Now that I work for an Internet marketing company, where my online reputation will be under much more scrutiny and, thus, will reflect on my employer, it's time to add a permanent disclaimer on my site:
I am a born again, evangelical Christian. I believe every word of the Bible is true, and have pretty strong opinions on the matter. So...
The views and opinions expressed on this, or any other site where I maintain an online presence, do not necessarily reflect those of my employer, my co-workers, my church or The Church. In short, I speak for no one but myself.
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
2008-05-30
0
comments
Should have done this a long time ago...
Labels: emerging church west virginia, Jesus, web 2.0, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
2008-05-29
0
comments
More thoughts on the prosperity "gospel"
Labels: blogging, emerging church west virginia, prosperity gospel, web 2.0, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
Just came across a great new blogger...and a great post. I couldn't agree more.
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
2008-05-22
0
comments
Coming soon...
Labels: emerging church west virginia, web 2.0, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
Yes, they are a dying breed, I'm told. Don't care. I've been wanting do a podcast for awhile now. I'll start the process while I'm in the mountains this weekend and hope to have something going soon.
Stay tuned.
Stay tuned.
2008-05-20
0
comments
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
Verse of the Day
Labels: emerging church west virginia, Jesus, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity verse of the dayAs Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
(Matthew 9:9-13)
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
2008-05-15
0
comments
200th post
Labels: emerging church west virginia, multi-media monday, video, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
Yep...it's #200. Two years, 200 posts, one amazing ministry.
And, no, it's not Multi-Media Monday, but thought I'd share this video anyway. Enjoy (although you've already seen it.)
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
And, no, it's not Multi-Media Monday, but thought I'd share this video anyway. Enjoy (although you've already seen it.)
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
2008-05-14
0
comments
Twitter Links for a Wednesday
Labels: emerging church west virginia, Jesus, links, twitter, web 2.0, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
The theme of this week's links? I discovered these through networking on Twitter.
We The Church
Super, super cool new web portal. It's very Web 2.0, very Twitter-esque. And, best of all, it's one of the first social media portals specifically designed for the Body of Christ. Chad Wright's the guy behind it, and if you're hip to Twitter you can catch up with him at Twitter.com/chadwright. He's a pastor at Legacy Fellowship in Cedar Park, Texas.
The Path of Redemption
The blog of someone I follow on Twitter. OK, so I haven't read it much (I should if I'm recommending it), but his posts on Twitter are solid.
Gods Atheists Don't Believe In
I think this was meant as a pro-atheism link, but when I read it I found that it strengthened me at that moment to know I share a faith with so many others while there are many more who aren't aware of my God and only lump Him in with the thousands of others. (Note: Make sure you click on the picture to the far right, or you won't understand the site. You'll see what I mean.)
Avoid Any Hint...
And yet another guy I follow on Twitter. This is phenomenal stuff from a pure heart and many of us in this post-modern, anything goes culture would do well to heed its old-school advice.
Strangers Bring Us Closer to God
Just a great, small story that shows how service to others can inform our interaction with The Father. I'm interested to read her book now.
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
We The Church
Super, super cool new web portal. It's very Web 2.0, very Twitter-esque. And, best of all, it's one of the first social media portals specifically designed for the Body of Christ. Chad Wright's the guy behind it, and if you're hip to Twitter you can catch up with him at Twitter.com/chadwright. He's a pastor at Legacy Fellowship in Cedar Park, Texas.
The Path of Redemption
The blog of someone I follow on Twitter. OK, so I haven't read it much (I should if I'm recommending it), but his posts on Twitter are solid.
Gods Atheists Don't Believe In
I think this was meant as a pro-atheism link, but when I read it I found that it strengthened me at that moment to know I share a faith with so many others while there are many more who aren't aware of my God and only lump Him in with the thousands of others. (Note: Make sure you click on the picture to the far right, or you won't understand the site. You'll see what I mean.)
Avoid Any Hint...
And yet another guy I follow on Twitter. This is phenomenal stuff from a pure heart and many of us in this post-modern, anything goes culture would do well to heed its old-school advice.
Strangers Bring Us Closer to God
Just a great, small story that shows how service to others can inform our interaction with The Father. I'm interested to read her book now.
