outside is better

What has to be learned by the American Church...not just evangelicals

I have been in the process of writing my follow up to my last post regarding communal doctrine.  I want to make sure it is really sweet, but in the process I came up with this list, which I am imagining to be a work in progess.  Feel free to push back or add to this.

What has to be learned by the American Church:

Fundamentalists:

• Issues regarding authority need be re-thought.  You simply make claims about biblical issues that just can't be substantiated with the History of Judeo-Christian tradition. (Read Craig D. Allert;s "A high view of scripture?")
• Speaking of traditon, it should be recognized more.  How do you think Christianity was transmitted pre-text? D. H. Williams is a great starting place.
• Proper Trinitarian Thoughts, an emphasis on all three members and teaching on how they properly interact with one another.

Traditional/Liturgical

• The difference between issues of justice and evangelism needs to be fleshed out.  While the justice piece has been important in the Mainline Protestant churches,  it is not thought of as an evangelical practice with kingdom/gospel dimensions.
• The Holy Spirit and His place within the sphere of worship.  It is evident in the words of your liturgies, but it needs to be put in practice.
• Cultural adaptation needs to happen, this means that things change in order to keep things refreshed.  This won't destroy the richness that is a positive trait, but will allow it to continue to be what it has always been, but in a way that translates to the non or de-churched.

Again, these are just working lists.  I want to think about an Evangelical list and a Pentecostal/Charismatic list.  I really see these not as destructive, but as ways that the church can hopefully grow in the 21st century.  For those that minister in "Non-Sexy" churches, and are searching for re-vitalization, I think these are points that have to be thought of.  The more people I meet on the street that consider themselves "religious" have no denominational or traditional loyalty, they just want to see a Church that functions like Jesus lived.

Viva la Resistance!

I have gone underground for the last couple of weeks and I am glad I have.  I check the email at night and I have not charged the laptop for at least a two weeks or so save the time it spent plugged up in houston in order to charge my ipod for the trip home.  I kinda like it.

But here is what I have been doing.

1. Building Mere a bookshelf with my new tools I bought with Christmas money.
2. Reading for a class on Revelations I am taking in January.  Its call number is NT666.  You have to say it in a real evil voice.  Isn't it cool though?
3. Thinking about Art, Theology, and the act of Creation.  I guess it is a throwback to a couple of years ago.
4. Reading to many back-issues of Mother Earth News.  Thanks to the coolest father-in-law that had some of them stashed away.
5. Getting Cabin fever.

Tomorrow Justin and Charis arrive...i think..

from this point on I can easily say that a new chapter is being written

In the Summer Time...

Well I am pretty sure I have settled into my summer routine.  It consists of getting into work around 9 or so and doing that until 4.  I go home and make dinner for Meredith and spend the evening with her.  I usually end up working again for a couple of hours at night.

There are two things that I want to get done over the summer.  For those of you that have seen my lists before know that hardly any of them end being fully completed.  So I have made a small list.  Only 2 things.

1. Read alot.
2. Get myself back in the creative mindset.

I want to read so I can stay up on somethings, and also to learn to be a better student.

I want to learn to create again.  That is something that was really important to me last year and I have almost completely neglected it this year.  I can tell that it has seriously held me back in a lot of ways.

I will have the podcast back up in a day or so.  Thanks to those who called out for it.

EDIT+++++++++++(from later in the day)

I have decided that I want to make a collage every day.  I don't want to get to picky (but I have found some sweet ephemera that I am saving for certain things), because I want this to be an exercise in functional creativity.  It's like forcing myself to do it until I beat it into my own brain.  Once I have a few days under my belt I will start a Flickr set and post the link.

I think this summer list will allow me to grow as a worshiper and a person who thinks about worship.

Podcasting?

Some of you may or may not know that this website is podcast enabled, but I don't really do them anymore.  I do want to point out a great podcast/website a few friends of mine have up.

Popular Crackpot is a great site that offers a Podcast dealing with Crackpot Conspiracy Theory.  They do a resource page so you can do some checking up on what you read.  It is done by some great friends of mine and I have had to pull off the road several times due to what I hear on their podcast.  It really has been something I look forward too over the last few weeks.  Go check it out.

Time Freeze

Here is another dual post with between Anna and I.

If you could freeze time for 8 hours what would you do........

I would go to Kansas City and eat BBQ