Carl Medearis – Speaking of Jesus

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Another book from Speakeasy arrived in the form of Carl Medearis' latest' Speaking of Jesus'. THe book is another foray by David C Cook publishing in the 'Gospel' category; a challenge to reinterpret Christianity as a Jesus centered movement rather than a conservative, arguably Pharisaic, brand of rules and moralistic regulations. Leonard Sweet released a couple books on the subject like Nudge, this is Medearis' first on the subject.

There must be an obvious demand for this type of material, and although I appreciate the direction David C Cook is taking, I would opt for a blog form for books that are short and poignant like Carl's. Of course, you do'nt make money off of blogs as a publisher, so you print a book.

"Speaking of Jesus" has a sub-title of "the art of not-evangelism" which provides a bit more clarity with respect to the books direction. Essentially, cast off the religious rituals and expectations, and instead, replace it with a renewed pursuit of Jesus.

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Do Denominations Matter? Confusing Partnerships

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Ed Stetzer is following up on his own posts and research with this post on 'do denominations matter to pastors?' His informal tweet concluded that 76% of pastors believe they do.

Given all that, call me a cautious believer in the idea that we can do more for the kingdom of God by doing it together with people of common conviction--which usually means in a denomination--than by doing it alone.

There's a problem with this statement. Continue reading →

Why Some Churches Will Never Adopt Mission

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I've been reading the latest Frost & Hirsch book called 'The Faith of Leap' and it got me thinking.

You know the stats. Declining attendance, small churches closing the doors, the same pre-Fall launch and gusto to invite new fresh blood into the church with the latest program and sermon series.....

Unless you're the best and brightest (the best show), most churches are dwindling in size. Their importance has already lost out in our culture today, although some have isolated perceptions legalism can return to provide the moralistic balance society needs.

The question is why isn't anything happening? Why, if churches all face the same threats, are we not seeing massive overhauls of how we 'do church'?

I think the answer is quite simple. The single element preventing most churches from embracing a dangerous gospel is our appetite for risk.

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QOD: Hirsch, Frost, and Coupland

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Quotes of the day for you to muse on this Labour Day weekend.

First, Hirsch & Frost in their book 'Faith of Leap' on love:

...all Christian spirituality can be traced back to Jesus's complete (re)affirmation of the shema--the unavoidable call to live a life of wholeness under the One True God, loving him with heart, soul, mind, strength, and loving one's neighbors as oneself....To love is to suffer...and that's probably why we generally do'nt do it well. Unwillingness to venture, plus a desire to be safe, holds us back from love.....Most of us prefer to skip over the pain and the disicpline, to find some easy, off-the-shelf ways to sainthood.

And then from the same book, a quote from Douglas Coupland on the middle class: Continue reading →

National Back to Church Day Fail

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What's wrong with the North American church? Too many try their earnest to fit a largely consumeristic model of church. Check out this video:

Apparently September 18th is National Back to Church day (because evidently the church takes Summer's off).

Why is this a fail? Fundamentally it is a demonstration that the contemporary church has tunnel vision. The posture is all about consumption--how the church (building) can be the fixture of Christianity.

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Harmful Intentions: TOMS & BOBS Shoes

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TheOoze has changed their blogging platform to include a number of different voices from their reading community. Today up popped a tirade on TOMS and BOBS shoes. The zealous youth leader lamented on the disconnect between labor practices of the manufacturers to the final 'charitable' giveaway of a free pair of shoes to a kid in need.

... TOMS and BOBS… stop the charades. We, the public, are no longer “buying” your hypocrisy. You need to begin, right now, employing fair labor practices and giving shoes away because it’s right, not as part of an advertising campaign to make you richer. Full article here.

Emotion aside, she's right, TOMS and BOBS shoes have a lot of answers to give for what has become in the very least bad intentions at foreign aid. Here's why.

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Rapture is a Scam – NT Wright on 1 Thess 4:16-17

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You've heard it from us a few times already, Left Behind is perhaps one of the biggest theological cancers ever to propagate from fundamentalist Christianity. The fact dispensationalism (rapture theology) is affirmed as foundational doctrine for many evangelicals only makes the problem worse. Why? Because of basic exegesis and scholarship yields alternate interpretations than the single (Tim Lahaye would argue) verse perscribing rapture.

But don't take our word, here's a quick article I stumbbled one written by heavyweight theologian NT Wright (who blasts poor Tim out of the water on anything Bible IMO).

Nt Wright on the rapture (1 Thess).

Churches in the Dark About Porn

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It's in your church right now, maybe on the staff computer. Pornography has grown rampant in an age where the internet fulfills all desires and people yearn to meet spiritual needs in an orgy of sexuality.

In a poll of 1,000 respondents, 50 percent of Christian men and 20 percent of Christian women were found to be addicted to pornography. Conducted by ChristaNet.com, a popular Christian marketplace website, the poll asked visitors about their personal sexual conduct.

Personally those numbers are quite low. They did not say the difference between married and singles, however, I'm sure the numbers fluctuate. What's sad is two things, a) the rampant expansion of the problem, and b) the unwillingness for churches (particular evangelicals or are the most 'high and mighty' of the bunch) to address the issue head on.

Ever been to a series of sermons about porn and sex addictions? Didn't think so.

What can you do in the mean time? Perhaps an internet filter? Accountability buddies?

Pomotheo.com will post online resources that we have checked and tried out so you can add it to your resource list.

  • Hedgebuilders is an internet filter that operate on a 'no-list'. We've tried it, it works really well. It stops 99% questionable material. If you're a missionary or clergy then you only pay 24 bucks a year!

An no, these are not paid reviews.