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
2008-05-13
0
comments
Brian McLaren Speaks...Again
Labels: brian mclaren, denominational differences, emerging chuch, emerging church west virginia, evangelism, faith, internet evangelism, Jesus, sin, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
Here's the thing: I don't want to come off as being reactionary when it comes to Emergent types in general and Brian McLaren specifically. I really don't. I also don't want to be what Emergents roll their eyes at--an evangelical, Reformed Christian who only points out bad theology or worldview instead of engaging in dialogue.
But if I am what I hate, then I have something in common with the Apostle Paul, and that puts me in good company. Am I rationalizing? Sure.
That said, here's some thoughts on McLaren's interview with the Associated Press. His quotes are first, in italics.
Q: How is what you recommend different than the humanitarian work churches do already?
A: It's not working within the paradigm that a lot of Christians work — which is all that God is ultimately interested in is extracting souls for heaven. And we might do some good works here on earth, but we don't really expect any of it to work, because the world is sort of, the toilet has been flushed and it's going down.
Ummm...OK. So far, so good. No complaints here. This is one of the central points of why I walked away from my faith in my late teens/early 20s (real original, huh?) and why society has de-valued Christian thought in recent decades.
Q: What do you mean by systemic change?
A: You can make incremental changes within a subsystem but in order to actually change a whole system you have to get a lot of the parts changing all at once. ... You can pour money into building a school, but then if there's a war, the war wipes out all the benefit you got from the school and the school shuts down. You can improve agriculture, but if HIV runs through, then there's so much upheaval, then you can't maintain the advances in agriculture.
And now we're 2-for-2. Of course, I would argue that the "whole system" of Christian theology hardly needs changing. Again, and this is the central point of my beef with Emergent types, if we start talking about systemic change, then we get down a path that questions Christ's divinity the inerrancy of Scripture, etc.
Q: But there's an impression churches are already so active on these issues. Why does anyone need to urge churches to do this?
A: One of the really important concepts is the difference between mercy and justice. There's that famous passage from Micah 6, "Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God." One way to describe it is unjust systems throw people into misery and mercy brings us to relieve some of their misery, but until we confront the unjust systems by doing justice we're never going to make a change. ... I think what churches in America, especially evangelical churches, are just waking up to is the way they have to deal with systemic injustice, not just charitable giving to people in misery.
Bravo, Mr. McLaren. Bravo.
I think the naivete of some of those critics is that they're starting with a pure pristine understanding of the Gospel. It seems to me we're all in danger of screwing up.
OK, now we're starting to have trouble. A pristine understanding of the Gospel? How about "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life...no one comes to the Father but through Me." How are we in danger of screwing up if we start with that as cornerstone No. 1? Is that not a pristine understanding of the Gospel? Look, I know "no one comes to the Father but through Me" is divisive. But Jesus said it. Sorry. End of story.
Ten years ago, the question was, why are Gen-Xers dropping out of church? .. So we've been grappling with these very deep theological questions over the last five or seven years.
Fantastic. That's the question I've been seeking an answer to as well. I know my own story, and I would suspect it is similar to others'.
Q: What are the weaknesses of the movement?
A: Nobody had a master strategy for this. That creates weaknesses as well as strengths. It means you don't have anybody calling the shots and it means that things happen in a somewhat haphazard way. And I think there's a huge range of responses. ... Among evangelicals you have people who are not doing any theological rethinking at all. The theology that they inherited, they're staying with 100 percent. They're trying to do sort of methodological innovation (in styles of worship). And my personal feeling is that's great. Those'll be steps in a good direction... I'm not a purist about anything. I think it's all good. We're all trying to stumble along and take some steps in the right direction. Others of us are asking theological questions and that's always messy.
I am a purist...about Jesus, what He said, what He did. I'm not apologizing for it. It seems like too many people are. Again, the big question: What if Jesus meant everything He said? And, again, what does "theological rethinking" mean, anyway? Does it mean we are rethinking core aspects of the faith, the Truth of Christ? The inerrancy of the Word of God? Because these are areas where there can be no compromise. Again, that's divisive. But Jesus was divisive to a lot of people. That's one of the reasons they wanted to kill Him. (But they failed...they didn't kill Jesus. Jesus laid down His life.)
...if liberal means that government can solve all of our problems and that secularism is better than faith, and that it doesn't matter what you do in your personal life and that morality is up for grabs, then I'm not a liberal.
