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Listen Then Act

Phil Blog Four Photo

“Do not have your
concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the
Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him.” 
-Hudson Taylor

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Lk.
5:16) read more

Slandering the world & the Christian name

Josh Blog Four Photo

 When introducing yourself as a Christian you may sometimes be greeted in a strange manner. Some people assume that being Christian also means you are an extremist. This is because some of the only interactions they may have had with a “Christian” is someone yelling about God’s wrath, or picketing on a street corner. They think we all abide by some strict controlling cultist style life. However, we know this to be false. We must do our best to correct this misled view of our collective group of believers. Religious extremists, cultists, and
hate-mongering groups are destroying the good name of Christ, by standing behind it while they speak nothing of the love and grace of God.

One such group would be the Westboro Baptist Church, who interestingly enough has no association with the Baptist Church, nor should it even be considered a church. This particular gathering of beings is completely misled by their leader, and believe themselves to be spreading the word of God. This word, however, is that God hates pretty much everyone, that he is destroying and will continue to destroy the world and everyone who does not agree with him. The list of people the WBC claims God hates consists of: Homosexuals, Transsexuals, Military, Muslims, Obama, Police, Government, Immigrants, and many more. read more

The Church: A Banquet for Your Friends or a Refuge for the Poor?

Melissa Blog Four Photo

Then
Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite
your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors;
if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you
give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and
you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the
resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:12-14)

             The great
eighteenth-century hymn writer and ex-slave trader John Newton marveled at the
far-reaching impact of these words spoken by Jesus in Luke. “One would almost
think this passage was not considered part of God’s word, nor has any part of
Jesus’ teaching been more neglected by his own people. I do not think it is unlawful
to entertain our friends” he says, “but if these words do not teach us that it
is in some respects out duty to give preference
to the poor, I am at a loss to understand them.” Looking at the current state
of the American church, one can’t help but wonder if the “luncheon or dinner”
Jesus was referring to could be what we call our church service today. We spend
so much time catering our churches to our friends, brothers, sisters, relatives
and neighbors, that we completely disregard those Jesus is calling to invite
join us in our “banquet.” read more

Where does your allegiance lie?

Zach Blog Two

    Why do we have different church denominations? I mean, I understand how they came into existence and the reasons behind it, but why?

    I think that having different church styles is extremely important because it can be hard to meet the vast variety of needs amongst us as individuals. We are strengthened when we come together with our differences. However, saying that, I think the church has been splintered rather than strengthened by its denominations. Instead of drawing closer together under one banner, Christ Jesus, we've separated off into factions, each claiming its own ways and rights. If we follow Christ, and are His, why do we claim alegiance to any other spiritual background? Why do we place our identity in anything other than Him? read more

Not Doing What the World Says I Should

Anna Blog One Photo

    I’m not sure how to handle
forgiveness. The culture tells me I’m entitled to my grudges, my animosity, my
lifelong hate against someone who wronged me. My friends tell me that I
shouldn’t allow that one person back into my life—much less forgive them. That
it’s idiotic for us to be close friends after the devastating breakup. That the
walls I build are justified.  

    Christ and his kingdom step in and call me quite clearly,
against the expectations of the world, to tell an alternate story. To forgive
seventy times seven, yes, but also to be perfect as my Father is perfect. And
yes, that’s great, and yes, I tell myself that I have forgiven and so fulfilled
the letter of the law but I still hold a seed of hatred in my heart. I beg off
forgiving completely, because they hurt me, they used me, whatever the
situation may be, I’m completely and undeniably justified. read more

