The Internet Monk Archives

Open Thread Discussion: Group Punishment/Blessing in the Bible

In my Bible classes, I often will come up with a topic that relates to what we’ve been studying, and I’ll ask the students to prepare to debate either side of a proposition related to what we’ve learned.

I thought this week’s topic would make for an interesting topic of discussion. Our students, like any group of students, really dislike group punishment. So now that we have completed most of our study of the Old Testament, I’ve got them working on debating the following proposition.

“God’s use of group punishment and group blessing in the Old Testament is inherently unfair.”

Groups in this case are families, cities, nations, tribes, even the whole world.

So, what do you say? What would be your criticism, defense, questions, examples or insight? What would you contribute to our discussion?

When the “Reached” are “Unreached”

UPDATE: I had to close out the discussion when the two infallible versions of Christianity started talking to each other. Since I can’t buy either one of them, I got annoyed.

(If you are one of the people assigned to monitor this blog and report anything unusual, I’d suggest you might want to drive to a store in the next county, get a soft drink and take the scenic route back. This probably isn’t going to be a positive experience.)

Last night, my wife and I ate dinner in our ministry cafeteria, and over our table was a poster left by ladies of our local Baptist church who had a missions study and prayer breakfast there each morning the previous week.

The denominationally produced poster, to be brief, proclaimed that nearly all of South American was “unreached.”

Now if you are not an evangelical or a Southern Baptist, let me attempt to translate this for you.

In simplest terms, this means that the vast majority of people in South America are not Christians and need to be evangelized, and one of the reasons for this is that 79% of South Americans are Roman Catholics who, according to the IMB web site, “practice syncretism” and “rarely attend church.”Continue reading “When the “Reached” are “Unreached””

Alan Creech Rosaries: Great Gift Idea

Alan Creech is a good friend of this web site and is the Roman Catholic Liturgical Gangsta. He’s started a small home business project making hand-crafted, Franciscan, single decade rosaries. You can see them all- five varieties- right here. Alan will work out the details of ordering and payment with you via email at his site.

Even those who aren’t Catholic can use prayer beads as a focal point in prayer. I have a set of Anglican prayer beads that I’ve enjoyed the past year. Resources for various forms of prayer bead assisted prayer are easy to find. These would make a great gift (though a lot of orders might make Christmas delivery unlikely.) I’d like to see the IM audience support Alan in this little venture. Pass the word and spread a little liturgical cheer.

Check out all the various single decade Franciscan style rosaries/prayer beads at Alan’s web site.

(You could even give one to a fundamentalist kid.)

The Kids Are All Right: Ten Gift Ideas For A Fundamentalist Young Person Near You

Reverend Billy says “Stop Shopping! Your consumerism is out of control!”

And the iMonk says “Give that fundamentalist young person near you a Christmas to remember…..and their pastor a reason to blow a wicket.”

(BTW, I don’t just mean any fundamentalist young person. I mean that young person who is stuck in a fundamentalist church, youth program or school, and they just don’t fit in. They’re different. You can look at this kid and tell that he/she isn’t buying it all. They’re skeptical. They’re thinking and questioning. Yes, they’ve been subjected to the youth revivals, youth camps, Gothard-ite mind control techniques, Dobson parenting principles and some whack job’s infant feeding schedule plan for producing a compliant kid….and none of it has worked. This kid has the wrong music on his/her ipod. The hair’s looking rebellious. There’s some comic tucked away in their backpack. They’re cruisin’ some websites that would send their youth minister into exorcism mode. Yes, THAT kid. That kid that needs some mentoring, some light, some message in a bottle that there’s something on the other side of Christianity than what’s been foisted on him/her.)

So, here’s Ten Gift Ideas For a Fundamentalist Young Person Near You:Continue reading “The Kids Are All Right: Ten Gift Ideas For A Fundamentalist Young Person Near You”

iMonk 101: “Lo, How A Rose:” Experiencing the Power of Beauty

In 2004, I wrote this piece about discovering the power of beauty in one of the most wonderful of Christmas songs. “Lo! How a Rose…: Experiencing the Power of Beauty.”

I was a kid from a home without music or books, and it was public schools that gave me these experiences in the late 1960’s. That’s why we don’t trash public schools here at IM. They made me what I am, and I get my check from a private Christian school.

This is an advent post, and a post about the presence of grace and beauty in the world. We do a good thing when we teach someone to appreciate it.

Who and what gave you a window into the the world of beauty?

READ: Lo! How a Rose: Experiencing the Power of Beauty

Advent Greeting and A Few Good Links

UPDATE: Fearsome Pirate Josh Strodtbeck received his Treasury of Daily Prayer and writes a useful review. Do you have yours? Hit the sidebar and get one from New Reformation Press.

I’m sending along an audio Advent greeting with this post.

Rod Dreher comments on and reproduces Terry Mattingly’s lecture, “What Do Converts Want?” Lots of things of interest here for the post-evangelical crew.

W.H. Chellis makes the case for a serious belief in Santa Claus. This is much needed in our day, especially when belief in Santa is attacked by skeptics like my daughter.

I’m 52 and just learning what “Hodie” is all about. Ralph Vaughn Williams’ “Hodie” is a superb piece of Advent/Christmas music.

Reverend Cwirla’s Blogosphere is really Advent Central, along with the BHT’s Advent blog.

While We’re Talking About the Gospel….I Have a Story

I wrote this as part of a post from February of 07. It goes so well with what I want to say to all of you who may wonder if going on and on about the Gospel is really necessary.

Yes, it is.

Read and think about it:

There is another reason I care deeply about the gospel of Christ, and it has to do with my dad. Itâ€™s a story I want to share with you.

My dad had an unusual life. He grew up in Appalachian poverty. He had an 8th grade education. He made little money. He failed at a lot of jobs, but did well at some things that didnâ€™t pay much money. He was friendly and funny most of the time, but also tended to be bitter, angry, short-tempered and depressed. After his health collapsed and depression took over, he had a lot of bad days and a lot of good days. You just never knew.Continue reading “While We’re Talking About the Gospel….I Have a Story”

The Gospel-Believing Christian In The Midst of Legalism

I’ve wanted to write an encouragement for many of my readers whom I know seek to live out the Gospel in the midst of a legalistic time and place. I pray this is a gift for you if you find yourself in such a place.

Galatians 3:1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christâ€™s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own a human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? 5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. 6 In the same way, â€œAbraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.â€ 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

I am not a legalist. I am a New Covenant Christian. This is a crucial distinction for me, one on which I pray I never compromise.

As a Christian, I am staking my all on the Gospel. I am staking nothing on the law. As a minister, I am called and ordained by the church to proclaim the Gospel, not the law. When I can no longer speak, I pray that all I have spoken will be Gospel, Gospel and again, Gospel.Continue reading “The Gospel-Believing Christian In The Midst of Legalism”

Internet Monk Radio Podcast #120

Review of What Would Jesus Buy? My new book on Contemporary Christian Music. Ranting that Jesus is turned into a Pharisee.

Our sponsor is New Reformation Press. Order your copy of the Treasury of Daily Prayer from NRP. And do it soon.

Reverend Billy
Andrew Peterson

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