Nor am I.
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
But if I am what I hate, then I have something in common with the Apostle Paul, and that puts me in good company. Am I rationalizing? Sure.
That said, here's some thoughts on McLaren's interview with the Associated Press. His quotes are first, in italics.
Q: How is what you recommend different than the humanitarian work churches do already?
A: It's not working within the paradigm that a lot of Christians work — which is all that God is ultimately interested in is extracting souls for heaven. And we might do some good works here on earth, but we don't really expect any of it to work, because the world is sort of, the toilet has been flushed and it's going down.
Ummm...OK. So far, so good. No complaints here. This is one of the central points of why I walked away from my faith in my late teens/early 20s (real original, huh?) and why society has de-valued Christian thought in recent decades.
Q: What do you mean by systemic change?
A: You can make incremental changes within a subsystem but in order to actually change a whole system you have to get a lot of the parts changing all at once. ... You can pour money into building a school, but then if there's a war, the war wipes out all the benefit you got from the school and the school shuts down. You can improve agriculture, but if HIV runs through, then there's so much upheaval, then you can't maintain the advances in agriculture.
And now we're 2-for-2. Of course, I would argue that the "whole system" of Christian theology hardly needs changing. Again, and this is the central point of my beef with Emergent types, if we start talking about systemic change, then we get down a path that questions Christ's divinity the inerrancy of Scripture, etc.
Q: But there's an impression churches are already so active on these issues. Why does anyone need to urge churches to do this?
A: One of the really important concepts is the difference between mercy and justice. There's that famous passage from Micah 6, "Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God." One way to describe it is unjust systems throw people into misery and mercy brings us to relieve some of their misery, but until we confront the unjust systems by doing justice we're never going to make a change. ... I think what churches in America, especially evangelical churches, are just waking up to is the way they have to deal with systemic injustice, not just charitable giving to people in misery.
Bravo, Mr. McLaren. Bravo.
I think the naivete of some of those critics is that they're starting with a pure pristine understanding of the Gospel. It seems to me we're all in danger of screwing up.
OK, now we're starting to have trouble. A pristine understanding of the Gospel? How about "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life...no one comes to the Father but through Me." How are we in danger of screwing up if we start with that as cornerstone No. 1? Is that not a pristine understanding of the Gospel? Look, I know "no one comes to the Father but through Me" is divisive. But Jesus said it. Sorry. End of story.
Ten years ago, the question was, why are Gen-Xers dropping out of church? .. So we've been grappling with these very deep theological questions over the last five or seven years.
Fantastic. That's the question I've been seeking an answer to as well. I know my own story, and I would suspect it is similar to others'.
Q: What are the weaknesses of the movement?
A: Nobody had a master strategy for this. That creates weaknesses as well as strengths. It means you don't have anybody calling the shots and it means that things happen in a somewhat haphazard way. And I think there's a huge range of responses. ... Among evangelicals you have people who are not doing any theological rethinking at all. The theology that they inherited, they're staying with 100 percent. They're trying to do sort of methodological innovation (in styles of worship). And my personal feeling is that's great. Those'll be steps in a good direction... I'm not a purist about anything. I think it's all good. We're all trying to stumble along and take some steps in the right direction. Others of us are asking theological questions and that's always messy.
I am a purist...about Jesus, what He said, what He did. I'm not apologizing for it. It seems like too many people are. Again, the big question: What if Jesus meant everything He said? And, again, what does "theological rethinking" mean, anyway? Does it mean we are rethinking core aspects of the faith, the Truth of Christ? The inerrancy of the Word of God? Because these are areas where there can be no compromise. Again, that's divisive. But Jesus was divisive to a lot of people. That's one of the reasons they wanted to kill Him. (But they failed...they didn't kill Jesus. Jesus laid down His life.)
...if liberal means that government can solve all of our problems and that secularism is better than faith, and that it doesn't matter what you do in your personal life and that morality is up for grabs, then I'm not a liberal.
Nor am I.
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
2008-05-12
0
comments
Protestants, Playboy and Penthouse
Labels: culture, emerging church west virginia, west virginia christianity
0
comments
Multi-Media Monday
Labels: emerging church west virginia, johnny cash, multi-media monday, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
You gotta love Johnny Cash
2008-05-11
0
comments
Brian McLaren AP interview
Labels: brian mclaren, emerging chuch, emerging church west virginia, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
My state newspaper (the Charleston Gazette--warning: terrible functionality) ran an Associated Press interview with Brian McLaren on Saturday, which is great because here, in West Virginia, the level of understanding about emerging trends in church and worship are, at best, woefully understood and, at worst, represent a complete ignorance.
