Posts filed under 'emergent'
Random thoughts on Titus (pt 1)
I thought I may try something out that I’ve seen on some other blog sites with regard to films… they will watch a film and make comments on that film while watching on a blog and post that. So I thought I’d try the same thing with Titus, the book I read tonight for my time with God. This may be disastrous… but it may be FUN TOO! lol.
If you would like to follow along, I will list the verse I am commenting on… but it is best to have a Bible in front of you or opened in a new tab in Firefox (and I know ALL my readers use Firefox… you had better!)… I’ll be using the English Standard Version (ESV)… the favorite of Mark Driscoll and John Piper, as well as my favorite English translation.
Here we a go…..
1:1 — Oh… look at the purpose for which the book was written: for “the faith of GOD’S ELECT”! HA! Take that you Arminians / anti-Calvinists. 
That type of address is not unique to Titus either… check out 1 Peter, 2 John, Jude, Romans… and the other letters were mostly written to THE CHURCH… Christians… those who are saved.
— On another note… this verse also mentions that this letter is for Christians to in “their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness.” Truth matters. Theology and doctrine DO matter. This is a fact sadly ignored by many who proclaim themselves as Christian… they often prefer to just give everyone a big hug as long as they think Jesus is cool… despite various heresies that can still run ramped with such a claim (JW, Mormonism, Oneness, etc).
1:2 — the reminder that God’s promises are sure… that those who repent and put their trust in the savior ARE assured of salvation, they WILL be kept “in the fold” so to speak, because this hope of eternal life has been promised by God… and God is a God of truth… he cannot lie.
1:7-9 — I am more than a bit convicted right now reading the qualifications for a bishop…. and how I fall short in more than one area. I often deal with being quick-tempered, and greatly need to improve in the areas of self-control and discipline. I am not quick enough to try and give people the benefit of the doubt, and often fly off the handle easily… especially at Kacey. And in reference to the self-control… this appears in different areas… dealing with sin for one. Also though, in more general areas that show I don’t have the best fruit when it comes to control. Example? I often over-eat. I eat really fast and I eat too much, causing myself to feel bloated and generally sick. This happens ESPECIALLY when it comes to PIZZA… I pack it away and then I am sorry I do. I would say “I can’t help myself,” but that is a lie. I can… I just often do not exercise the self control I should.
1:9 — A bishop/overseer must give sound doctrine and rebuke those who contradict it?! Wow. Honestly until now, I had NO idea this verse was even in the Bible! How much it is needed for the heresies that plague the Church today. Not only to teach good doctrine is the command… but to rebuke those who contradict it, spreading false doctrine. This is practically never done today… for if you do, you are labeled as someone who is just causing trouble. We can’t interrupt the status quo… how DARE us notice and point out heresy that happens to be on the best sellers list of the local Family Christian store… or on the Top 20 list of Christian Rock. ::sigh:: the state of the American Church is growing worse guys… pray for her.
1:10-11 — those who cause trouble from a BIBLICAL standpoint… that is, they teach false teachings and deceive believers… they must be SILENCED. I wonder if the Church had done this in the past few hundred years, what would the state of various errors / heresies be… what about Mormons? Jehovah’s Witnesses? Oneness Pentecostals? Emergent Church? Seeker-Sensitivity? If the Church had lovingly silenced the heretical teachings of these groups before they spread alongside of Christianity, would they even be as alive today?
1:15 — This verse, I find, is overused and even to excuse sin to some degree… the person will claim they see an action as pure when it truthfully is not. However I guess this has to do with the eating of certain foods… you CAN’T use this as an excuse to look at blatant porn or something of that nature.
1:16 — Many claim Christ, but this does NOT mean they are genuinely saved. What is a way to tell? Fruit. Their works. Are they growing in holiness? Can WE say definitively whether or not the person IS saved, just by works? No. Fruit IS evidence to be sure. However I know I do not produce the best fruit 24/7 and do sin from time to time. Not continuously as the unbeliever, but I do stumble. If someone gauged me from my fruit, the outcome would not be perfect. Far from it. So can we look at fruit? Yes. Just because someone sins and has some bad fruit does NOT mean he is not saved. But if ALL the fruit is rotten, the person needs to be approached by a fellow believer so that he may offer repentance from that sin.
Wow… This is going to take a bit longer than I thought. But maybe doing this in increments is best… you are more likely to actually READ it if it is shorter. 
