more lies spewed out from the twisted keyboard of Ken Silva. He posts this quote from and article by Tim Brown. It begins with the preamble to the document seeking peace between Muslims and Christians.

Before we “shake your hand” in responding to your letter, we ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world.” (emphasis theirs)

Wanna guess who the “All-Merciful One” is? It isn’t Jesus. It is Allah, the false God of Islam.

Where does the quote say that Warren in praying to Allah? Oh, it doesn’t. And, since Warren has a really good trach record of praying to the God of the Christian faith, one must naturally assume that he is continuing that practice here. On top of all that, This is not a document excursively signed or distributed by Warren. It was signed by over 300 leaders seeking to make peace. To attribute this solely to him shows theit agenda in all its glory. Therefore, Ken’s opening line that Rick Warren is hoping to become Islam’s megapastor is absurd at best. It is amazing what these guys will do for web hits.

Since it’s Monday morning and we’re all in need of a chuckle, I thought I’d post an old Christmas “favorite” that was passed along to me by a music minister several years ago. Even though it will be painful, listen all the way through, as it just keeps getting ‘better’ and ‘better’…

Humorous Holidays to you!

Update: I’ve added it to the podcast category for our subscribers. You’re welcome. -Tim

 

 O Holy Night [3:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Almost twenty years ago as a young newlywed, when I was young and stupid, I accepted a “free” vacation to a Florida resort with a 2-night cruise to the Bahamas. In exchange, all I had to do was listen to a condominium sales-pitch. Thankfully, I had my wife with me, who was more than willing to put the hammer down on the salesperson, who tried every guilt-wringing trick in the book. I wondered, “if this place is such a great, indispensable thing that I don’t have, then why do they have to try to trick me and pressure me to get me to buy it?”

While time has gone by, and I have hopefully become wiser, this particular event has probably colored my thinking whenever someone offers something “free” to me.

I had a discussion earlier this week about how one of the challenges for the church is how to become externally-focused in its local community. The world is suspicious that the church is only willing to help out in exchange for an advertising platform. In a way, it seems that communities are gunshy about involving the church in their needs because their fear is that the only reason the church serves is so that it can get the proverbial high-pressure sales pitch in exchange for its service. It is as if they’re asking, “if this is such a great, indispensable thing that I don’t have, then why do they have to try to trick me and pressure me to get me to buy it?”

One example I had of a church being effective in their community was in Longmont, Colorado, where one church went to the local community leaders and said “what needs to you have that we can meet?” While the community was initially skeptical, over time, this church has become much more integral to the world around it in a way that people can look at it and see that what Jesus is offering through it is not a sales pitch.

One example of “being salt and light” to its community occurred a few years ago when, due to a budget shortfall, the local school district had problems funding basic custodial services. When it heard of this need, the church volunteered to clean the schools at night. They saw a need and met it, without asking for something in return. People knew where the church was – and the school board and many educators were verbally grateful for their service. There was no need for a ‘tract throw-down’, their service spoke of who they were working for and gained credibility for Him in that community. (For more examples of this, check out The Externally Focused Church by Rick Rusaw)

Today, I saw another example of this in the morning paper:

Police recruit pastors
Ministers will try to reduce tensions at the scenes of crimes, and maybe help solve some

Indianapolis police want local pastors to help calm volatile crime scenes.

So they have formed a group that enlists ministers to aid in keeping the peace and ultimately reducing crime in their neighborhoods.

More than a dozen ministers have joined the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Community Clergy program, an effort police hope also will improve relations between police and the public.

Police hope to eventually have a minister on call in every district. All participants must clear a background check and complete a training class to be officially accepted into the program, which will be formally launched this month.

“It allows both the faith community and law enforcement to work together,” said the Rev. Charles Harrison, pastor of Barnes United Methodist Church on the Near Northside and a program participant. “I think it is going to help in solving these homicides and to help build a good relationship between the Police Department and the community.”

Deputy Chief Patricia Holman said the ministers will serve as liaisons between police and the community at the scenes of homicides, police-action shootings or any other potential crisis situation.