As always, I find myself disagreeing with the guy on a bunch of things (am I consciously looking for things to disagree on, or really listening with an open mind? I hope the latter), so I think I'll sit down and churn out a few words about it tonight.
Grace and Peace...
As always, I find myself disagreeing with the guy on a bunch of things (am I consciously looking for things to disagree on, or really listening with an open mind? I hope the latter), so I think I'll sit down and churn out a few words about it tonight.
Grace and Peace...
2008-05-09
0
comments
BlogCarolinas Social Media/Web 2.0 conference
Labels: blog carolinas, blogging, emerging church west virginia, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
Spending a few days in Raleigh, North Carolina, to learn more about promoting my online presence/reputation and to see what implications it could have for 1) Internet evangelism/ministry and 2) the new career God has blessed me with. Can't wait to get back to blogging on a regular basis when I get back.
Grace and Peace...
Grace and Peace...
2008-05-06
0
comments
The Christian Paradox
Labels: emerging church west virginia, Jesus, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
I found this piece recently, even though it's from a nearly three-year-old edition of Harper's. Don't know how I missed it at the time. Glad I found it now.
So take a look. Share your thoughts. Stay tuned.
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
So take a look. Share your thoughts. Stay tuned.
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
2008-05-05
0
comments
Multi-Media Monday
Labels: emerging church west virginia, funny, multi-media monday, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
Let's be a little light-hearted today, shall we? Not sure about you, but I definitely need it.
Oh, and don't forget: if you haven't taken the Evangelical Attitudes survey, please do so.
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
Oh, and don't forget: if you haven't taken the Evangelical Attitudes survey, please do so.
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
2008-05-01
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comments
Evangelical Attitudes: A Candid Christian Survey
Labels: appalachia, consumer culture, emerging chuch, emerging church west virginia, Jesus, relevant magazine, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
This is a blatant rip-off of this month's issue of Relevant magazine, the cover story of which asks about "7 Burning Issues: Injustice, War, Consumerism, Faith, Culture, Politics and Gay Rights--You Asked the Questions, We Found Answers."
I thought it was an incredibly compelling piece, so much that I wanted to do my own survey of some of the issues that's facing the 21st century church in an increasingly post-Christian society. It's something that's of particular interest in my area; West Virginia and the rest of Appalachia certainly lags behind in terms of socio-cultural trends, and the emerging church conversation has yet to reach the hills and valleys where I live. And that's a shame, because the same cultural and societal attitudes that are driving the conversation exist here as they do elsewhere, it's just that we aren't reaping the benefits of what might arise from the emerging church conversation. That's why one of my goals through this blog is to encourage more dialogue about post-modern culture and Christianity here in Appalachia in general and West Virginia in particular.
So, I would ask that you join the conversation, no matter where you're from or who you are. Answer these poll questions, leave a comment, drop me an e-mail. Let's see what there is to learn, and how we can teach others about Jesus.
Grace and Peace...
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
I thought it was an incredibly compelling piece, so much that I wanted to do my own survey of some of the issues that's facing the 21st century church in an increasingly post-Christian society. It's something that's of particular interest in my area; West Virginia and the rest of Appalachia certainly lags behind in terms of socio-cultural trends, and the emerging church conversation has yet to reach the hills and valleys where I live. And that's a shame, because the same cultural and societal attitudes that are driving the conversation exist here as they do elsewhere, it's just that we aren't reaping the benefits of what might arise from the emerging church conversation. That's why one of my goals through this blog is to encourage more dialogue about post-modern culture and Christianity here in Appalachia in general and West Virginia in particular.
So, I would ask that you join the conversation, no matter where you're from or who you are. Answer these poll questions, leave a comment, drop me an e-mail. Let's see what there is to learn, and how we can teach others about Jesus.
Grace and Peace...
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
2008-04-30
0
comments
Comments are Back!
Labels: commenting, emerging church west virginia, Jesus, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
All this time, and it took just one measly little line of code to fix a problem that's been plaguing me for months.
