all original material, though you will find some of the concepts and ideas familiar. This is going to put some real pressure on my blogging, especially in the fall. So I appreciate your support and patience in advance if you see a few more iMonk 101s, etc. than usual. I believe the final result will be worth it. I’m very excited about what I am writing and I’m having a great time moving forward.

The best Christians I know- prayerful, deep, Bible saturated, holy, patient, loving, Jesus shaped Christians- have absolutely nothing to do with the blogosphere. Nothing.

The blogosphere is a great place to talk, but a very poor place to do anything. It’s a great place to talk about doing something, but a poor place to do anything that doesn’t operate on talking. I’m pretty sure I know how Jesus feels about that.

I read an interview yesterday with a big dog blogger who was sure that if Paul were around today, he would be a blogger. I respect this fellow’s Biblical insights, but nothing in the New Testament indicates that to me. Personal church planting efforts. Extensive personal involvement in disciplemaking. Extensive mentoring and follow up with churches and individuals. Purposeful writing for specific churches. If he would have blogged, that would be great, but I have absolutely no evidence that Jesus or Paul would have blogged. Very likely not.Continue reading “A Blogosphere Reality Check”

Michael Spencer’s Summer Reading List

rt***The humor challenged should turn back now. You have been warned.***

The Internet Monk Research Department is glad to respond to the requests of all Michael’s fans who want to know what he is possibly, well…probably…well….basically going to claim he read this summer. Got your Amazon one-click ordering fingers ready? Here we go:Continue reading “Michael Spencer’s Summer Reading List”

Riffs: 06:15:09: Dr. Peter Masters Rips The New Calvinism

puritanRead: The Merger of Calvinism With Worldliness by Peter Masters.

The current reformed and Calvinist revival loves Spurgeon, as well they should. It’s a regular feature of the most influential new-Calvinism web sites and ministries to quote Spurgeon for and against whatever the issue of the week happens to be. Spurgeon’s face is as much a brand logo of the new Calvinism as you will find.

Spurgeon’s church, The Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, is still in business, and that church has a prominent pastor, Dr. Peter Masters, who has a very influential voice for Calvinism across the pond. Dr. Masters isn’t a major voice in America, but many of the Calvinists you like, especially of the Macarthur variety, have been to the Tabernacle and preached at Dr. Master’s conferences.

His newsletter is still The Sword and Trowel, an obvious indicator that it remains the voice of Spurgeon’s kind of Christianity. It is not an exaggeration to say that Dr. Peter Masters sees himself as a successor to Spurgeon’s brand of particular Baptist Calvinism, and he writes and preaches with this responsibility frequently in view. Be careful. I am not saying Dr. Masters claims any of the authority of Spurgeon, but he does not run from representing his views on Biblical Calvinism as in line with the Calvinism and overall theology of Spurgeon.

So, if you will, please take a cold drink, follow the link to Dr. Master’s column on the current condition of American Calvinism, and when you’re done, return to this web site for a few observations.Continue reading “Riffs: 06:15:09: Dr. Peter Masters Rips The New Calvinism”

Stupid Ministry Tricks: The Best of My Bone-Headed Ministry Mistakes

headIt 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 much of the wisdom of my own experiences. I intend to correct that with today’s post.

In the following paragraphs, I am going to rescue those of you in ministry from the feeling you have that no one could ever be as bone-headed as you. From the annals of my own life and ministry, I share with you now the following true stories meant to encourage you to start tomorrow with a smile, saying “I may be an idiot, but I’m still way ahead of Spencer.”

As a bit o’ background, I was a youth minister- mostly- from 1976-1988. Then I pastored four years, but also did a lot of youth ministry in that church after the youth minister quit. NONE of the incidents recounted below happened where I’ve served since 1992.

BTW- in order to protect the innocent, I will change a few facts here and there, but I assure you that what you are reading is not fiction. 100% true. Continue reading “Stupid Ministry Tricks: The Best of My Bone-Headed Ministry Mistakes”

Internet Monk Radio Podcast #144

podcast_logo.gifThis week: Should we apologize? Evangelism by bigger families?

Support the IM sponsors: New Reformation Press. New products available: New music and DVDs. Emmaus Retreat Center. A great place for your next group or individual retreat. E3 Sudan is church planting and training pastors in the Sudan.

Trevin Wax interviews Dr. Danny Aikien. Several other parts to this interview are available.
Christy Nockels

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The Doctrine of Election in Three Sentences

shutHey Michael,

Love your podcasts…and your take on Christianity in general…so, in 3 sentences or less, what is your take on the Doctrine of Election?

Can’t wait to read what you have to say.

bobby

Scripture teaches it in the context of God’s overall redemptive purposes and in the Christian doctrine of assurance.
When it is abused, it is almost always in the context of evangelism, ecclesiology or Christian experience.
It’s a doctrine that is expressed in revelation, but is understood only as a mystery, so quit explaining it.

The Big Worship Goof

worship

One of my major premises in the writing I’m doing these days is that evangelicals have become a movement actually destroying itself.

At no point does that seem more obvious than in the recent evolution of worship within evangelicalism.

Does anyone- I mean, really, seriously- have any idea what is actually happening within the worship culture of evangelicals?

We have, within a matter of 50 years, completely changed the entire concept of what is a worship service. We’ve adopted an approach that demands ridiculous levels of musical, technical and financial commitment and resources.Continue reading “The Big Worship Goof”

Open mic at the iMonk Cafe: Grace and Authority

radiomicFor the sake of this question, I’m going to make an unsafe assumption: that we all have a strong commitment to the application of grace in everyday life.

While all of us who love grace want to apply it to all of our relationships, we have to admit that in some relationships, we have to use law in order to fulfill the responsibilities we have in various roles of authority.

How does a parent, a teacher, an employer, law enforcement officer or a person otherwise charged with the use of authority and law live out and apply a Biblical commitment to grace in relationships?

I want to be gracious to my students, and I’m willing to be abused, but my responsibilities as a teacher require me to use law in order to maintain order and fulfill the requirements of a classroom process.

Is the answer an “either/or” between law and grace or a use of law in such a way that grace is seen even more clearly?

I’m especially interested in the answers of those who must sometimes be the “enforcer” or rules and policies.

On Teaching Edwards’ “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God”

vc6806thA tough day at the office today, the office being teaching remedial English III to a small class of kids who failed it. A couple are new and one is not happy- at all- to be in school this summer. So I’m earning the big bucks like a real teacher this week. My fan club is small and getting smaller.

Into all this I have the assignment of teaching a short lesson on Jonathan Edwards and “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God.” (I won’t skip it. Too significant in American Lit.) The excerpt we use is a collection of the most intense metaphors, and I’m supposed to teach Edwards’ linguistic approach, not his theology. So I try to extract Edwards from the stereotypical ditch this sermons puts him into and I hope that someday a student will associate Edwards with the excerpts from his diary I also share with them and not just spiders hanging over flame.

Actually, I’m not an Edwards’ fan. As far as I am concerned, he made the entire Christian faith much more difficult and considerably less Jesus shaped than I believe that it is. Despite his brilliant intellect, Edwards seems to be about more about speculation and revivalism than the Gospel. His desire to awaken unconverted church members sounds very familiar to me, and his rhetorical intensity is familiar ground as well. I heard it all in the front row of fundamentalistic revivalism growing up. An inscrutable angry God demanding we wake up and realize we’re going to hell. Yes, church member who thinks he’s saved, that means you.Continue reading “On Teaching Edwards’ “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God””