Ground Rules: The Decision To Make It Personal

armed_and_dangerous.jpgGround Rules is a series of posts on some of the issues raised in my interactions with my critics in the blogosphere.

Imagine with me, if you will, the following strange story.

Imagine that I make a blog post taking issue with some point made by Ravi Zacharias. I rarely disagree with Ravi, but let’s say I take some issue with him on the issue of inerrancy. I devote a post to it.Continue reading “Ground Rules: The Decision To Make It Personal”

Blogs I’d Like to Read (or How To Perk Up A Boring Blogosphere)

blog.jpegI’m not one of those constantly offended, hand-wringing bloggers who has to run a monthly post complaining about the Christian blogosphere or tell you ten rules for the Christian blogger. That may be because, as some frequently note, I’m part of “the problem” in the Christian blogosphere. (Yawn) Well too bad. I’m happy to do my phampleteering and pirate radio in my way and for you to do whatever you do in yours. Talk hard, as we say around here.Continue reading “Blogs I’d Like to Read (or How To Perk Up A Boring Blogosphere)”

Evangelism: Resources, Methods and Content

heartlogo-sm.gifThis post is a survey of some thoughts about evangelism that I’ve wanted to share for some time in response to several discussions and posts in the blogosphere. I hope they are helpful in some way to those of you who do evangelism.

When I came to work at the ministry where I serve 15 years ago, the President was Dr. Barkley Moore. Dr. Moore was a man much like Jesus; a man whose vision of the Kingdom knew no bounds. He particularly believed that nothing was as important as sharing the saving message of Jesus Christ- the Gospel- with every student on our campus every day.Continue reading “Evangelism: Resources, Methods and Content”

Riffs: 1:08:07: Mark Galli: Liturgy Beyond the Rat Race of “Relevance”

logo.gifThanks, Mark Galli. If these two paragraphs summarizing the thoughts on liturgy in your current book project are any indication, I may buy twenty.

Why do post-evangelicals like myself find such a comfort and a shelter in liturgy? Because liturgy refuses to be part of the various rat races that evangelicals conduct under the guise of church growth and evangelism. Heeeere’s Mark:Continue reading “Riffs: 1:08:07: Mark Galli: Liturgy Beyond the Rat Race of “Relevance””

Passive or Passionate?: Francis Chan and the God of the Gospel Offer

youth2431.JPGUPDATE: Kiwi and an Emu has some thoughts.

UPDATE II: Frank Turk has some outstanding thoughts on this topic, plus a great Spurgeon quote. This is a dialog that will be very helpful to many SBC leaders wondering if Calvinism is the anti-missions theology they’ve been told it is. UPDATE III: Frank keeps it up at his blog. And continues with one final installment.

UPDATE IV: Read the comment thread.

UPDATE V: Gene Bridges hits a home run. Arminians aren’t your problem in evangelism. There’s some hyper-Calvinism around here, too.

[This post begins and ends with the assumption that you will take the time to watch Francis Chan’s video presentation of the gospel at Just Stop and Think.com. Invest the time to view the video (15 minutes) and/or read the gospel presentation at the web site.]Continue reading “Passive or Passionate?: Francis Chan and the God of the Gospel Offer”

Internet Monk Radio Podcast #39

podcast_logo.gifMy favorite Christmas gift. A Sara Groves song for New Year. Financial integrity for churches. Epiphany. Encouragement from Hebrews.

Sara Groves
Embezzlement at Amy Welborn’s blog (Not what it sounds like.)

The Internet Monk Radio podcast is available at itunes. Search “monk” and experience the magic. Write a glowing review and receive a special blessing from St. Bashaw of the Tundra, patron saint of this podcast.

Recommendations and Reviews: J.F. Powers, “Wheat That Springeth Green”

Wheat That Springeth Green (New York Review Books Classics)Just finished J.F. Powers’ novel of the life of an ordinary suburban priest, Wheat That Springeth Green. Maybe I’m starved for a good novel, but it was fine. Great character. Understated, excellent humor. A simple, even profound, vision of the priestly life and ordinary people.

Powers seems to have mastered the small, almost invisible world of ordinary parish ministry. It is, in fact, the journey from dreams of sainthood and spiritual achievement to the mundane, political and public relations pursuits of the parish that animate this story. One needn’t be a pre-Vatican II Catholic to appreciate what happens to Fr. Joe between his days of lengthy contemplative prayer and hair shirts to his struggles with fund-raising and the lives of ordinary parishoners and church leaders.Continue reading “Recommendations and Reviews: J.F. Powers, “Wheat That Springeth Green””

Remembering The Stutterer

10019014.JPGWhen I was a child and a teenager, I stuttered. For several years, quite badly. Those who know me will notice that I can still get into some stuttering patterns when I’m nervous or stressed, but for the most part, my stuttering left me around age 15 when I started preaching regularly.

There are different kinds of stuttering. Mine was a primarily a problem with certain hard sounds. Dad told me that he first noticed I couldn’t say “Alice,” but just froze up on the hard “a” sound. I’ve been avoiding those hard “A’s” ever since. Some of you could compose a sentence to torture me and put it in the comments if you like.

I had other kinds of stuttering patterns, including halting, lots of “uh’s,” (Hi Phil!) and repeating certain words. There’s nothing more fun than wanting to talk to a girl and getting stuck repeating the word “You” over and over. “You you you you you you look really nice.” Kind of takes the blush off the rose. If her name was Alice, it could turn into a real circus.Continue reading “Remembering The Stutterer”