For any return readers, you'll know that I wasn't able to have any comments on my blog for some time after modifying the code in my blog template. Turns out, all I need to do is add a little line of Javascript as a solution.
It's not a long-term fix; I don't like the way it looks and/or operates. But it is a fix for now.
Hope you'll all consider commenting on the site and get some dialogue going.
Grace and Peace...
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
For any return readers, you'll know that I wasn't able to have any comments on my blog for some time after modifying the code in my blog template. Turns out, all I need to do is add a little line of Javascript as a solution.
It's not a long-term fix; I don't like the way it looks and/or operates. But it is a fix for now.
Hope you'll all consider commenting on the site and get some dialogue going.
Grace and Peace...
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
0
comments
Multi-Media Monday (on a Wednesday)
Labels: emerging church west virginia, Jesus, video, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity, worship
If you're just joining the program, used to be I'd have a different theme for each day. Mondays were for audio and video (hence, Multi-Media Monday...I've always loved alliteration. Back in my newspaper days, I wrote, much to the consternation of my boss, the headline "Copper Crook Costs County Cash in Coal Crime"). On Tuesdays and Fridays I would posts original content, Wednesdays were for links and on Sundays I'd wrap up the week's spirituality news.
I said all of that because I'd like to get back to posting darn near every day, and I think getting back to thematic posts is the way to do it. Keeps it fresh and (hopefully) interesting. Of course, I've probably written this same post in the past, so take it for what it's worth.
In the meantime, check out this video of the cutest, smartest and most spiritual-minded two-and-a-half-year-old little girl in the world. And just because she's my daughter doesn't mean it's not true. It just means I'm not objective.
Grace and Peace...
I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
I said all of that because I'd like to get back to posting darn near every day, and I think getting back to thematic posts is the way to do it. Keeps it fresh and (hopefully) interesting. Of course, I've probably written this same post in the past, so take it for what it's worth.
In the meantime, check out this video of the cutest, smartest and most spiritual-minded two-and-a-half-year-old little girl in the world. And just because she's my daughter doesn't mean it's not true. It just means I'm not objective.
Grace and Peace...
I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
2008-04-28
0
comments
How Would Jesus Vote? Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright
Labels: barack obama, brian mclaren, emerging church west virginia, how would jesus vote?, jeremiah wright, Jesus, politics, united church of christ, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
I couldn't care less where Barack Obama goes to church, or who is pastor is. I do care what Obama thinks and believes...but they aren't necessarily the same as what Jeremiah Wright thinks and believes. (Speaking of that, check out this video. I think I'll keep a running diary of it and post here and on Twitter either tonight or tomorrow. Great, great stuff in this video, and another side of a man many of us only know from soundbites.)
My question is this: Did Jeremiah Wright really refuse to affirm Christ as the only way to God at today's meeting with the National Press Club in Washington? If so, it means Wright's beliefs are part of a troubling trend in the 21st century, post-modern church.
Wright, Brian McLaren and others of their ilk apply a rigid standard to Jesus' actual words when it comes to His stance on social justice. I applaud that. Further, I wholeheartedly agree that we, as Christians, have put far too little emphasis on that aspect of our faith, focusing instead on our own spiritual development at the expense of those outside the often country club-like atmosphere of white, suburban, middle-class congregations. Might I, however, submit that those more philsophically on the left are just as guilty as narrowly defining what Christ said and meant as those on the philosophical right?
Why can't those emergent, post-modern "evangelical" leaders apply that same standard to everything Jesus said?
Well, guess what...Jesus also said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. NO ONE comes to the Father EXCEPT through ME." (emphasis mine)
It works both ways, folks.
I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
My question is this: Did Jeremiah Wright really refuse to affirm Christ as the only way to God at today's meeting with the National Press Club in Washington? If so, it means Wright's beliefs are part of a troubling trend in the 21st century, post-modern church.
Wright, Brian McLaren and others of their ilk apply a rigid standard to Jesus' actual words when it comes to His stance on social justice. I applaud that. Further, I wholeheartedly agree that we, as Christians, have put far too little emphasis on that aspect of our faith, focusing instead on our own spiritual development at the expense of those outside the often country club-like atmosphere of white, suburban, middle-class congregations. Might I, however, submit that those more philsophically on the left are just as guilty as narrowly defining what Christ said and meant as those on the philosophical right?