“They have a connection to the neighborhood,” said Holman, who also serves as an assistant pastor at Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Indianapolis. “They are the very people that people are looking to for answers.”

The department has not identified all participants because they had not yet been notified that they had cleared background checks and were officially accepted, said IMPD Lt. Jeff Duhamell.

Olgen Williams, executive director of the Christamore House Family and Community Center on the Westside and a program participant, said the initiative will work because the clergy will bring relief to situations through spirituality as a complement to law enforcement.

“It’s a good idea. It’s a collaboration trying to make the community safe, and I think we need it more than ever,” Williams said.

The response by local ministers to defuse a heated confrontation between officers and citizens after the shooting of a popular Near-Northside barber in October sealed the deal for IMPD to create the program.

While the idea for Community Clergy was still in its infancy, Harrison and other ministers stepped in to help calm tensions after the Oct. 14 shooting of Otis Brown Sr., police said.

More than 100 people — including Harrison — gathered outside The New Doo Barber Shop, 3100 block of North Clifton Street, in the hours after Brown was gunned down in the basement of his business.

Their help provided a clear example that ministers can offer police valuable assistance, Holman said.

“The (Community Clergy) program was already in motion, but I think it did certainly confirm the thought that this would be a fantastic idea,” said Holman. “It’s good to have people in key positions in your neighborhoods that you can trust and get advice from.”

Brown, 46, was a beloved businessman in his neighborhood. Many citizens who came to the homicide scene were angry that he had been killed during an apparent robbery, Harrison said. Officers tried to move people away from the crime scene, and some in the crowd protested, Harrison said.

“There was so much distrust and anger out there,” Harrison said. “Some in the community were taking it out on police.”

The officers needed to clear the area so detectives could search for clues and find Brown’s killers, Harrison said, but the crowd didn’t see it that way.

“When the police tried to move the crowd back, they felt the police were trying to hide something,” Harrison said. “They resisted.”

Harrison said he and other neighborhood ministers intervened and helped calm the tensions. While police worked on the scene, the ministers helped bring Brown’s family members to a separate area and counseled them.

“We helped calm them down and created an atmosphere of peace,” Harrison said.

Police said the ministers would have come in handy at a separate, unrelated crime scene to which officers responded June 7.

IMPD Maj. Bryan Roach said police felt tensions rising after a car chase and what was initially thought to be a police-action shooting that killed Lawrence Primus, 24, on the Near Northside.

Detectives later determined Primus died from a self-inflicted gunshot, but during the investigation, Primus’ family arrived at the scene and angrily blamed officers for the death, Roach said.

Having a pastor there would have helped police defuse the chaotic situation, he said.

And that is not the only benefit IMPD is hoping to achieve. Holman said the ministers might actually help police solve crimes, because people are often afraid to tell police who committed a crime for fear of retribution. Those citizens might be more willing to ask their pastor to pass the information to police, Holman said.

“Citizens want crimes solved but do not often feel comfortable that they can remain anonymous,” Holman said. “It may be that people want me to have that information but are not comfortable coming to me.”

She said police will also seek guidance from pastors on improving their response to crisis situations and how to interact with citizens in ways that avoid unnecessary conflict.
“It has to be a two-way street if it’s going to be successful,” Holman said. “If we’re asking them to step out there, then we have to be willing to step out there with them.”

I realize that some will be critical of programs like this, but I see it as ways in which churches are finally – creatively – looking for ways to engage their culture without selling out. Being relevant without altering the message. Taking the talents given to them and multiplying them for the kingdom, so that the world will know that Our God is God of the Universe…

Silva’s latest post on Rob Bell and this video from CNN:

And in fact, one of them explains, “And [Rob Bell] just basically says sexuality is connecting, like, creation to the Creator.” Just curious; if human sexuality is connecting creation to the Creator, then where would Jesus Christ fit in to this “positive message” from the “pastor without all the answers” which is “not focused solely on what’s right, and what is wrong”?

Um, last time I checked, Jesus is God — and God is The creator.  Is it really that hard to make the connection?   Or is is just getting harder to get some real juicy headlines?   I am so glad we have a right reverend, such as Silva, to give all the answers to those of us who are without all the answers.

