CT just posted an article written by Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary. Here's an excerpt:
"In a speech I heard several years ago, the Japanese-American theologian Kosuke Koyama put it nicely: We all have to decide, he said, whether we have a generous God or a stingy God. And the truth is that we evangelicals often give the impression that we have decided to be a spiritually stingy people. A recent Barna Group survey, for example, offers evidence that many young people in the larger society think of evangelicals primarily as "judgmental" types, hostile toward folks in other religions and mean-spirited in our attitudes about homosexuality. Even many young evangelicals share some of these assessments of the older generation. A leader at an evangelical college said it this way: "A lot of our students worry about typical evangelical attitudes toward people who have different belief systems and lifestyles. It's not that they don't take the Bible's teachings seriously. It's just that they have gotten to know Muslims and gays, and they are embarrassed by the harsh spirit toward such folks that they see in the older generation. If we don't do something about this negative image soon, we could easily lose them for the evangelical cause."
The full article is definitely worth the read: Click Here.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Reading Links
If your workday is slow, as mine often is, good reading can be a lifesaver. Here are a few places I recommend if you'd like to get your mind going. Granted, these are places where I have enjoyed reading, so they may or may not be your cup of tea:
- On the Square. A blog for First Things: The Journal of Religion, Culture, and Public Life. Recent topics include "The Violence of Double Standards" and "Where are the Prophets?"
- Tomorrow, April 4, is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. CNN is currently running an article on MLK through the eyes of King's sister, Christine, who would like us to remember her brother as a regular guy, not "some mythic character from out of space."
- This one's for David Chambers. TIME magazine just ran a cover story titled, "The Clean Energy Scam." Here's the article. (warning: this article is not short)
- Way to go, Benny the Bull. Finally, Chicago Bulls fans have something to laugh about that isn't the team's unique ability to blow double-digit leads during the 4th quarter.
I leave you with this NBA-related thought: Chris Paul for MVP.
More on "Jesus for President"
Posted by blogger Post Haste on CT's Out of Ur Blog - in response to Parts 1 & 2 of the "Jesus for President" book review. Very thought-provoking material:
Who decided that "the American church does not articulate a Christianity distinct from national citizenship." Which American church are we talking about here? Maybe the same American church that equates the audience of Christianity Today with "the American church"?
The truth is that even a radical Christianity in the American context is not one that would bring its practitioners to the brink of execution, and this is so precisely because of the reality of the separation of church and state. Radical, honest commitment to God and God's people is simply not a capital offense in America as it is in the absolutist systems of theocracy or true statism.
I'm not saying the church shouldn't stand in prophetic contrast to our government (it always should), but I am saying that many progressive Christians (especially progressive Christians coming out of conservative backgrounds) overstate the degree to which American-ness impedes Christlikeness.
There's also a frustrating paradox at work here for Christians who've moved beyond the idea of Jesus as political radical (conservative or liberal): It's incredible that so many of the same Christians who watchdog and mourn the dilution of Christ's message within the context of American civic religion still expect their wicked government (designed as a secular apparatus with limited power) to embody Kingdom values on issues of social justice, poverty, and peace. It's fine to appeal to Christ's value system when articulating a vision for peace in the world; not so for articulating a vision for peace, say, in the womb. It's fine to appeal to our faith convictions when supporting the eradication of famine and AIDS and demanding our secular government to pay heed; not so, it seems lately, when one's faith convictions don't end with a vote for Barack Obama."
I recognize that the last two sentences of this snippet touch on some buzz-word topics like abortion, AIDS, and Obama's campaign (none of which I want to go into now), but I hope that their mention will not cloud what I appreciate most about these thoughts: a recognition of the simultaneous pessimistic (even indignant) cynicism and optimistic expectation that are expressed towards the American government by American Christians every day. I have no answer for myself, except that I know I often fall into this trap of condemning my government's actions while expecting it to lead the charge of a social Gospel.
Additionally, the first two paragraphs are intriguing for a different reason: Does the separation of Church and State impede the work of the Church? Put another way, because professing faith in Christ is not a treasonous offense in America, does the health, strength, and spread of that faith suffer?
Who decided that "the American church does not articulate a Christianity distinct from national citizenship." Which American church are we talking about here? Maybe the same American church that equates the audience of Christianity Today with "the American church"?
