Friday, November 21, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Great Thoughts on Evangelicalism and Ecclesiology...
Great thoughts from Ed Stetzer on an issue that has been on the edge of my mind, but never really coalesced.
The strength of Evangelicalism-- it's mission. A possible weakness--it's mission, when it comes at the expense of a sense of ecclesiology.
You can read his post here.
The strength of Evangelicalism-- it's mission. A possible weakness--it's mission, when it comes at the expense of a sense of ecclesiology.
You can read his post here.
Monday, November 10, 2008
You're Not Going to Believe This
OK, so this is a Guidepost story (remember that magazine?--Norman Vincent Peale's journal of miracles and angels and stuff). For my sermon on Sunday, I wanted to use Rick Warren's (at least that's where I first heard it) sermon illustration utilizing a $100 bill that I crumple up and step on to illustrate that Jesus knows our true worth, still wants us, no matter what we have been through. Simple, but effective.
BUT, I don't have a $100 bill. AND the checking account is low so I can't get a $100 bill. I'd have to skip it. As I was walking into the church Sunday morning, a woman walked up to me with a wallet that she had found in our parking lot. You've already figured it out--it had a $100 bill in it. The object lesson turned out to be very meaningful for folks.
I don't know how I feel about God being involved down to the level of the minutiae of our daily lives. But, boy, I would be a fool to say God is not!
BUT, I don't have a $100 bill. AND the checking account is low so I can't get a $100 bill. I'd have to skip it. As I was walking into the church Sunday morning, a woman walked up to me with a wallet that she had found in our parking lot. You've already figured it out--it had a $100 bill in it. The object lesson turned out to be very meaningful for folks.
I don't know how I feel about God being involved down to the level of the minutiae of our daily lives. But, boy, I would be a fool to say God is not!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Lately, it seems I am being asked more often about what I believe or what our church believes. Or maybe I am just noticing the question more. It is a difficult question for me, not because I do not hold strong theological beliefs, beliefs that I really enjoy discussing. It just seems the question is more often than not dogmatic in nature and I have no interest in debates of dogma. I know, I know dogma is important. It's just not my thing. I strive to live my theology. I relish discussing and even debating my ideas about God, but never in an "I'm right and you are wrong" sort of way. It probably is a result of my coming of age as a Southern Baptist during the great purge of the 1980's and 1990's.
That being said, I am realizing the importance of being able to speak to what one believes. It is what drives one and keeps one focused. The core of my theological beliefs is simply that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has the potential to transform lives and those thus transformed have the opportunity and the responsibility of participating in the Kingdom of God. My "elevator explanation" of that is that we are to love God, love one another, and serve the world.
For me this is the foundation. Everything else is detail. Everything else is subject to change. When I am 82, I will sit on my porch and figure out everything else and write a book. Until then, I work with what others are thinking that to assist in fleshing out my doctrine. Here are a couple of links to organizations whose work is helpful to me:
What Matters (I mentioned these last week. They come from my denomination, the United Church of Christ.)
The Phoenix Affirmations (I love these affirmations. They are unapolegetically Christ-centered yet theologically and socially progressive.)
The Center for Progressive Christianity (Skews a little more academic and cerebral than The Phoenix Affirmations, but very helpful)
Update: In looking at their websites, I learned that Crosswalk America (which produced the Phoenix Affirmations) and The Center for Progressive Christianity have merged. I love their stuff. It just needs to drop a foot from the head to the heart.
That being said, I am realizing the importance of being able to speak to what one believes. It is what drives one and keeps one focused. The core of my theological beliefs is simply that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has the potential to transform lives and those thus transformed have the opportunity and the responsibility of participating in the Kingdom of God. My "elevator explanation" of that is that we are to love God, love one another, and serve the world.
For me this is the foundation. Everything else is detail. Everything else is subject to change. When I am 82, I will sit on my porch and figure out everything else and write a book. Until then, I work with what others are thinking that to assist in fleshing out my doctrine. Here are a couple of links to organizations whose work is helpful to me:
What Matters (I mentioned these last week. They come from my denomination, the United Church of Christ.)
The Phoenix Affirmations (I love these affirmations. They are unapolegetically Christ-centered yet theologically and socially progressive.)
The Center for Progressive Christianity (Skews a little more academic and cerebral than The Phoenix Affirmations, but very helpful)
Update: In looking at their websites, I learned that Crosswalk America (which produced the Phoenix Affirmations) and The Center for Progressive Christianity have merged. I love their stuff. It just needs to drop a foot from the head to the heart.
Last Wednesday as I was working on Sunday's sermon on the story of Jacob wrestling with God and how it relates to the power of change in our lives, a realization came into sharp focus for me. There are three of me.
There is Jason Fairbanks, the industrious, creative pastor and preacher and father. I like that Jason. And I like the responses, quite often of admiration, that Jason receives from people. But there is a second Jason. The Jason that is prideful and fearful and lustful and undisciplined. That Jason I don't like so much. I keep that Jason hidden because I'm pretty sure folks wouldn't like him quite as much. I'd like to change that Jason, and sometimes I try. But it's really, really hard.
Now, what I have described about myself is true of everyone to some extent or another, it's widely accepted psychological theory. But I've noticed that we good church folks have raised this to an art form. We have become masters at portraying what people want to see and hiding what we are struggling with. The problem with that is we never getting around to being changed. We keep the second self hidden instead of exposing it to the healing, transformative power of Christ and the support of community.
But that is just two me's, and I promised a third. After Jacob struggled with the angel of God, the angel asked Jacob his name. Jacob responded with a confession, his name which means usurper or grasper. The angel gave Jacob a new name, Israel. The third me is the me that God sees. The me that has been made new in Christ, the me fully accepted and infinitely loved by God.
I am practiced at being the Jason that everyone likes. And the second Jason is always there causing me guilt and shame. I want to spend some more time getting to know the third Jason, the one that God is so in love with. I think I'm going to like him.
There is Jason Fairbanks, the industrious, creative pastor and preacher and father. I like that Jason. And I like the responses, quite often of admiration, that Jason receives from people. But there is a second Jason. The Jason that is prideful and fearful and lustful and undisciplined. That Jason I don't like so much. I keep that Jason hidden because I'm pretty sure folks wouldn't like him quite as much. I'd like to change that Jason, and sometimes I try. But it's really, really hard.
Now, what I have described about myself is true of everyone to some extent or another, it's widely accepted psychological theory. But I've noticed that we good church folks have raised this to an art form. We have become masters at portraying what people want to see and hiding what we are struggling with. The problem with that is we never getting around to being changed. We keep the second self hidden instead of exposing it to the healing, transformative power of Christ and the support of community.
But that is just two me's, and I promised a third. After Jacob struggled with the angel of God, the angel asked Jacob his name. Jacob responded with a confession, his name which means usurper or grasper. The angel gave Jacob a new name, Israel. The third me is the me that God sees. The me that has been made new in Christ, the me fully accepted and infinitely loved by God.
I am practiced at being the Jason that everyone likes. And the second Jason is always there causing me guilt and shame. I want to spend some more time getting to know the third Jason, the one that God is so in love with. I think I'm going to like him.
Monday, November 3, 2008
My dad, an old Baptist preacher, sent me this list compiled by another old Baptist preacher--no one famous, just a conference minister in New Orleans. But man, he is right on the money with these.
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