The Great Divide

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By Laura
Race is not an issue that can be ignored, especially not by the Church- the people of God called to make disciples of every nation. In his article “The Color of Faith,” David Van Blema remarks on the gravity of the situation: “In an age of mixed-race malls, mixed-race pop-music charts and, yes, a mixed-race President, the church divide seems increasingly peculiar. It is troubling, even scandalous, that our most intimate public gatherings-and those most safely beyond the law's reach-remain color-coded,” (26). God sends the Church into the world to be His image-bearers, living out the unity, peace, and love that exemplifies life in Christ. In order for the church to begin living out its missional identity, it must realize the ways it has been affected by racial segregation and take a biblical approach to embracing reconciliation and oneness in the body of Christ. 
Throughout the New Testament, Jesus came proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is here. We are living in the tension between the redemptive act of Christ on the cross and the reconciliation of all things to God when Jesus comes again and the world is made new. As Christians, we are to live into the present truth of the Kingdom and join in the redemptive work of Christ here and now. In Revelations 7:9-10, we are given a picture of what the body of Christ will look like after the Second Coming when all is made right: “There…was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,” (NIV). 
This is the true picture of the Kingdom of God as it was meant to be- diverse, colorful, and unified. This is the beautiful future that God calls us to live into now. David Campbell, a professor at Notre Dame, advocates, “If tens of millions of Americans start sharing faith across racial boundaries, it could be one of the final steps transcending race as our great divider,” (Van Blema, 27). The Church has a great role to play.

The Mission of Righteousness

10-10-150MillionPeople(1)
By Kirsten This Missional Church class is probably the most convicting “sermon” series I have heard in years. If I am to be completely honest, my walk with Christ has been marked by several lapses into outright sinful living. Like many Christians, and if I am to guess correctly, mostly Christians in the West, I struggle to maintain a life of purity in the midst of a culture and church that doesn’t really value righteous living. There has been a disconnect in my mind between Jesus’ words “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48) and the reality of Paul’s words “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). I used to believe that once people became Christians, perfection followed. Righteousness has always been to me some kind of trophy to be won and put on a shelf which I would dust off once a year, which is a mindset that has often left me frustrated.   It wasn’t until today that something clicked. In class, I found out that righteousness can also be translated as justice. The reason why this is so profound is because justice goes beyond what Jesus can do only for me, but what His Spirit seeks to work out for all people. I have struggled for years to understand how to focus my attention outside of myself in order to love God and people better. What has been severely lacking is a deeper understanding of the gospel message, and of righteousness. Jesus’ gives a call to his disciples in Matthew 28: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This message to serve all people, so they too can enjoy in the riches of God’s mercy and righteousness, is humbling and beautiful. It is far more exciting to know that God is working for more than just me.

Missionality and the GLBT Community

Andrew Marin, the primary blogger for Love Is an Orientation recently began a series of posts about his life in Boystown, Chicago's primary gay neighborhood. His organization, The Marin Foundation, tries to build bridges, break down stereotypes, and open up conversation between the Christian and GLBT (Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Trangender) communities. At the very center of his ministry is the recognition that the attractional model is doomed because of Christian's actions in the past, as well as the stereotypes of both communities created in our culture. We cannot expect to bring in to our churches today a group that has been the victim of countless attacks from within the church throughout our entire history. In his book UnChristian, David Kinnamen provides countless statistics and research on the perception of the church by outsiders. At the top of his list of negative perceptions of Christianity is that it is anti-homosexual, a view held by 91 percent of the participants in the survey described in his book. To be clear, this does not mean that 91 percent of Christians are actually anti-homosexual. Rather, it means that there is a tremendously strong preconception that the Church is actively against homosexuality. 

read more

Get Low – a disturbing, wonderful movie about angst and forgiveness

Robi and I went to a movie a few nights ago entitled “Get Low.”
It’s a bit of an Indie film starring Robert Duval. 

The story revolves around the character Duval plays who
happens to be a recluse. What he wants is a funeral, but not your normal
funeral.  He want to have one before
he dies. Something that many of us might want…to be spotlighted before we
stop breathing.  The problem,
however, is he can’t find anybody to talk at the funeral–at least positively.  He has been a crotchety old geezer for
too long…or so it seems. read more