Anyway, I will continue this soon.
-Ryan
Add comment May 13, 2008
Issues with… Driscoll
Great. As possibly one of the biggest haters of vulgar speech you will ever meet (I try not to be a jerk about it when it is said around me… that is one of my big 3 that irk me– Vulgar language, drunkenness and smoking), I am thrilled that his speech has been toned back. I recognize that I may be deemed a legalistic possible hypocrite for this… I DO feel there IS a difference between uttering “crap” from the pulpit to uttering “S_ _ t.” Another example… probably a FAR MORE dramatic example is dealing with a topic of sex… it is far more appropriate to use the phrase “engage in intercourse” than… well… the F word, even if used in the correct grammatical use of the word. Ultimately YOU (the reader) and I will need to answer for what is true. And I could be wrong… and you certainly have liberty possibly in this area… but I will remind you of 1 Corinthians 6:12.
Anyway… I am actually a mild fan of Driscoll. Definitely Paul Washer, John MacArthur and John Piper (and other Reformed preachers) hold higher places in my view than Mark does. Still, I have heard Mark speak on the sovereignty of God, divine election, and on sexual purity (somewhat) and I recognize that he has some good doctrinal points. (Although he is very… unschooled when it comes to dealing with the ‘anti-calvinist’ passages in scripture, and would do well to check out Dr James White on the topic.)
… Still… I saw something tonight also while watching some of the video podcasts of Mars Hill Church sermons that really twirked me (is that a word? Firefox doesn’t recognize it on Spellcheck… oh oh).
During the Q&A time at the end of his final service on weekends, Driscoll and Friends allow attendees to text message questions in and he will respond to them in a somewhat lengthy (20 min seems to be the average) Q&A session. First… while describing that the texts would be screened, Mark stated this was due to the fact that someone may attempt to send a picture of a naked girl, because some people find this funny. Mark’s next statement: “Which it is funny!” :-\ the crowd roars in laughter. :-\ hmmm… I don’t know that pornography is something to be handled crassly… unless you are one of those gospel-diluters over @ XXXChurch.com … but anyway…
And then just now, I viewed a question someone had sent in… one that I had wondered about as well. Mark commonly wears T-Shirts while preaching, under a cool track jacket. Now… often these shirts have something to do with Jesus… shirts that I would be rather squeamish about wearing. Apparently a congregation member had thought along the same lines as me. “The T-Shirts you wear, don’t they mock Jesus rather than Glorifying him?” “NO! That’s the whole point!” [crowd laughs] Mark unzips his jacket a bit so the shirt is viewable and reads what it says: “GOD, SAVE ME FROM YOUR FOLLOWERS.” Mark then declares “That’s funny stuff right there!” Again, the audience laughs and applauds. Mark gives a weird glare to the crowd, almost as if to say (via body language, imo) “What a stupid question… you need to lighten up, whoever asked that.”
:- l Call me boring and irrelevant. I am less than amused by such a shirt. “God, save me from your followers?!” So… someone who professes to be a Christian is asking God to save him from Christ’s bride? That just seems a LITTLE insulting to the Bride of Christ. Okay, so maybe more than a little. I mean… this is God’s chosen people… those whom God has loved and set apart before the foundation of the world… and you just attack her in such a way that makes her seem tyranical and something to be avoided? Do you really not think God is bothered when you mess with his Church? If someone talks bad about my mom, or a friend… someone I have a close relationship with, I get bothered and even angry. That person is close to me, and I get bothered when that person is attacked by another. How much more so with God?
It is not as though this were the only shirt I knew of that he wore that seemed to be less than great when it comes to God. Another one that I just took a gander at includes Jesus as… a DJ at a turntable. Okay. So Jesus is to be in charge of my life and he’s the one calling the shots… “it is not I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.” yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah… I GET that. But still. On a shirt? as a DJ? Interestingly, I have seen (and rather like) a poster which includes an outline/shadowy “iPod silhouette” Jesus playing an electric guitar… with the caption “Jesus Rocks.” Now though THIS doesn’t seem to bother me AS MUCH (again, I don’t know why), a buddy icon available for AIM that includes the same caption and is a gif of Jesus playing the guitar while head-banging… this too I find somewhat offensive… even blasphemous….
