Total church Quotes
“Because theology is always the fruit of engagement with the Bible, it is not the preserve of the academic, nor is its pursuit confined to academic institutions. Theology is the task of the local church.”
The Need for Prayer and Praying for New Churches
As some of you know I am in the middle of the application process for church planting assessment in the PCA. Its a long application, and it asks a number of difficult questions. One of those questions asked me to describe the first steps I would take in planting a church. I listed a number of things that I would do at a new church, but I began by saying:
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Jesus, Prostitutes, and Pedophiles
A church in Louisville is making headlines, by moving forward with ordaining a registered s ex offender. For most people, this is an outrageous idea, and to be honest Im not sure how I would proceed if I was a part of that church.
For many people it might be better to begin with a broader question: Should churches even let s ex offenders to attend? For many I think the answer would easily be “no”, but is that the Biblical answer? Read More
Tim Keller on God’s Pursuit
“Sometimes, God jumps on us dramatically, as he does with the younger son, and we have a sharp sense of love. Sometimes he quietly and patiently argues with us even though we continue to turn away…”
Tim Keller,
The Prodigal God
3 Months with Augustine
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My son Augustine was 3 months old on the 1st of the month. Its crazy how fast things are moving. He started talking alot today, and soon he will be crawling.
David Bazan, Jim Morrison and Jesus Christ
When I was maybe 15 I found one of my father’s old tapes, It was Strange Days by the Doors. I was mesmerized, It was somber and despairing, and I immediately related to it. At the end of the album was a track called When the Musics Over. I remember being young and open to accepting lots of new thoughts, but when I got to this song, I remember feeling sad, and detached, but not detached from myself, or my faith, or who I was; but from the artist. It was Morrison cursing and yelling at God, it was him saying “I hate you”. One line more than any other struck me: “Cancel my subscription to the resurrection Send my credentials to the house of detention”.
David Bazan’s new album Curse You Branches is his When the Musics Over. But what I get from Bazan’s album is a sense of inconsistency, and a bad taste in my mouth, much more than when I first hear Morrison cancel his reservation to heaven. Maybe it was the fact that Morrison was long dead and I was so young, but when I hear Bazan not only curse the branch, but God, I get alot more emotional. I fell bad for the guy. I can’t help but want to hug the dude or punch him square in the face.
Listening to Bazan he is plain and settled in his distaste for God, as understood by Christians. He seems to want to make it clear that he sees it as stupid or ill-conceived.
So do we honor David Bazan’s honesty and authenticity even if he is authentically taking a jab at Christianity. I guess defending Jesus wouldn’t be hip.
Some people seem to be fine with Bazan still being treated as some Spiritual guide, even though I doubt he would call himself one.
One final question, in regard to Hard to Be: Do you think its easier for him to be, now that he has walked away from Jesus and all that makes up Christianity?
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