Why can't those emergent, post-modern "evangelical" leaders apply that same standard to everything Jesus said?
Well, guess what...Jesus also said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. NO ONE comes to the Father EXCEPT through ME." (emphasis mine)
It works both ways, folks.
I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
0
comments
I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
Manic Monday
Labels: emerging church west virginia, Jesus, links, west virginia christian, west virginia christianityCandidChristian.com ... helping people put off work since 2006. Yes, that's right--time for some links.
Major Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents
Did you know there are more followers of Rastafarianism in the United States than there are Scientologists? Me neither.
Early Christian Writings
Apocrypha, Gnostic gospels, writings from Ptolemy and Marcus Aurelius. We're not talking about the Word of God, but it's interesting enough.
Metaphysics
I loved philosophy class in college ... I just wish my mind worked that way and I could pontificate on humanity's great questions. Glad there are people to do it for me.
I Am a Zombie Filled with Love
Bizarre story. Why did I think it was great? (Spoiler: this is much, much more than a story about a zombie falling in love...if you think that's all it is, you're missing something.)
The Brick Testament
God's Word ... told in Legos.
Fun with Legos
Two Lego links in one post?
Have a great week. Talk to you soon.
I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.
2008-04-25
0
comments
No Tags for Jesus
Labels: emerging church west virginia, Jesus, politics, west virginia christian, west virginia christianity
Proposed Christian license plate hits roadblock.
I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com. Help me promote this blog by using the icons below, which links this blog to social bookmarking sites and helps online users discover this and other online content.
I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com. Help me promote this blog by using the icons below, which links this blog to social bookmarking sites and helps online users discover this and other online content.
2008-04-22
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What do Southern Baptists and Leonardo DiCaprio have in common? They both care about good environmental stewardship. Politics make strange bedfellows indeed.
Arguably the most conservative of mainstream evangelical demoninations, some Southern Baptists have jumped on board with green issues, embracing societal change in an effort to avoid what many seem to think is a planetary crisis.
It's called the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative, and demoninational pastors, leaders and lay persons are urging members of the denomination to not only sign a statement of support, but also to live both holy and green.
This is earth-shattering (as always, pun is intended). We're not talking Unitarians here. These are not members of the United Church of Christ. Southern Baptists, as a whole, are more George Bush than Ted Kennedy. And the Southern Baptist Convention, by all accounts, is the largest evangelical Christian denomination in America. (You can check out the stats from Barna.)
Two observations here. First, this is further evidence that environmental issues have gone mainstream. The first Earth Day was in 1970. Back then, there were exactly three people who celebrated it: Ed Begley Jr., Al Gore and maybe a hippie living in a California commune named Moonbeam. That's it. Now, even Southern Baptists are going green, for crying out loud. Who's next, James Dobson?
Second, it's another example of 21st century evangelicals understanding the need, within carefully and prayerfully defined limits, to engage modern culture on its terms. I know I sound like a broken record about this sometimes, but engaging culture isn't a bad thing, so long as that engagement doesn't equal relativism. I'm not going to hell because I'm wearing a Pearl Jam T-shirt right now, or because I'd rather go to Bonnaroo than Icthus this summer.
I once heard a Penecostal preacher deliver a sermon to a Freewill Baptist congregation. He was brilliant in the way he bridged what some would consider too vast a doctrinal chasm. He explained that if the two camps, Penecostals and Freewill Baptists, were to rank, in order, their theological positions from the most important to the (perhaps) trivial, they would find complete harmony until, oh, position #32 or so. Why, then, is there any discord? Don't Arminian and Calvinist Christians both love--and serve--the same Jesus?
We can apply that same standard here, but with a twist. Let's say we were to list those positions we, as Christians, hold most dear as opposed to those of non-believers, with the difference being we started with the trivial first. At what point would we find a gulf that cannot be spanned? Issue #100? 1,000? Yes, Christ alone is God. Yes, He alone is the path to salvation. But is using one of those funky lightbulbs really a cause for concern for Christians? Should I pray for my next-door neighbor's receptiveness to the Gospel in the same breath that I pray he'd trade in his Prius for a Hummer? I dare say we have more important issues, as Christians, to focus our energies on--like evangelizing, like social justice, like showing Christ's love in our actions--than chastising someone for a political position that may or may not illustrate that person's love of the creation at the expense of The Creator? And I know that's a very real fear. Scripture talks about it. I get it. Might I submit, however, that the dude down the street who only eats organic foods, rides his bike to work and doesn't leave the water running while he brushes his teeth might be more receptive to hearing about Jesus if we run into each other down at the recycling center? Even if I don't buy the whole global warming thing, doesn't that have some value? Is that not showing Christ's love?
