Joe Martino here reporting from my underheated office on my lunch break. We recently played a little game of “Which emergent leader said this?” to smashing success. Now, I’d like to play a new game. Who said it? Here’s how the game works, I’m going to put a quote up and we’ll see if we can figure out who said it and what we think about it. Of course you can play at my blog too. 
Sometime, though it’s a little more complicated. What if we are the ones who have done evil, and we see the just consequences of evildoing coming on us? In this situation God saves by judging…and then forgiving. So often the danger of evil we face is self-created, self0-inflicted, self-sabotaging–and we keep doing it because we are self-deluded and self-deceiving through denial. …
We often refer to this saving judgment as God “convicting” us of our sin and our need for repentence. Again, without it there is no true salvation. Forgiveness without conviction is not forgiveness; it is irresponsible toleration. It doesn’t lead to reconciliation it leads to chaos.
16 Comments(+Add)
I know who said it, but I want to other people’s answers first….
Hey Joe,
How about being generous and giving us a hint…
Phil,
We must be careful in our hints. I want people to interact with what was said.
Fred Sanford? Oh, wait, he wasn’t a theologian.
Nostradomus.
Century 1 quatrain 46.
Was it OB1?
It might have been said by someone who has said many other objectionable things as well. Just as a stopped clock is correct twice a day, everyone has said something that can be culled out and presented as evidence that they are “whatever you say they are”. (It goes either way)
More accurate is a more expansive consideration of a person’s body of writings. Two paragraphs can be representative of this person’s overall theological view or it can mean something completely different when presented isolated from other writings that would actually illuminate a clearer meaning.
Besides being a fun game, it can also be used to cement a game of “gotcha!” Luther and Calvin and Finney said sentences that would lead one to believe they were not saved. That is myopic in its research and disingenuous in its integrity. Those who resist emergents do it and those who embrace them do it as well. Both are unfair.
I bet he is a best selling author… and is “Kingdom” oriented.
iggy
Soleil Moon-Frye, TV’s Punky Brewster.
Duh, you guys.
Brian McLaren “Generous Orthodoxy”.
What do I win?
pg. 95
Chris,
You win the satisfaction of knowing your stuff.
Rick,
I’ve just skimmed your body of work so I could have missed it but have you put up your expose on McLaren yet?
BTW, do you disagree with McLaren on these points?
It is a protected site. I wish I could speak with him personally about the paragraphs you sighted, however I do not see anything that jumps out at me. He has said many other things that are much more controversial and he himself says so and revels in it.
After two pages of quotes I realized that there were many who have done that research for me, and I don’t mean Ken. Many books will be coming forth. When you come to a researched conclusion about someone, then I think you must move on and not kick a petrified horse.
BTW – I love that “my body of work” phrase. I feel so William F. Buckleyesque!
Rick,
You sort of lost me. What is a protected site? Does this mean you won’t be coming forward with the writings you told us were in the works? I’m glad I could help with the Buckley thing.
I have a file with many quotes and interviews. It is an archived work that maybe I’ll finish later. Maybe just post the quotes. I don’t know, it kinda old quick and I became convinced it just reinforced my perspective and wouldn’t change anyone else. Kinda like everything else.
I get e-mails from people who say “Great post I was edified”. OK, but it sure would be nice to get a “I have changed my view because of your writing”. So in the end, I write for God and Him alone (with a little for me also). MacLaren is getting old and to be honest chasing him and others suck the life out of me sometimes.
As you know there are others with a lot more saliva about him and others. The protected site was a joke.