Category Archives: Christianity

FASHIONABLE IS FLEETING

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I am regularly asked what I think about some new approach or insight to living the Christian life.  Trendy stuff catches the imaginations of many Christians.  I could give many examples.  They come and go, but sadly many Christians continue to hold out hope that there will be some new breakthrough for their lackluster, spiritual life.

Whenever I am asked about one of these new, sexy approaches to walking with Jesus, I am saddened and sometimes a bit outraged.  There are so many better (and many times accessible) riches available.  For example, the Puritans had much to say about discouragement, temptations of all sorts, even what to do with recurring dreams where one is enticed sexually.

I am constantly asked what I thought about books like the best-selling, The Prayer of Jabez.  No one asks me about that book anymore.   Fashionable is fleeting!

 

NO CHEST BEATING!

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Our dear friends, Allison and Darin Maurer, served on Cru staff with us at Stanford University.  Allison recently reminded me of a visit they paid to us when we were living in the “Chicagoland” area.

We went to Willow Creek and they were having a celebration for their church.  They had a nifty brochure for the event, but it was the information inside which shocked and thrilled me.  Along with the wonderful things which happened over the years, they candidly described some of their failures, including mention (not by name) of former pastors infidelity.  

I was edified by Willow Creek’s humility, and their saying no to the temptation of beating their collective chest.

CONFESSIONS OF AN EX-EVANGELICAL

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“…I went to Evangelical churches fifty-two Sundays a year for the better part of 19 years, and I cannot for the life of me remember once when the name of a theologian was mentioned…
Instead of an intellectual tradition, it is a church built on emotion.  Every sermon is a revival stump speech about the evils of the world and the need for salvation.”
The rest of this short, but extremely important piece is here: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/ex-evangelical-pro-gay-millennial/

TOO BIG TO FAIL?

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When it comes to churches, I used to believe bigness was neutral.  Big churches can be loving, small ones can be unloving.  I’m not so sure anymore.  Not about big churches being loving and small ones being unloving, but about bigness being neutral.

 

One thing bigness does is what smallness almost never does: makes one think they must have everything right.  Otherwise, why are so many following us?  

American evangelicalism is sadly littered with examples of charismatic personalities with little accountability and the attendant belief that they are simply “too big to fail.” 

EVANGELICAL ANGLICANS

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Our dear friends, Dr. and Dr. Scholl (ancient historian on left and medieval historian on right) visited this past weekend.  We went to Christ Church here in Austin.  Several of my wife’s students encouraged us to visit sometime.  Going with John and LIndsey seemed like the thing to do.

Here are Lindsey’s reflections on the visit:

http://www.lindseyscholl.com/2014/06/evangelical-anglicans.html