the church, faithful | how does a church stay true to the gospel?
Please, please don’t read this as some overt political statement from me or some kind of Hitler/Trump equivalency. If you do, you are missing the target. It is actually an ecclesial statement. How does the church remain faithful in the midst of so many counter-stories, particularly “nationalism”? How do we maintain our equilibrium in the midst of so many different and competing narratives? How do we maintain our equilibrium in the midst of so many different and competing narratives? BTW – this commentary was written in 2006 if anything he was referring to George W Bush. Hehe! r“Rightly reading the signs of the times requires a church capable of standing against the legitimating stories of the day. American Christians often think that if we had been confronted with someone like Hitler we would have been able to recognize that he was evil. Yet in many ways, the church in Germany was a church more theologically articulate than the American church has ever been; still the German church failed to know how to adequately challenge the rise of Hitler. It failed because Christians in Germany assumed that they were German Christians just as American Christians assume that they are American Christians. Churches that are nationally identified will seldom be able to faithfully read the signs of the time.”
a theological vision for immanuel church – part 3 – reproduce communities
This is part 3 of Immanuel’s Theological Vision. You can find part 1 by clicking here and part 2 by clicking here.
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beyond talking points – race in america
This is an especially painful and telling interview from Fox News. There is such pain in our land right now. As is said in the piece, this is beyond politics, this is beyond “talking point.”
As Paul says in Romans, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.” The theological category of lament is real and needed.
liturgy after charlotteville
The following are the brief remarks I made at Immanuel Church on the Sunday after the White Nationalist rally in Charlotteville, Virginia
I don’t have many words because, frankly, I’m embarrassed and broken hearted. For most of the weekend, as I saw report after report as to what had happened, my emotions went back and forth between sadness and infuriation. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because I have been predicting this stuff for a long time now, but I was still flabbergasted that what I was watching could be happening in my country in the year 2017.
prayer for peace, a prayer for courage in charlottesville
As I arise this morning to pictures and videos of a church full of people worshipping (some who I know personally) while a group of angry, torch bearing white supremacist rallied outside in Charlottesville, my heart is in knots. I honestly feel sick.
It feels like our world is going insane. May God give my brothers and sisters who are there grace, courage, and protection and… May God give the same to white Christians to use their voice to speak out against the hatred that is seemingly growing in our land (many who were quick to use their voices in protest of BLM rallies). Sadly, I hold little hope that they will use that same vigilance and protest regarding what happened last night. May Christ, who is our peace and has broken down every wall, raise up his true church. ra theological vision for immanuel church – part 2 – reconcile people
This is part 2 of Immanuel’s Theological Vision. You can find part 1 by clicking here.
We live in such a fragmented society. At this point, almost every element of society is responding as a victim. Everyone is slighted to one degree or another. Everyone is polarized. As a matter fact, in my 59 years, I have never seen a more volatile moment in our culture’s history. Here are a couple of examples.
a theological vision for immanuel church – part 1 – restore lives
Your kingdom come, your will be done in Spokane as it is in heaven.
In Spokane as it is in heaven! That is how I always pray the Lord’s Prayer in regards to our church.
books and prayers and things
When I read this today, I thought to myself, “Has she seen my desk, my bedroom, my house?”
“Wherever I have lived my room and soon
the entire house is filled with books;
poems, stories, histories, prayers of
all kinds stand up gracefully or are
heaped on shelves, on the floor, on
the bed. Strangers old the new offering
their words bountifully and thoughtfully,
lifting my heart.
could following jesus be this simple?
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
If we are told by Jesus to seek the Kingdom, doesn’t that infer it must be accessible in the present and, if so, describes our daily quest?
stop trying to keep your church alive…or free it to live
“Being missional means moving intentionally beyond our church preferences, making missional decisions rather than preferential decisions.” ― Ed Stetzer, Comeback Churches
I got the privilege of meeting with a young church planter from a mainline denomination yesterday. She is charming and passionate, though somewhat doe-eyed, seemingly not completely sure what she was getting in to (though, she is quickly arriving there).