By Chaplain Mike Turning Controversy into Church Ministry: A Christlike Response to Homosexuality by William P. Campbell (Zondervan, 2010) I responded to an invitation to participate in a “Blog Tour” of W.P. Campbell’s book on ministering to those in the homosexual community. In typical fashion, I’m tardy in getting my review out, but I hopeContinue reading “IM Book Review: Turning Controversy into Church Ministry”
Category Archives: Culture
3-D Christmas
By Chaplain Mike You just can’t stop technology. And apparently you can’t stop evangelicals from thinking that every new or improved technology that comes along should be used to “advance the Gospel.” And so we learn that Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas (Pastor Ed Young) will be offering 21 Christmas services in 3-D at theirContinue reading “3-D Christmas”
Open Mic: Two Big Votes in Washington
By Chaplain Mike Yesterday, the U.S. Congress held well-publicized votes on two controversial pieces of legislation: the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy in the military regarding homosexuality, the “DREAM Act” that would have provided a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children. Though I normally don’t care toContinue reading “Open Mic: Two Big Votes in Washington”
Ajith Fernando on Pastoral Ministry
By Chaplain Mike In contrast to the “Disneyized” bigger, better, event and attraction oriented approach of much that we call “ministry” today, there are pastors who understand the importance of daily faithfulness, quiet consistency, regular personal interaction with those in their congregations, and ministry activities like pastoral visitation and encouraging people to fulfill their vocationsContinue reading “Ajith Fernando on Pastoral Ministry”
Peterson on Jesus as the Way
By Chaplain Mike Yesterday, in the light of our “Disney-ization” post, a friend reminded me of an interview Eugene Peterson did with Christianity Today’s Mark Galli back in 2005 called, “Spirituality for All the Wrong Reasons.” This discussion between two of my favorite writers examines the “Jesus way” of living the spiritual life vs. variousContinue reading “Peterson on Jesus as the Way”
The Disney-ization of Faith
By Chaplain Mike NOTE from CM: Comments on this post are closed. Please join us on current posts for further discussion. • • • Let me say it right from the beginning — I have always enjoyed Disney movies and characters. From my infancy, when mom and dad took me to Disneyland, to my childhoodContinue reading “The Disney-ization of Faith”
Concerning Halloween by James B. Jordan
Note from Chaplain Mike: This was Michael Spencer’s favorite article on Halloween. Thanks to James B. Jordan for giving us permission to reprint it as we prepare to celebrate our first Halloween since Michael’s death. It has become routine in October for some Christian schools to send out letters warning parents about the evils ofContinue reading “Concerning Halloween by James B. Jordan”
A Conversation We Must Have
By Chaplain Mike Thanks for a great discussion, everyone. To be continued… Comments are now closed. I have avoided this for a long time, but at some point, we are going to have to talk about it. I haven’t wanted to bring it up because, like most hot-button issues, trying to have a conversation aboutContinue reading “A Conversation We Must Have”
The New Battle for the Bible, part 1
By Guest Blogger Daniel Jepsen Coming of age in a fundamentalist church in the 70’s left one feeling a little like a Titanic passenger who’s made it onto the life boat: Yes, it’s kind of cold and cramped in here, and no, we don’t know here we’re going, but at least it’s not down. NotContinue reading “The New Battle for the Bible, part 1”
Al Mohler Is Right. Now What?
By Chaplain Mike Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, icon of the conservative and Calvinistic resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention, and public voice of the Christian right in America’s culture war, is not someone with whom I normally identify. However, this time I think he got it exactly right. InContinue reading “Al Mohler Is Right. Now What?”
The Internet Monk Archives 