This isn’t Mic Jagger. This isn’t DJ-Maj. This is the Lord Jesus Christ we are talking about here! The one who bore upon him the payment for sin so his Children would not suffer eternity in Hell. The one who spoke the Universe into existence. And Mark… and OTHERS who profess Christ wear shirts that jokingly shout JESUS IS MY HOMEBOY and pleads to be saved from Christ’s bride? There just seems to be a disdain for God and Christ here… nearing the point, in my opinion, of blasphemy.
I cannot claim to know Mark Driscoll’s heart… or anyone else who wears such clothing items. And some of what Driscoll says I really take to heart and ponder. I know a lot of my friends look up to him and revere him as a teacher and pastor. Certainly there are worse men who MANY Evangelical Christians lend ears to and absorb how to live an awesome existence in the here and now as opposed to… teaching how one can be free from sin and death. …. And much of Driscoll’s theology DOES ROCK. And I do not claim that just because of this issue I have with the man… that this nullifies everything he has to say. It doesn’t. If it is biblical truth, it is biblical truth. And Driscoll often does preach biblical truth. Conversely, I don’t know that this voids him from this issue, either. The ends do not justify the means.
It is the practice of what occurs from the pulpit that conserns me. The language. the crass shirts. And instead of going into detail about the question, Driscoll really seemed to just blow the question off answering as quickly as possible. I too have struggled with and continue to struggle with the issue that was raised in reaction to his wardrobe.
I do not mean to be focusing on the insignificant. This is something that has been on my heart of late… it really has. Jesus isn’t your homeboy. He’s Lord. Shouldn’t we treat him as such?
And as always, if you feel I am off-base… let me know! I do not have an axe to grind against Driscoll… I tend to like him and try to listen to him whenever I can! However I seem unable to escape this issue. I cannot judge him on where he goes. But as his brother in Christ, am I not qualified to be concerned about some fruit? 1 Cor 5:12
Just some thoughts…
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2 comments February 16, 2008
A conversation with a "christian mystic"… wow.
i had this convo today w/ this guy on Facebook that randomly found me and added me as a friend on facebook. his religious views on his profile were labeled as “opti-mystic”… turns out he was the starter of a “Christian group” on myspace that allowed a Mormon to join and saw no problem w/ this…
this is our conversation… So, if by opti-free you mean someone who can see clearer, and in freedom…sure! (See John 17) i get who jesus is… the only way. john 14:6. any other “way” leads to destruction. Well no offense, but I tend to find in Brennan one of the clearest pictures of Jesus around. I grew up PCA for a number of years…just met RC Sproul last week…no thanks. I find much meaning and beauty in the Reformed tradition; like any Christian tradition, it is infused with the life of God, and flawed human endeavors. In the Reformed family I tend to gravitate toward folks like Barth and Newbigin more than Sproul or MacArthur…that’s just me. But I also think variety is the spice of life, and so I enjoy having “iron-sharpening” friends, even sisters and brothers in Christ with whom I happen to disagree. You can pretty much see my entire spiritual pedigree–plenty for one such as yourself to critique, I’m sure–at http://zoecarnate.com Some of my most recent thoughts on God and human freedom have been shaped by Francis Schaeffer’s son-in-law, Udo Middelman, and his book “The Innocence of God.” It’s not out yet (I work in Christian publishing and actually I edited it); it will be in September from Authentic Media, see http://www.authenticbooks.com and http://www.pearceyreport.com/archives/2007/03/udo_middelmann_2.php Anyway, bro, I’m not looking to pick a fight with you. I was happy to be Southern Baptist and then Calvinist for a good many years. If you are still finding Christ there, go for it. Follow your hunger. I’m sure, by your standards, I’m an apostate “liberal”–meeting in a house church, reading Catholic mystics, active in the emerging church conversation…I understand; there is much confusing in life, and polarizing. Christ’s peace be with you. the reformation was not just a “beautiful tradition.” it was a gift from God to break away from the heresy in the catholic church. i’m scared to ask your thoughts on the heretic named rob bell. or any other emergent goats for that matter. I’m pretty sure Paul disagrees with your feelings on “variety” in dealing with the doctrines in the holy scriptures. Galatians 1:6-12 I would then add that I would never be Roman Catholic; I have deep reservations about facets of their doctrine and practice. But, knowing church history as I do, I have deep reservations about the Magesterial Reformation and its fruits, too–namely, the slaughter of fellow Christians. I would be more in line with the radical reformation, Anabaptists and Quakers. But then, nobody’s perfect. And I guess that’s my point. I’ve given up trying to find the ‘pure’ church; I can accept all of God’s redeemed knowing we’re all equally in need of grace. I like Rob Bell. And Phyllis Tickle, and Brian McLaren, who’s a good friend. And probably many others who make your blood boil or keep you up at night. Long ago I learned to stop letting Jerry Falwell or Steve Camp or Dave Hunt make my blood boil. I find it’s better for one’s health that way. you are friends with Brian McLaren? wow. that is pathetic. i mean… really pathetic. and rob bell… i’ve seen his video for “Rhythm” it was bad… i mean BAD…i’m talking Star Trek V: The Final Frontier bad. just because no one is perfect does not give you the excuse to tout heresy as truth bud. that’s what happens when people try to “open their minds”– their brains spew out and they have no discernment as to what truth is. the gospel preached by these “christians” you mention is: “God loves you just the way you are.” ha. where is that in scripture anyway? How did the church in Acts preach the gospel? Was the gospel, in one word, “love”? nope… it was “repent.”
