A Jesus Manifesto for the 21st Century (by Sweet & Viola)

March 7, 2010

Check out A Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola.  Then listen to an interview with them from the Steve Brown Etc radio broadcast HERE. Christians have made the gospel about so many things … things other than Christ. Jesus Christ is the gravitational pull that brings everything together and gives them significance, reality, … More A Jesus Manifesto for the 21st Century (by Sweet & Viola)

QUOTABLES: Leonard Sweet

March 6, 2010

“Can the church stop its puny, hack dreams of trying to “make a difference in the world” and start dreaming God-sized dreams of making the world different?  Can the church invent and prevent, redeem and redream, this postmodern future? -From Soul Tsunami by Leonard Sweet

Discipleship 2: Jumpin’ on a Moving Train & Searching for Atlantis

March 3, 2010

One of the essential human needs is to have a sense of purpose; the desire to be a part of something larger than themselves; to play an important role and have a long-term impact in some arena of life.  The human spirit cries out against the modern, secular narrative that belittles human existence to the … More Discipleship 2: Jumpin’ on a Moving Train & Searching for Atlantis

McKnight on McLaren’s “A New Kind of Christianity”

March 2, 2010

McLaren’s latest and largest full frontal assault on evangelicalism and historic orthodoxy is now available in stores: “A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith”.  I cannot think of anyone better to offer a fair and balanced review of this book than Dr. Scot McKnight.  The review is found in Christianity … More McKnight on McLaren’s “A New Kind of Christianity”

ESSAY: Telling Lies About Grandpa: Historical Amnesia in the Church Today (2006)

February 20, 2010

TELLING LIES ABOUT GRANDPA Historical Amnesia in the Church Today A Father’s Day Sermon preached at Bethel Methodist Church on June, 18 2006 by Jeremy Berg Pearl Harbor Rewritten On the morning of December 7, 1941, shortly after 7:00, “a date that will live in infamy,” Pearl Harbor was attacked by more than 180 Japanese warplanes. … More ESSAY: Telling Lies About Grandpa: Historical Amnesia in the Church Today (2006)

Myths & Realities of Leadership Development

February 17, 2010

Here’s an overview of “From Followers to Leaders: The Path of Leadership Development in the Local Church” by Robert E. Logan and Tara Miller, ChurchSmart Resources) I found HERE. A recent survey of churches asked the question, “What is your greatest need as a church?” Can you guess what the number one answer was? LEADERSHIP … More Myths & Realities of Leadership Development

“Taking Emergent Church Theology To Task”

February 15, 2010

Many, MANY of us can related to the words and general sentiment of Jeremy Bouma in a recent farewell address to the emergent movement.  Jeremy Bouma is leaving the Emergent movement/conversation and “taking them to task” in the upcoming weeks. This is a worth a read.  (Thanks for sending this my way Peter.) For those … More “Taking Emergent Church Theology To Task”

On Reading Ancient Letters of Strangers 2

February 14, 2010

Last post I mentioned we just began studying our way through Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians on Sundays with our high school students.  A perceptive and refreshingly honest student asked the following question: “Umm…can you tell me again why we’re taking the time to read this ancient letter written to these people we’ll never … More On Reading Ancient Letters of Strangers 2

GLBT Safe Place Signs on Campus

February 13, 2010

Keri and I were visiting Bethel University’s campus recently, and were intrigued by signs posted on certain doors signaling “safe-places” for conversations about same-sex attraction. Is this a growing phenomenon on all university campuses, or unique to Christian institutions where there is more of a stigma against same-sex relationships? I was therefore very interested when … More GLBT Safe Place Signs on Campus