So, even if you think the polar ice caps aren't melting, head on over to the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initative website and sign the doggone thing.
If the perpetual question is What Would Jesus Do, I think He'd separate His paper and plastic.
I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com. Help me promote this blog by using the icons below, which links this blog to social bookmarking sites and helps online users discover this and other online content.
Earth Day and Baptists
Labels: arminian, calvinism, culture, denominational differences, earth day, environment, freewill baptist, green issues, Jesus, penecostal, southern baptist, united church of christ, unitiarian
What do Southern Baptists and Leonardo DiCaprio have in common? They both care about good environmental stewardship. Politics make strange bedfellows indeed.
Arguably the most conservative of mainstream evangelical demoninations, some Southern Baptists have jumped on board with green issues, embracing societal change in an effort to avoid what many seem to think is a planetary crisis.
It's called the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative, and demoninational pastors, leaders and lay persons are urging members of the denomination to not only sign a statement of support, but also to live both holy and green.
This is earth-shattering (as always, pun is intended). We're not talking Unitarians here. These are not members of the United Church of Christ. Southern Baptists, as a whole, are more George Bush than Ted Kennedy. And the Southern Baptist Convention, by all accounts, is the largest evangelical Christian denomination in America. (You can check out the stats from Barna.)
Two observations here. First, this is further evidence that environmental issues have gone mainstream. The first Earth Day was in 1970. Back then, there were exactly three people who celebrated it: Ed Begley Jr., Al Gore and maybe a hippie living in a California commune named Moonbeam. That's it. Now, even Southern Baptists are going green, for crying out loud. Who's next, James Dobson?
Second, it's another example of 21st century evangelicals understanding the need, within carefully and prayerfully defined limits, to engage modern culture on its terms. I know I sound like a broken record about this sometimes, but engaging culture isn't a bad thing, so long as that engagement doesn't equal relativism. I'm not going to hell because I'm wearing a Pearl Jam T-shirt right now, or because I'd rather go to Bonnaroo than Icthus this summer.
I once heard a Penecostal preacher deliver a sermon to a Freewill Baptist congregation. He was brilliant in the way he bridged what some would consider too vast a doctrinal chasm. He explained that if the two camps, Penecostals and Freewill Baptists, were to rank, in order, their theological positions from the most important to the (perhaps) trivial, they would find complete harmony until, oh, position #32 or so. Why, then, is there any discord? Don't Arminian and Calvinist Christians both love--and serve--the same Jesus?
We can apply that same standard here, but with a twist. Let's say we were to list those positions we, as Christians, hold most dear as opposed to those of non-believers, with the difference being we started with the trivial first. At what point would we find a gulf that cannot be spanned? Issue #100? 1,000? Yes, Christ alone is God. Yes, He alone is the path to salvation. But is using one of those funky lightbulbs really a cause for concern for Christians? Should I pray for my next-door neighbor's receptiveness to the Gospel in the same breath that I pray he'd trade in his Prius for a Hummer? I dare say we have more important issues, as Christians, to focus our energies on--like evangelizing, like social justice, like showing Christ's love in our actions--than chastising someone for a political position that may or may not illustrate that person's love of the creation at the expense of The Creator? And I know that's a very real fear. Scripture talks about it. I get it. Might I submit, however, that the dude down the street who only eats organic foods, rides his bike to work and doesn't leave the water running while he brushes his teeth might be more receptive to hearing about Jesus if we run into each other down at the recycling center? Even if I don't buy the whole global warming thing, doesn't that have some value? Is that not showing Christ's love?
So, even if you think the polar ice caps aren't melting, head on over to the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initative website and sign the doggone thing.
If the perpetual question is What Would Jesus Do, I think He'd separate His paper and plastic.
(Read more about the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative here, here and here.
I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com. Help me promote this blog by using the icons below, which links this blog to social bookmarking sites and helps online users discover this and other online content.
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