The truth is that even a radical Christianity in the American context is not one that would bring its practitioners to the brink of execution, and this is so precisely because of the reality of the separation of church and state. Radical, honest commitment to God and God's people is simply not a capital offense in America as it is in the absolutist systems of theocracy or true statism.
I'm not saying the church shouldn't stand in prophetic contrast to our government (it always should), but I am saying that many progressive Christians (especially progressive Christians coming out of conservative backgrounds) overstate the degree to which American-ness impedes Christlikeness.
There's also a frustrating paradox at work here for Christians who've moved beyond the idea of Jesus as political radical (conservative or liberal): It's incredible that so many of the same Christians who watchdog and mourn the dilution of Christ's message within the context of American civic religion still expect their wicked government (designed as a secular apparatus with limited power) to embody Kingdom values on issues of social justice, poverty, and peace. It's fine to appeal to Christ's value system when articulating a vision for peace in the world; not so for articulating a vision for peace, say, in the womb. It's fine to appeal to our faith convictions when supporting the eradication of famine and AIDS and demanding our secular government to pay heed; not so, it seems lately, when one's faith convictions don't end with a vote for Barack Obama."
I recognize that the last two sentences of this snippet touch on some buzz-word topics like abortion, AIDS, and Obama's campaign (none of which I want to go into now), but I hope that their mention will not cloud what I appreciate most about these thoughts: a recognition of the simultaneous pessimistic (even indignant) cynicism and optimistic expectation that are expressed towards the American government by American Christians every day. I have no answer for myself, except that I know I often fall into this trap of condemning my government's actions while expecting it to lead the charge of a social Gospel.
Additionally, the first two paragraphs are intriguing for a different reason: Does the separation of Church and State impede the work of the Church? Put another way, because professing faith in Christ is not a treasonous offense in America, does the health, strength, and spread of that faith suffer?
Conservative Theology Means Smaller Bank Accounts?
"To Conserve" (as defined by Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary): To keep in a safe or sound state; to save; to preserve; to protect.
New article on Christianity Today titled, "Conservative Theology Means Smaller Bank Accounts." Worth a read, especially if you have pondered (or anticipate pondering) the question: How do I manage and/or use my money for the purposes of God?
As a young, recently married follower of Jesus with what would be considered by most who label such things to be a relatively conservative theology, this article definitely got my brain firing on all cylinders. More to come on this topic in the near future...
New article on Christianity Today titled, "Conservative Theology Means Smaller Bank Accounts." Worth a read, especially if you have pondered (or anticipate pondering) the question: How do I manage and/or use my money for the purposes of God?
As a young, recently married follower of Jesus with what would be considered by most who label such things to be a relatively conservative theology, this article definitely got my brain firing on all cylinders. More to come on this topic in the near future...
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Random Thoughts
So much for regular updates...
I've been spending more time recently reading different articles from the website of my former place of employment, Christianity Today. Here are some highlights from the past several days:
I've been spending more time recently reading different articles from the website of my former place of employment, Christianity Today. Here are some highlights from the past several days:
- Heaven Is Not Our Home - N.T. Wright - Excellent piece on the social responsibility of a Christian now that the resurrection has taken place. An interview with Wright dealing with the same topic can be found here.
- Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw have recently released a new book, "Jesus for President." Leadership Journal's blogged review of their book can be found in three parts: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 (coming soon).
- A new writer for CT's Ignite Your Faith, the high school publication, had their first article published online late last week. You can read it here. (this may or may not be shameless self-promotion)
- Compelling discussion between a staunchly evangelical writer, Stan Guthrie, and a thoroughly Jewish Rabbi, regarding the sharing of the Gospel to the Jewish people. The initial article by Guthrie is here, and the subsequent conversation between Rabbi Yehiel E. Poupko and Guthrie can be found here.
In other news, Robin and I are headed to Jersey for a much-needed weekend away from home and with family. I'm excited to hang out with the in-laws for a couple days, and I'm also excited to hit some warmer weather. Essex has been cold, even by a Chicagoan's standards.
More to come soon... I'm going to try and update my reading links on a regular basis, but we'll see how that goes. After all, it's taken me three months to write a blog entry.
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