New Tattoo(s)?
It has been almost three years since I got my first tattoo, and Ive been pondering if I should get another one. Part of my dilemma at first was wondering whether it would hinder my ministry, but I’ve since come to think that it will not.
So I’ve decided that it was time to get another one, or maybe two. My first one was small on the inside of my wrist, and faced me, it read “Be not overcome with evil but over come evil with good. Romans 12:21″
I think this time around I will end up getting something a little more visible. At this point I’m hoping to get one of a sword and a trowel on one arm, and then get another one on my other arm. But which one?
Im leaning towards the Chi Ro with the crown but man any of these would be cool.
The Alpha and Omega with a Crown?
The Chi ro with alpha and omega?
The thc with a cross?
Or The Simple Chi Ro
What might be even cooler is that Joanna might get something like this on her back.
Cross
Debating Dad and understanding urban tribes
My wife always gets worried when I called my dad. Why? Because we always end up getting into these massive debates, with a definite Italian Flavor, and by Italian flavor I mean passionate loud discussions. Joanna gets worried because she thinks that whenever my dad and I disagree it might be the last time we talk, because to her our style of debate is so strong, and passionate that she thinks we are going to hate each other at the end.
Here is an example of comments that are tossed at each other,
Dad: “I hope one day you are smart enough to reconsider your liberal views”
Me: “I wouldn’t call it being liberal I would call it being a Christian”
So maybe there is some validity of Joanna’s concerns, sometimes our discussions become very heated, maybe too heated, yet I love talking to my dad about everything, we have fun discussing things which we disagree on.
So what does this have to do with Cultural understanding?
Joanna’s family is very different, than mine, her parents rarely argue in front of other people, and when there are disagreements they are handle in a different way than my family, some of the things they do are better for the unity of the family, and some are worse, but most are just different, and to me they are unfamiliar. And my family is unfamiliar to Joanna, so when she hears me debating with my dad, she thinks I want to murder him, but I don’t. At first Joanna would correct me and tell me that I couldn’t talk to my father like that, because she thought my actions were in contradiction to 4th commandment, but she realized that I do honor my father, and that the volume of my voice doesn’t subtract from the honor I have for my father.
Isn’t this very similar when an outsider observes a different group of people(urban tribe). to an outside some of the things they are doing appear dangerous, some appear foolish, and some appear to us to be sinful, but many are just different. Every tribe is sinful, and its our job to represent the King, and to point them to the truth, but I would venture to guess that many of the differences between tribes are very much like to the differences between Joanna’s family and mine, not as much wrong or inferior but different.
Who said this?
“I’ve spent more time trying to identify the things in peoples mind that serve as obstacles, to them understanding us, and, Whenever I feel like I’ve identified an obstacle I try to take it apart, roll it away, move it, demolish it, blow it up. I set myself a goal- communicate this real clearly, the only way I know to do it is city by city, person by person, family by family, and I have faith that pretty soon enough minds are changed.”
Switching Denominations: Or How We Moved to a Generic Presbyterian Church
by Sam
Tags: Church Planting, Culture, Pittsburgh, Seminary, Theology
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So its been two months and I thought I would finally sit down and write something about our recent church decisions. Starting last summer I felt increasing pressure about whether or not I could stay in the RPCNA, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America. The root of my problems stemmed from an uncertainty over accappella psalmody, a belief which the denomination considered an essential distinctive. I had entered seminary with a clear understanding of why I held the position but as I thought on it more and more, and as I went through classes that dealt with the topic my views slowly started to change. I ended up holding to accappella psalmody with the understanding that I was all together unconvinced, but did not want to leave my denomination, one that my father was an elder in, and one that had sent me to seminary. I felt very alone. I thought that I might be able to remain RP if I was not forced on the issue. I also thought that I had time to think about the matter more. That took me through my first year of seminary.
Summer came and my thought focused on more important issues.
The topic came up again at Presbytery over the summer where a student was asked if he thought that it was a sin to sing anything other than a psalm unaccompanied. This question really bothered me, because I knew that if asked, I could not say that singing hymns with instruments was a sin.
I was forced to take a closer looked at what I believed, and started to question if I should pursue ordination in the RPCNA. It did not bring my call to the pastorate in question just my denomination.
At the same time that I was questioning my denominational beliefs I was also being exposed to the thoughts of Mark Driscoll. I was fascinated with the notion that a church could both hold fast to the truth that God had given, and at the same time be very creative in how they interacted with their community. As I looked around at the RP church I did not see this happening.
These two things began our quest.
Of course I knew of other “Generic” presbyterian churches, but was not sure that they were the place I should be looking. A pastor that I once knew inappropriately called the PCA and the OPC generic in a plea to keep the RPCNA distinct. We started our investigation at steel city church, a church I would feel comfortable calling emergent. We visited the church for three weeks. What we saw was people proclaiming faith and a good vision for church planting being set forth, but what we did not see was any sort of comprehensive explanation of their theology, or their organization of the church. What I ended up feel was that the church was seeking to please the Lord but had not really fleshed it out in any substantial ways. Even after receiving their membership manual we struggled with understanding what they stood for. We left unsatisfied.
My second year of seminary started and I was still undercare of the RPCNA.
As a student undercare I was instructed that I was responsible to read the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Testimony of the RPCNA, their second subordinate standard.
Because of my recent thinking I took this very seriously, although I admit I was not excited to work through two standards which I saw as outdated. When I finished I had written five pages outlining my objections, yet I only question one line of the WCF, and four and a half pages were written about my disagreements with the RP Testimony.
In fact I came to deeply admire the WCF, and it was this fact that ended our search. I felt that I needed to be in a denomination that held to the WCF, and at the same time one that did not shy away from engaging the lost around them.
So this is how we moved to a generic presbyterian church.
I say “generic” with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek-Her we go PCA, Here we go!
Goodbye Christendom
My buddy Brandon in his blog was speaking about the global shift that is taking place. Christianity is loosing ground in the “western” world, but gaining ground in second and third world countries.
Brandon’s post isn’t presenting some new theory he is just stating the obvious. The one thing that he did say that I had not though about in a while is that America is now the third largest mission field in the world. So is this good or bad? Well maybe that depends on who you are, or more specifically how old you are. Personally, I don’t lament this changing world because I see more opportunities, than loses. American Christians are now living in a culture where we don’t have to travel at all to become missionaries.
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