That was it… i have yet to hear from him… though I doubt I will. I have shared this conversation with a few close friends prior to my posting this, and they informed me they do not believe I was too harsh. I know sometimes I can sound like a smart-ass… but heresy infuriates me. People who claim Christ, yet proclaim a different gospel than that found in the Word… they need to stop making a mockery of Christianity. I am intolerant of heresies. I’d rather deal with someone who has NO relationship with God than one who claims to be a Christian, yet in reality seems more like a goat. False prophets … ugh.
Add comment July 18, 2007
A Better Way To Pray– The Old Way
The following is contained in the Michael Molloy textbook that I used for Religion 210 entitled Experiencing The World’s Religions: Tradition, Challenge and Change.
Inspired by the biblical admonition to “pray always,” [Luke 18:1] many forms of prayerful meditation have emerged in the long history of Christianity.
- In Russia, it became common to repeat some form of the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me.” That was done hundreds of times a day, until the repetition became almost as automatic as breathing.
- In Greece, monks practiced sitting quietly, putting their heads forward, and guiding their consciousness to the center of their bodies, where they used their imaginations to experiences the inner light of God.
- In Europe of the Middle Ages, a form of walking meditation began to be done in labyrinths designed in the flooring of grand churches–such as we see at Chartres Cathedral in France. (This walking meditation is becoming increasingly popular today, and labyrinths may be found in many places–two are at grace Cathedral in San Francisco, and another is at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Honolulu).
- Beginning in Egypt and the Near East, monks would recite the psalms very slowly, then silently reflect afterwards on the most meaningful verses.
In recent years, one particular form of meditation has been popularized by two Trappist monks, Thomas Keating and M. Basil Pennington. They call it Centering Prayer, and they explain that it was already described in the 14th century classic The Cloud of Unknowing. “Contemplative prayer is the opening of the mind and heart, our whole being, to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond thoughts, words, emotions… Centering Prayer is another word for a kind of prayer that has been around from almost the time of the apostles. In other times it’s been known as the prayer of silence, the prayer of faith, the prayer of simplicity, the prayer of simple regard, pure prayer.” Keating and Pennington recommend that practitioners sit comfortably and quietly for twenty minutes, twice a day. they should choose a word from scripture to repeat internally, which will be the center of their meditation for one session–a word such as “love,” “light,” “peace,” “wait,” “taste,” “child,” “rebirth,” “way,” “wisdom.” “One of the great advantages of Centering Prayer,” says Keating, “is that it’s like taking a vacation from the false self for twenty minutes twice a day. As the prayer continues in which we let go of thoughts for twenty minutes, we begin to experience a deep rest on the spiritual level…” The Centering prayer will normally be practiced by individuals, but may also be done in groups. (from a section entitled “Christian Meditation” taken from Experiencing The World’s Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change (Third Edition) by Michael Molloy. pg 423).
I have a feeling in this Emergent Church society, I am a small minority of people who find this form of “Christian Meditation” unacceptable. It is just that. Unacceptable. Centering Prayer is not Christian. It has no scriptural foundation to it whatsoever. Do people think they can pull ideas of Hinduism (the notion of taking a vacation from the “false self” is a Hindu one) and just put a “Christian Spin” on it and expect it to be a viable and acceptable way to approach the throne of God? There is a right way and a wrong way to approach God.
