I’m cranky and not posting anything new. Here’s a fired up iMonk essay from the archives: Subcultural Christianity or “I Know He’s a Christian ‘Cause I Saw It On His Bumper Sticker.”
An early stop on the road to post-evangelicalism, this essay is all about American Idolatry in the church.
Read: Subcultural Christianity or “I Know He’s A Christian ‘Cause I Saw It On His Bumper Sticker.”
This post is important. If you keep up with my journey, read this because what is going on with my ministry to Chinese students is becoming a major chapter in the deconstruction of my American Evangelicalism.
American Christian.
You didn’t like that did you? I don’t like it either. “American Christian” sounds idolatrous. It makes me want to hit the delete key and retype something like “a Christian, who happens to be an American.”
But I’m an American Christian. Whether I like it or not. I live in an American culture that has delivered Christ to me in the swaddling clothes of American religion, American culture, American values, the American imagination, American education, American language, American assumptions and an American view of reality.
To declare myself independent from this is to be purposely ignorant and naively arrogant. Every time I read the New Testament, I am an American reading and interpreting that New Testament. When I go to church, I am an American. When I apply my understanding of the gospel, I do it as an American.Continue reading “Do Chinese Students Need An American Jesus?”
Wayne Grudem is accumulating an impressive collection of credentials as an influential theologian within conservative evangelicalism. Grudem’s Systematic Theology is as close to a standard evangelical theology as you can find today. His writing on Biblical prophecy is standard reading for anyone interested in issues debated among charismatic and cessationist evangelicals. His work on gender is gaining authoritative status and quickly earning him the mantle of “most widely cited” theologian among conservative evangelicals.
Grudem’s new book, Evangelical Feminism: A New Path to Liberalism, is a definitive book for complementarians looking for an organized, well-written collection of arguments against the growing acceptance of egalitarianism among evangelicals. The book’s 263 pages are made up of short chapters, clearly stated arguments and responses, representative quotes, extensive footnote documentation, and a willingness to get to the point without embarrassment. The reader is never in doubt about where Grudem is going or what he believes is at stake.Continue reading “Review: Evangelical Feminism: A New Path To Liberalism? by Wayne Grudem”
Some links on Karl Barth. Those who are forever explaining me to their loyal readership should know this: I rarely disagree with Barth, and whatever names you have for him probably apply to me without exception on my part. (Other than “Lutheran.”)
Must Read: Kim Fabricius: Ten Propositions on Karl Barth: Theologian.
Coming Soon: Karl Barth and Evangelical Theology: Convergences and Differences edited by Sung Wook Chung. Contributors include Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Alister E. McGrath, Timothy George, Gabriel Fackre, Stanley Grenz, and Henri Blocher.Continue reading “Karl Barth Links”
Chief blogger at Common Grounds Online Glenn Lucke responds to my discussion of “TRs”, and adds his two cents on epistemological humility, a term I call the “humility zone,” and which TRs hate more than Mark Driscoll teaching ESL. Glenn “gets it” when it comes to the irony of believing in total depravity but finding humility about your own perception of revealed truth to be some form of unbelief.
No one is saying we can’t perceive the truth, but is that perception protected from our depravity to the extent that we can accuse those who disagree with us of being devoid of the Holy Spirit?Continue reading “Glenn Lucke on TRs/The “Humility Zone””
What I mean when I say “Macarthur-type.” Yes, I stutter. Are the rules for male friendships coming next? (Thanks Pastor Ted.) Thoughts on poetry and literature.
UPDATE: This note from a listener: “Michael – a technical comment: your podcast (and several others) kept crashing and resetting my iPod before it could start the podcast(I have the 30GB Video with the 7.0.1 iTunes, so all software is up-to-date). Apple now says that some podcasts that are recorded in mono will crash an iPod when it also has the equalizer turned on.
I turned off the equalizer, and now I can hear the podcast just fine. I would love to hear the iMonk in stereo, but until that time, you can tell other listeners with similar besetting-resetting issues to turn off their iPod’s equalizer and the problem will go away.”
What’s on My iPod? Podcasts mostly.
Here are a few of the things I enjoy on my iPod Nano these days. Almost all of these programs are available via an iTunes search, so I’m only providing links to those that aren’t on iTunes. I don’t get to take all these programs in, but these are what I download and check on.
NPR “Shuffle” is an eclectic selection of stories from NPR’s All Things Considered. It’s about 25 minutes long. Almost always something I can use in my preaching on this program. I also listen to NPR’s previews of new classical and new celtic music (“Thistlepod”.) Both programs are about 10 minutes.
I also listen to the NPR weekly movie podcast “Take Two!” If you are a movie fan, you will really enjoy this weekly survey of a theme or kind of film.Continue reading “What’s On My iPod?”
In The Study will share some of my preaching ideas and outlines with those of you who do Christian communication in ministry.
Mark 10 is a favorite evangelistic chapter. Every preacher has taken this text and used it to introduce the basic ideas of the Gospel. I’ve used it many times.
(NLT) Mark 10:17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”Continue reading “In The Study: Five Questions From Mark 10:17-27”
Ground Rules will be a series of posts exploring some of the issues raised in my interactions with other bloggers.
Occasionally, I’m criticized for my use of the acronym “TR” as shorthand for “Truly Reformed.” I often use this term in a critical way, and that’s brought regular criticism that the term is insulting.
Why do I use the term “TR?”Continue reading “Ground Rules: Is “TR” a mean and insulting label?”
On the sidebar of the Boar’s Head Tavern, a well known member’s only establishment, there is a sidebar link entitled “The Poor In Spirit.” If you go there, you will find the funeral sermon by Dr. Bryan Chapell for his friend and mentor, Petros Roukas, former pastor of Lexington’s Tate’s Creek Presbyterian Church, who had taken his own life after years of struggling with depression.
Dr. Chapell’s message is one that explores the dark, dark place most evangelicals avoid and deny, until some event makes it impossible to do so. Evangelical Christians talk about life transformation by the grace of God. At the same time, millions of people have tried what evangelicals have recommended- conversion, church, prayer, Bible reading, deliverance, worship, discipleship, Christian events, retreats, music and on and on- and remained the same. Unchanged.
In the case of Petros Roukas, the struggle ended in tragedy. Dr. Chapell spoke truthfully and profoundly. I hope you read the message, and pray for his wife, Jan and their children.
At the same time, I want you to read another piece. Not from a pastor, and not even from an evangelical. Julie Bogart is a former evangelical writing some honest words to those evangelicals that might be listening to some voices outside the usual box. Her theme is the evangelical claim to have the means of life transformation. She says it’s not true.Continue reading “Riffs 11:07:06 Bryan Chapell on Brokenness; Julie Bogart on Truthfulness”
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