Lenten Links: Resources for A Post-Evangelical Lent

q2_lent1.JPGAsh Wednesday (and the beginning of Lent) is one week from today, so it’s an appropriate time to point you in the direction of some good Lenten Links. If you’ve made the big step into observing Advent, Lent should be next in your appreciation of the Christian year..

Since most of you have already done 40 Days of Purpose, you’ve got the 40 days down. Now just get them in the right order, add the weekends, and head for Holy Week. (Just don’t give up my blog for Lent, unless you’re “Truth Unites….” Then by all means…)

I enjoy observing Lent devotionally. I haven’t fasted in past years, but may do so this year.

I hope these resources are helpful to all of you who are interested in a more intentional spiritual formation in worship and prayer.

The Weekly Lectionary for Lent.

Read the Church Fathers during Lent. This is really a great project, which you can do online or print out a rather large pdf. (Watch out for Cyprian, Protestants. He’s hard core 🙂Continue reading “Lenten Links: Resources for A Post-Evangelical Lent”

Review: Life After Church by Brian Sanders

sanderchurch.jpgIs there a compelling reason to read Brian Sanders’ version of “Why so many of us are leaving the traditional churches for emerging churches?”

Maybe. Life After Church is a book many of my readers will appreciate.

I think Sanders gets many things right. I certainly appreciated his emphasis on scripture; a gift to all of us, by the way, from the church of the past. His helpful and pastoral advice to those leaving the church is mature and practical.Continue reading “Review: Life After Church by Brian Sanders”

Today’s Special: Words For The “I’m Praying for Spencer” Guy

3mz3jtvu.jpgSeveral years ago, when a major reformed blog decided to make me their feature attraction, I first heard “I’m praying for Michael Spencer” from somebody who 1) didn’t know me at all and 2) didn’t like me based on what they did know. (See first comment.)

Since that time, not a month goes by without some blogger somewhere giving some version of this little speech: “I can’t say what I think about Michael Spencer. It’s just not appropriate for a Christian, so I’ll just pray for him.” This generally follows after I’ve 1) disagreed with a favorite preacher or 2) distanced myself from some theological position they believe is equal to true Christianity, like reading A.W. Pink.

For 16 years, I’ve work with about 150 Christians on the staff of a large ministry. I’ve worked in large churches for years before that. I’ve been listening to Christian-ese- the special dialect of Christians- for half a century. I speak it fluently in several versions: Charismatic, Baptist, Calvinist, Youth Worker. I’m studying Emerging. And I am certified to translate.

Based on extensive research, let me say with all the smarmy spiritual phoniness I can muster, that this kind of pious prayer announcement is bovine manure.Continue reading “Today’s Special: Words For The “I’m Praying for Spencer” Guy”

Cloverfield, Catastrophism and Christian Eschatology

cloverfield.jpgThe following post could possibly be the largest discrepancy between the subject of a post and the actual title of a post you’ve ever read in these spaces. I’m hoping someone will nominate the title for an award.

Seriously, if you never thought about the topic of this post, don’t ridicule me. I’ve watched a lot of TV in my life, and it’s taken a toll on my theology.

I’ve seen Cloverfield twice. I could write several posts about the film. If I wanted to talk about art, I’d have some things to say about the reinvention of genre through a change of point of view. If I wanted to talk apologetics, I could discuss the emerging story of redemption that becomes far more important to us than the destruction of Manhattan by an angry lobster.

Instead, I want to venture into really dangerous waters in the blogosphere: eschatology. Go get your charts and slide rules. I’ll get a cherry coke and meet you back here in 2 minutes.

***Commercial for New Reformation Press. Great Lutheran and Reformation gear. Check out the t-shirts.***Continue reading “Cloverfield, Catastrophism and Christian Eschatology”

Riffs: 01:27:08: This is the End……of Evangelicalism, my Friend

jim-morrison_small.png***Music by The Doors: “The End.”***

There was an elf that met the children at the door. Also in this room was a store that had Barbies, action figures, Brats Dolls, and all of the most popular items that you would find in a Toy-R-Us catalog the day after Thanksgiving. In order for kids to get the merchandise, they had to say a memory verse and earn store credits. The first thing my kids said to me when I went to pick them up was ”Daddy, can we start going to this church?” Can you blame them? For kids, this was a dream church.

