Category Archives: Commentary

Too Much Heaven? Part 2: Heaven and Earth

UPDATE: Here’s a post that has a perfect feel for the idea of heaven that I grew up around- and that still surrounds me here in the mountains. (PHC= Pentecostal Holiness Church.) The message of many evangelistically focused conservative Christians is about heaven: How to get there. What will heaven be like. Why heaven isContinue reading “Too Much Heaven? Part 2: Heaven and Earth”

What do Gays and Lesbians Hear? (repost)

Before getting into the substance of this essay, I want to mention how little I care for much of the terminology I’m going to use. As a Christian humanist, there are two sources for my view of human beings: The image of God in creation, and the image of humanity in the incarnation/resurrection of Jesus.Continue reading “What do Gays and Lesbians Hear? (repost)”

Post-Stupid?

“I am on a post-evangelical journey, discovering what it means to be vitally connected to Jesus.” A truly prominent, not-post anything blogger has put forward the following theory: Those who use the prefix “post” to describe themselves are claiming to be smarter than those who don’t. Example: A “post-modernist” is saying “I used to beContinue reading “Post-Stupid?”

“Freedom in Worship” for The Liturgically Challenged (Part 1….Maybe)

Walking through the faculty dining hall where I work, I heard someone use the phrase “freedom in worship.” It occurred to me that I’ve heard that phrase in just about every evangelical setting I’ve ever been part of, and I’ve used it a lot myself. As a teenage Christian, I joined with thousands of othersContinue reading ““Freedom in Worship” for The Liturgically Challenged (Part 1….Maybe)”

Four Years: Reflecting On A First (and Only) Pastorate

I’ve written on this subject in another essay: When Loving You Is Killing Me: Thoughts on the Small Church Pastorate. After almost three years, I’m in a slightly different place with this story. Less bitter. More aware of my own failures. Twenty years ago, I became a pastor. I’d wanted to be a pastor sinceContinue reading “Four Years: Reflecting On A First (and Only) Pastorate”

Don’t Overlook One Small Victory for the PCUSA

<img id="image1901" src="https://internetmonk.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/pcusa-logo-4.thumbnail.jpg&quot; hspace=5 align=left alt="pcusa-logo-4.jpg" /I know a few of my readers will decry this decision, but I hope you will understand that if we differ, it is not because of a lack of charity or appreciation for the complications of the situation the PCUSA and other mainlines find themselves in. My own valuesContinue reading “Don’t Overlook One Small Victory for the PCUSA”

The Meaning of a Suit: A Response to John Macarthur’s Comments on Contextualization

UPDATE: Read Tim Keller on putting the Gospel in Context. David Bayly says thumbs up. I hope that this contribution to the important discussion on contextualization going on in evangelicalism will be received and read in a constructive way. I am not trying to take issues with personalities. These are important issues. I am notContinue reading “The Meaning of a Suit: A Response to John Macarthur’s Comments on Contextualization”

Art, Industry and the Evangelical Resistance

Sometime in the past, I read an interview with Michael Card and he was asked a question about contemporary praise and worship music. Somewhere in his answer, there emerged the comparison of the current contemporary music scene to an industry, and the music emerging from it was the product. Art. Creation. Industry. Product. Useful categoriesContinue reading “Art, Industry and the Evangelical Resistance”