Archive for the ‘Fallen World’ Category:
the paper of record, the living of faith
The New York Times published an article in its June 1, 2008 edition titled “Taking Their Faith, But Not Their Politics, To The People” It’s a notable piece that highlights a church in the St. Louis area that is an example of what seems to be a larger trend: some of the younger generation of evangelical American Christians are desiring to re-focus what being ‘evangelical’ means. Read more »
Kirkwood Chaos
As some of you may have seen on the news, Kirkwood, MO is dealing with the aftermath of some brutal murders last night at the City Hall. My wife and I live a few blocks from there, and the other contributors on this blog also live in the general area. Kirkwood has had a really rough time in the last few years, with another officer killed in the line of duty, and the Michael Devlin case just a year ago. The community is still in shock.
Here is the story of what happened last night.
Please keep our community in your thoughts and prayers over the coming days, and that the church would be in a position to show the love of Christ to a community in grief.
the allure of separation
It’d be nice to get away and stay away, wouldn’t it?
Definitely. That really sounds sweet right now. Some distance. Getting away. Running away. Why not?
Since the inception of the Christian church, movements within Christianity have advocated, at one time or another, a separation from society as a standing way of life. The corruption is rampant, they’ve basically said, and we must cut ourselves off to save ourselves, our children, our faith.
Christmas Chaos
Christmas. Yep. It’s here. Ready or not, here it comes. Prepare to spend more than you can afford on gifts, laugh at your uncle’s dumb jokes, and gain 5-10 pounds of holiday junk food. Isn’t it crazy how life speeds up right when we should be able to slow down and appreciate it?
Does anyone else feel like Christmas has become really… fake?
Right before I started Seminary last year, I had a brief career in retail Asset Protection. I was in charge of security and safety for an entire store. I had the (dis)pleasure of working 12-14 hour days over the holidays, and specifically on Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving), and the day after Christmas. “Nightmare” is not strong enough of a word… Read more »
The “Country Club” Church Is Crap.
Say that ten times fast…
Danielle recently made a comment concerning a post comparing Jack Bauer of the TV Series 24 with Jesus Christ:
And I think there’s a comparison to the church in there. Because although the suspense is pretty cool (as in what will happen here on earth, as well as after we die), it is the human parts of the story that compel people to keep reading/listening/feeling/believing perhaps. And the church has been nothing if not revolutionary in history. Jesus’ story is a prime example.
It instantly reminded me of a couple quotes that generally make me want to pick up sword and shield to charge headlong into this cosmic revolution. This is an axe I gring almost continually. Having not grown up in the church, paradigm for what church should be is not as convoluted by tradition and/or fundamentalism. I am perhaps more able to read how the church is portrayed in scripture without the baggage of moralistic rules and cultural taboos. Of course, I do have other things that cloud my judgment, and there are people who have grown up in the church and are able to see through much of that. But this is something that is particularly close to my heart because of my experiences.
For your reading pleasure, here are two of my favorite quotes Read more »
Your Worst Life Now
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7AuG6XuDYo] Since we are discussing a heavy chapter like Genesis 3, I thought I might lend a little levity to the discussion with the title. 3 points to anyone who can tell me what the reference is, and yes I am keeping track of points! I have written a companion paper with this video that covers some of the secondary stuff going on in this chapter. The video of course hits the high points, but there is just so much happening in this one chapter! Well, enjoy, and as always please feel free to post with comments, questions, and discrepancies. Notes on Sin and Its Nature
God’s Story: An Artistic Representation (Panel 2)
Here is the section concerning the second panel of the painting, titled “Loss” (The Fall). Is anyone else just amazed with the symbolism in this painting? Incredible…. This is a shorter panel, but the next couple will rock your world.