If you listened to the interview I just did on Steve Brown, Etc., you may recall a moment when Steve and Eric asked me what was wrong with evangelicalism, and I said it was over. Steve gave a more hopeful view and I admitted that there were some hopeful signs out there, well off the media radar and among ordinary people.

Well Steve, it was a moment of weakness. You were being nice and I fell under your influence. But then I read C. Michael Patton’s post “The Entertainment Driven Church,” and I realized I was right: Evangelicalism is over. Long live post-evangelicalism. (Whatever we are/it is.)Continue reading “Riffs: 01:27:08: This is the End……of Evangelicalism, my Friend”

My Ash Wednesday Dilemma: In Which Your Internet Monk Asks for Help From The Audience

girl-ashes-3.jpgFor the past hour, I’ve been trying to find a Protestant church nearby where I can go for Ash Wednesday service on February 6.

If you don’t know where I live, let me put it this way: There are probably more churches marking Ash Wednesday in some Muslim countries than there are churches doing so within an hour of me.

My research says that participating in this ancient and meaningful beginning to the season of repentance and preparation for Holy Week and Easter will require me to go no less than 50 miles in any of three directions. In two of those options, I wouldn’t bet they will have a service because they barely have enough living people for Sundays and must share a minister with other congregations.

My closest sure thing is an hour away, which is sounding pretty good right now. (They’ve even got pancakes going on Tuesday night, which is even more persuasive.)Continue reading “My Ash Wednesday Dilemma: In Which Your Internet Monk Asks for Help From The Audience”

Michael On Today’s “Steve Brown, Etc.” Program

steve-brown-etc.pngI had the great honor of being the guest on today’s Steve Brown, Etc. Program. Steve is a real hero of mine, and if we ever got together in real life, we’d need lawyers and bail money.

Here’s a link to today’s program. Enjoy it and thanks again to Steve and the whole crew.

Twenty Myths That Keep Christians From Discussing Abortion

23348372.jpgI’ve had very few posts on abortion in this space, and there’s a reason for that. You can’t have a reasonable discussion most of the time. Everything devolves into a rhetorical, emotional conflict that resembles professional wrestling. In a cage.

It’s really embarrassing that so many of us can’t talk about abortion like intelligent, civil people. It just seems to be too much. And here are twenty reasons why. Twenty myths- and yes, that’s what I said- that keep Christians from discussing abortion.

They seem self-explanatory to me, but I’m sure some of you will appreciate explanations, but I’m wanting to focus on the myths themselves, not the debates about each one. I may or may not write much more in the comments, but I will be moderating this comment thread more than a little closely.

Let’s see if we can at least put these myths aside and recalibrate one of the most important moral issues we’ll ever examine; one we all have a stake in settling.

Remember: these are MY myths. You may disagree strongly. Just express yourself appropriately.

The Twenty Myths That Keep Christians From Discussing AbortionContinue reading “Twenty Myths That Keep Christians From Discussing Abortion”

iMonk 101: Jesus = Salvation

capon-mystery-of-christ.jpgI haven’t talked about Robert Capon in a while, so here’s a visit to one of my favorite past IM posts: “Jesus = Salvation.” I say this all the time in teaching and preaching. It’s been very helpful to me and hopefully to others. Capon got me there. I love you, Fr. Robert.

If you aren’t familiar with Robert Capon and the influence he’s had on me, a search of the site will find him hiding out everywhere. This post riffs off his book The Mystery of Christ…and Why We Don’t Get It.

I wrote this while I was being denounced by the Fide-o boys over my lack of belief in the reformed doctrine of limited atonement. That’s why the post starts out as it does.

READ: Jesus = Salvation.