Out of the wilderness; onto a path — this is a summary of my spiritual/theological experience in 2011. As Antonio Machado wrote, “The way is made by walking,” and I guess I’ve just kept walking through the wilderness long enough that eventually a path appeared. That path remains before me, its direction and character unknown.Continue reading “On the Post-Evangelical Path”
Category Archives: Post-Evangelicalism
My Debt to Evangelicalism
Just because I left evangelicalism as a church system and culture several years ago and was willing to hang around in the wilderness rather than go back doesn’t mean I’m an ingrate. People can move on without blowing up the bridge behind them and calling the whole sojourn in one’s former land a total waste.Continue reading “My Debt to Evangelicalism”
How the Lutheran Tradition Answers Many Post-Evangelical Concerns (1)
Last week I wrote about how I have come to peace with my place in the tradition of the Church. My new personal statement of identity is: “I am a Christian, and I practice my faith in the Lutheran tradition.” I am the first to admit that I have a long way to go inContinue reading “How the Lutheran Tradition Answers Many Post-Evangelical Concerns (1)”
Wilderness Update
I have had thoughts lately again about vocational matters in my life. A number of different circumstances have come about in which I’ve considered making a few changes — nothing related to my full-time employment at this time, but to things which may determine direction in the future. These kinds of situations come up aContinue reading “Wilderness Update”
Hooray for Shaun King!
Last night I read that Shaun King resigned on September 1 as pastor of Courageous Church in Atlanta, GA. Here’s what he said to the congregation: After much prayer and many discussions with my family, friends, and mentors, I have decided that it is time for me to transition out of my role as LeadContinue reading “Hooray for Shaun King!”
Another Look: A Suggested Program for the Church
By Chaplain Mike Note from CM: One of the questions I received for the “Ask Chaplain Mike” series was this: “If you were in the process of becoming a new pastor in an established church, what would your first priority be? How would you arrive at it?” The answer to that question is bigger thanContinue reading “Another Look: A Suggested Program for the Church”
The Crossroads
Last month, at Easter, my family and I joined the Catholic Church. Each of us would phrase our reasons for doing so somewhat differently, but here are a few of mine. I offer them not to preach or gloat, just to share a decision faced by quite a few of us in the post-evangelical wilderness.Continue reading “The Crossroads”
How I Got to “OK”
By Chaplain Mike From the start of my ministry three decades ago, there were aspects of being an evangelical pastor that I simply did not “get.” I would hear other ministers speak and tell about what God was doing at their churches, learn about their approaches and their programs, listen to testimonies from folks inContinue reading “How I Got to “OK””
A Conference I Recommend
By Chaplain Mike “…his reply has been, “My grace is enough for you: for where there is weakness, my power is shown the more completely.” Therefore, I have cheerfully made up my mind to be proud of my weaknesses, because they mean a deeper experience of the power of Christ. I can even enjoy weaknesses,Continue reading “A Conference I Recommend”
Our Inadequate Grasp of “Culture”
By Chaplain Mike I hope you will join the conversation as I continue to work through James Davison Hunter’s book, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World. In our first discussion, we talked through a question: If America has as many people with faith commitments asContinue reading “Our Inadequate Grasp of “Culture””
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