Christianity Today (which I don't always agree but often find interesting) has produced an interesting tool to help people assess the way we understand and interpret the Bible.
This is a far more important issue than some people realise because so much of what confuses and divides Christians comes down to this issue. How literally do we use the Bible and how much do we believe it is open to interpretation and opinion? Unfortunately, fewer and fewer of the church people I talk to are even willing to consider the positions of the Bible thoughtfully, let alone acknowledge the biasses that inform and affect us.
I'd love to be on a church staff or leadership team that took this quiz and used it as a tool for a significant discussion on the hows and whys of using the Bible. It might be challenging and even heated at times, but it would reveal a level of interaction that would have the potential to bring about something powerful and transformative to a church.
I find myself in tension on a lot off this. I want to hold to a conservative view that holds Scripture as important and relevant, but I resist some of the hardness and apparent insensitivity I see in most conservatives.
That being the case I'm not surprised that I scored a 62 and rate as a moderate.
I wonder if that will change over time?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Brilliant by Association?
Today I'm reminded again how many truly phenomenal people touch my life. It is humbling to share conversation or even just read their words and get a sense that these are people who are grasping something of reality that is still beyond me. Is it a goood thing or a bad one that this seems to happen to me quite often?
Mike and Sarah Eggert are friends who have left the safety and comfort of Oakville, Ontario for the uncertainties of Malawi, taking three sons including a baby with them when they went. They said (with a sincerity that makes cliches absolutely real) "We believe we're safer in Malawi obeying God than we could ever be in Oakville doing something other than what He's calling us to". I love and miss them, and I deeply admire them. Read this and you'll get a sense of why I admire them so much.
I also got to spend several hours this evening with a family who, in the three years I've known them, have taught me how deep and vast God's idea of community really is. Paul and Elizabeth Millar are thoughtful, fascinating, and a lot more like Jesus than I am. Every time we get oour families together I realise how much more frequently I need to do so. You can only get a vague glimpse of how outstanding they are in their simple normalcy from Paul's blog but it will get you started.
I could easily go on and tell you about several others, but there are too many and it's too hard to choose, and those are the ones who inspired me today.
Mike and Sarah Eggert are friends who have left the safety and comfort of Oakville, Ontario for the uncertainties of Malawi, taking three sons including a baby with them when they went. They said (with a sincerity that makes cliches absolutely real) "We believe we're safer in Malawi obeying God than we could ever be in Oakville doing something other than what He's calling us to". I love and miss them, and I deeply admire them. Read this and you'll get a sense of why I admire them so much.
I also got to spend several hours this evening with a family who, in the three years I've known them, have taught me how deep and vast God's idea of community really is. Paul and Elizabeth Millar are thoughtful, fascinating, and a lot more like Jesus than I am. Every time we get oour families together I realise how much more frequently I need to do so. You can only get a vague glimpse of how outstanding they are in their simple normalcy from Paul's blog but it will get you started.
I could easily go on and tell you about several others, but there are too many and it's too hard to choose, and those are the ones who inspired me today.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Nobody Cares
Most church leaders realise that the majority of visitors to a church come through the personal invitation from a friend or family member. But we can't figure out why our regulars aren't bringing anyone with them week by week, month by month. A good article I came across this morning gives a reasonable explanation; http://www.davidfoster.tv/?p=657#
I've often said, even in this space I think, that we're all evangelists for something. David Foster raises the same ppoint from another persepctive. I admit that right now I'm one of those people attending a church that I'm not excited enough about to invite friends and neighbours. I've even discussed that with our pastor and staff. I really want it to be a church I can bring people to. There are just a few (maybe a few more than a few) things that are in the way so far. What I am excited about is that there are some people in our church who are happily inviting others and I really believe there is a desire to become more that kind of church.
I've often said, even in this space I think, that we're all evangelists for something. David Foster raises the same ppoint from another persepctive. I admit that right now I'm one of those people attending a church that I'm not excited enough about to invite friends and neighbours. I've even discussed that with our pastor and staff. I really want it to be a church I can bring people to. There are just a few (maybe a few more than a few) things that are in the way so far. What I am excited about is that there are some people in our church who are happily inviting others and I really believe there is a desire to become more that kind of church.
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