Those proponents of this method of prayer would have us believe it is almost a better way to pray… that you can really meditate and experience God on a higher level than never before. My question is this– If this Contemplative Prayer REALLY IS the best way to approach our Savior… why did Jesus not give us this method to pray by when he answered his disciples’ request for a way to pray (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4)? Are we to believe that God is sneaky when it comes to prayer? Prayer is ESSENTIAL for a good relationship with God. And God wants us to have a good relationship with Him. Therefore, we can gather from this that he does not want us to pray the wrong way– he wants us to pray the best way. Jesus’ model is the BEST way to pray… or is it really the ONLY way to pray? Probably… in Luke, Jesus doesn’t say “Here is a cool idea for what to do when you pray…” nor does he say “If you’d like my opinion, here it is– but feel free to borrow whatever junk you can from other religions as a good way to come to me.” HECK NO!! Jesus said to them, “WHEN YOU PRAY, say…” Did you catch that? This is the method of prayer given to us by God himself. Why would he give us such a perfect guide to prayer if he didn’t expect us to use it? Take a look at the format with me…
- “Our Father in heaven…” This recognizes that God is a loving father and that he is not some earthly object– but a being above man in heaven.
- …”hallowed be your name,…” This God is not just your homeboy… he’s so much more. Another way to think of this is “You are Holy.” He is Lord and he is Holy. Treat him as such.
- “…your kingdom come…” We await for God’s Kingdom to come as promised (but we are not establishing it here on Earth as kings of this world… no.
- “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..” God is in control of all things and his sovereign will is going to prevail. This does not mean you go through life and say “well God allowed us to sleep together– so it must have been in his plan.” No… it is not his plan for us, his children, to sin against him. No No NO. His will is above all though and his plan will be fulfilled. And no threat of nuclear war and/or this Global Warming crock will interfere with God.
- “Give us today our daily bread.” Reliance on God to meet our needs. We can do nothing without God. We rely on him to meet our needs. Does this mean we get everything we want if we are good little boys and girls?/ Nope. Job– he did stuff right and it didn’t stop the pain and suffering to come on him. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away… but still my heart will say “Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” Yes… God knows your needs and requests… but he also knows we are prideful and want to fix everything ourselves… think we are in control. He wants us to be mature enough to release our troubles and needs to God. Trust me… he can take care of our needs FAR BETTER than we could ever DREAM.
- “Forgive us our debts…” There are some who believe that when you become a Christian you are perfect. This is not true. No one will ever be sinless– that is what makes grace by definition. We don’t deserve it– we can’t! Daily we sin, and daily we ask forgiveness of sins. This does not mean we can look up porn in the morning, pray about it at noon, and then expect to have our slate clean by noon-thirty (12:30pm)! We have to repent– not use “God will forgive me” as an excuse. If you love him, obey his commandments. The goal isn’t to sin to earn more grace. It’s to not sin at all! (Romans 6:1-4, 15-18)
- “…as we also have forgiven our debtors.” We are not to harbor bitterness in our hearts. I have a problem with this myself. But when you harbor stuff in your heart against someone else it only hurts you. The Newsboys song Let It Go really helps me out with this. God left his rights in heaven when he came down and humbled himself and died for man. Won’t you be humble enough to leave yours?
- “And lead us not into temptation…” Does God tempt us? No. But he does allow us to be tempted that we may grow. However we pray that we may grow without being tested greatly all the time.
- “…but deliver us from the evil one.” The battle is already won– God’s side wins, Satan’s side fails miserably. We pray that Satan’s strongholds do not take hold of us and that we may be in God’s arms when temptation comes and not fall into that pit.
While I do not believe this prayer must be repeated word-for-word daily… I believe it is the model that should be followed. Don’t just say it out of repetition. Don’t just ignore it and give God your grocery list of what you want done today. God commands us to pray in this manner her gave us not some contemplative way and certainly not talking to dead people who can’t hear us to go to God for us– ala praying to Mary, Luke or any of the dead saints (There is but ONE mediator between God and Man– Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5)). He gave us this method found in Matthew and Luke. He commanded it. If you love him, obey his commandments (John 14:15).
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1 comment February 2, 2007
Ryan