Seems that the bi-monthly topic of homosexuality has come up again. Interestingly, last week’s sermon topic at my own church was specifically on this topic, with an approach likely to tick off both extremes of the spectrum on the issue.

You can listen here (sorry for the streaming link – I don’t have a downloadable one, though you can get it through iTunes here).

That’s it folks! Look no further for the reason why we all in decline. According to this slice post, from this ABC news story, the problem is hygiene! Now why didn’t I think of that?! All these kids coming into our churches, wearing the latest fashions of tattered jeans and bed head – they just need a good shower! Maybe if we had Colgate come and do a 45 minute presentation in all of our churches, we would be rid of the slobbery. Better yet, we can have the ushers hand out disposable toothbrushes at the door. And maybe we can get people back into those polyester three-piece suits again! Remember… the Lord looks at the hygiene, the clothing style and how well you are able to color coordinate your clothing.

**this post contains many facetious statements. While I do believe that our society is becoming more brash, rude and crude, I have no clue how that corresponds to hygiene, clothing choice and how those two affect the current state of the church.

Following Bill Hybel’s and Rick Warren’s example of dining with sinners, Jesus will be joining Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36ff) for dinner. Simon and his Pharisee friends are professing “Jews” who are in moral revolt against the Word of God, not atheists at a Roman parade who need someone to bear witness to the truth. These people know the truth and have rejected it. Not only that, they want everyone else in the synagogue to reject it, too. For more information on this alarming trend, go to Slice of Laodicea here.

Definition of parody: a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect. (Just in case anyone missed it).

Good news for all our Dispensationalist friends out there. This service described in this article promises to make your post-rapture communication a little bit easier. In addition to sending your left behind family and friends emails letting them know that they have indeed missed out on their chance to avoid the Tribulation, this site will take care of all that pesky post-Rapture financial paperwork.

Now if we could only come up with a way to use all those beans in our basement we bought before Y2K…

Mark Driscoll on the recent conference at Saddleback (HT: Michael Krahn)

And, I learned a lot watching Rick Warren behind the scenes and over meals. Not being part of the Purpose Driven Network, I was humbled by how eager he was to bring in leaders from many networks and denominations to share ideas and help influence in his Purpose Driven Network pastors for the cause of Jesus Christ. After spending some time with Rick I am convinced for four things. One, a lot of Christians are jealous of his success and they account for a good percentage of his critics. Two, he really loves the Jesus of the Bible. Three, he really loves pastors. Four, he really loves the church of Jesus in all of it’s expressions, even those who are not doing the Purpose Driven methods he extols.

To be honest, Rick has a brilliant mind that shines even when he sits down and simply lectures from a chair for an hour as he did at the conference. But, what really struck me is how much he loves pastors and churches and how much he wants to serve pastors and their churches by giving away resources and encouragement lavishly. And, it is his affection for Jesus, pastors, and churches that has in my observation endeared him to so many Christian leaders. For those who criticize his methods, it would behoove them to also share in his effort to do something to help pastors other than criticize those who are trying to help. I do not agree with him on everything. But, I also find him to be a servant leader who is willing to learn which is rare among those who are very successful and in that I rejoice.”

So does this mean Mark will be out again, or is he in, or what?

Does anyone find all of the new and urgent postings about Rick Warren and his recent chat with a few ODMs humorous? It seems like they are scrambling to put a nice back-spin on the story, keep their audience clear of possible confusion. I mean, we wouldn’t want people to look at Warren with a fair and balanced view, now would we.

http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=5135
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=5134
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=5133
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=5130
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=5128
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=5127
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=5125
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=5124
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=5121
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=5114
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=5113
http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=5107

And that’s just the front page of one ODM site.

Tags: Rick Warren

I thought this comment by new commenter, Chad, was rather insightful, demonstrating a truth I’ve tried to convey in the past, though much more ham-handedly than he has elegantly phrased.  In answer to the question “what would you consider ‘heresy’”, he writes:

Making works necessary for salvation. I would qualify this, though, by saying that our Roman Catholic friends are not heretics in this regard. When I say “works as necessary for salvation” it is to say that grace is being denied as free gift (or more to the point, that there is no need of grace), that God in Jesus has not done something to open the door to heaven.

I am quick to point out that many of my protestant brothers and sisters are no different than our RCC brothers and sisters – they have simply changed the system of “works” from one of penance to one of mental assent to a set of propositional truths or doctrines. While not “heresy” I consider it to be a departure from orthodox understandings of grace (gift!).

In the early church, particularly those with a Jewish background, the separation of “works” from “faith” was inconceivable.  In this mindset, one physically cannot have a belief system that is not demonstrated.  Sin, itself, is a demonstration of a belief that God cannot provide.  As most of the world, and the church along with it, was Hellenized it began creating abstract compartmentalizations which separated ones “faith/belief” from one’s “actions”, leading to the church schizophrenically pitting one against the other.

We see the seeds of this already planted in the book of James, and the schizophrenia fully realized in Luther’s desire to strike it from the canon, since it appears to stake out ground somewhere between legalism and sola fide.  To paraphrase James, “faith” (mental assent) really isn’t faith (mental assent) unless it is demonstrated.

And all of this is independent of grace, which is freely given.

As you survey the online landscape of Christianity (in which the relative percentage of Evangelical vs. Reformed vs. Catholic is skewed far differently that represented in living, breathing human beings), you can’t help but wonder why so many people are busy defending a 450-year-old church split, looking for the devil in the other party.  One need only examine the wailing and gnashing of teeth anytime a Protestant church reintroduces a Catholic tradition.  What you end up seeing is extra-biblical whining in condemnation of extra-biblical tradition (noting that I used ‘extra-biblical’ and not ‘unbiblical’ or ‘anti-biblical’).

It’s no wonder Jesus’ criticisms were almost exclusively about the religious class, always eager to demonstrate their righteousness while condemning anything that didn’t fit their own narrow traditions.

Dave Muller from Down Under has ‘discovered’ a new Bible translation: The Calvinist Bible:

Sick of explaining to your unelect friends how the bible writers held the same systematic theology of today, only it was lost before the reformation? Ever wondered how better to read God’s word as He intended it to be in full doctrine glory? Then the CALVINIST Bible was predestined for you!

It’s a rather funny couple of posts, even for Calvinist Christians who don’t like being lumped in with hypers… Some excerpts from this new translation:

For God so loved the elect, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever is called to believeth in him should not perish, but be raptured in the end.
(Joh 3:16)

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely be condemned to Hell and all man will be guilty of your sin. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet to submit to him (for Adam did not yet know that the LORD had predestined his wife to eat of the tree).
(Gen 2:16-18)

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the elect! (John 1:29)

Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. (translators note: God predestined them to act as if resisting (since no-one can actually resist God) as part of His purposeful plan of confusion to confound those who can never accept Him anyway) (Acts 7:51)

You’ve gotta wonder if Rick Frueh helped out with the translation (or if he’s still got some additional verses held back)!