“Even so, among other things the Lord has been pleased to raise Apprising Ministries up as a leading critic of Rob Bell” – Ken Silva

enough said

** ironically, this quote comes from an article about how God is really angry.  Apparently it applies to everyone but Ken Silva.

Please forgive the page space this will take, but I thought it was worth the view…

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

NOTE: This isn’t to suggest that Bono is the greatest theologian of our times – or that he has it all right.  But to show evidence of someone trying to use their talents for the kingdom – which exists here and now – not just someday & somewhere.

When Chris L. asked if I would write on this blog, I was highly reluctant. For one thing, all the writers here were male, and I was not naive enough to think that my lack of theological education would not become an issue to some of the commenters that frequent here. My response was fairly direct:

You know I don’t have a “official” theology training [...] and that most of the time you and all the other people on that site could wipe up the floor with me when it comes to things like interpretation, context, theology…

Which leads me to something that has bothered me from both writers and commenters in many posts, including the comments to two posts I previously submitted here (Are women human; The soul of wit): are we in love with “papered qualifications” in western Christianity?

Do we require external, extra qualifications before a person can be heard, or considered viable, in a discussion or an argument? If a person with a dissenting opinion or a simple question can’t offer a “very qualified”¹ rebuttal, but still a valid point, is that opinion of less value or any less true? Is anything written by a less-”qualified” Christian automatically less in weight?

If we truly believe that the Bible is inspired, and that the Spirit reveals truth to us as we read it, why would a person who doesn’t have a theology-based degree, understanding of Greek, or even a full understanding of the huge lexicon of theological terms like exegete, hermeneutics, et. al. be subtly (and not so subtly) called to the carpet for lacking “sufficient” qualifications to enter the discussion? Who requires these extra qualifications, man or God? Does, or does not, the Spirit reveal to all who believe as they read the Word, or does he dole out a little extra to those with a paper framed on the wall and a masters or doctorate on the way?

Head knowledge, and an unnecessary reliance or trust upon those with papered qualifications, is a huge stumbling block to not only hearing an unusual idea or unorthodox take on a topic, but also in creating those associative barriers that lock minds in a loop. The people who heard and believed Jesus were not always the highly educated; some of the most theologically trained were the least able to hear what Jesus had to say.

Well-thought opinions, on-topic responses, and logical answers are not only reserved for those with a degree. In fact, too often the more “qualified”, the more wordy, confusing, obfuscating, and prideful a person can be. One aspect of many ODM blogs and those who put great faith in the writers is in their man-made qualifications. Is the Reverend Ken Silva any more lucid for his “qualifications”?

It is an incredible annoyance to try to make a point in a discussion only to have some supposed non-existent qualifications thrown up as a red herring, making any further comments impossible since my lack of “qualifications” will never be rectified in any meaningful sense of discussion-time.

And so ends my unlearned, art-major, lived-out-in life, lay-person-qualified, opinion. I apologize for not being able to exegete and contextually apply scripture in quality and quantity to everyone’s satisfaction. I should think in the world of hair splitters, split-infinitive correcters, and book thumpers that a fresh voice not based in the usual jargon and ways of thinking would be seen as yet another way to learn. And possibly be more “qualified.”
————

¹ Clearly’s comment on “The soul of wit“, December 1, 2007, 4:54 pm

I offer this without much comment, understanding that many will see irony in posting it here.

In his anti-Wright book, Piper says:

“Faithful Christians do not love controversy; they love peace. They love their brothers and sisters who disagree with them. They long for a common mind for the cause of Christ. But for this very reason they are bound by their conscience and by the Word of God to try to persuade the church concerning the fullness of the truth and beauty of God’s Word” (31-32).

I simply don’t believe that most polemicists love their opponents in any way, desire peace or want a common mind. They want and need to fight. I think they have a psychological need to right, and will divide from anyone in order to establish that game and win it. They redefine love and discipleship so that arguing and the various tools for winning arguments become “loving.” This may not be true for all, but it’s true enough to make Piper’s statement absurd in many cases.