Quick hit (and trying out this “blogging from google reader” thing)…Professor Richard Beck writes the following great article on what practical ways that Christians might want to start working on if they truly want to embody the love of Christ. The Bait and Switch of Contemporary Christianity: “ A few years ago a female student […]
Archives for August 2009
Thank You Atheist Animal-Lovers!
I’ve been sick with worry that even though we are in the last days before the Rapture and the Tribulation…well, honestly, my cats haven’t confessed Christ and seem to be unable to do so…so who will care for them when I’m uplifted? I’ve worried for a while about their needs and the lack of food…even […]
Is "Good Enough" the Future of Ministry?
Quick hit: we talked before about rough “unfinished” forms of ministry being allowed to take root in “What the Church can Learn from Wikipedia.” Per the article below, it seems the same concept is taking place in technology as fast flexible programs are replacing high-tech ones simply due to it being “good enough” to get […]
Infinite Loops, Nintendo, and Human Depravity
I wonder if I’m being influenced by moving to Tornado Alley. In writing my draft of response to the doctrinal questions of the UMC (you’ll see them eventually), I’m struck by a repeated theme in my answers: loops. Some examples of concepts I’m tinkering with: Humanity is not fallen, but swirling in circles without a […]
Franchise Churches; Disenfranchised Christians
A few months back, to much fanfare, Lifechurch.tv launched a free video teaching website which could beam preachers and teachers’ videos directly into your living room to be digested alone or with a small group. The expressed purposes of the VideoTeaching.com website were fourfold but one in particular stood out to me: Develop your ministry.You might […]
Cringe-Inducing Church Stories [open thread]
Anyone got any cringe-inducing church stories? You know what I mean. Those times that you’ve seen or been told by a good friend of when Christians get it so….awkwardly….wrong? Here’s my two (one heard today, the other from the past) A family was sitting in a pew together during service. A child was playing with […]
Radical Hospitality: Love Your Enemies’ Arguments
In Luke’s gospel, Jesus tells us to “love our enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back” (Luke 6:27-36). In these days beyond crusades and duels, our conflicts are primarily ideological: schoolyard arguments, coffee-table disputes, shouting pundits and unanswered questions in Sunday School. So how do we love […]
Star Wars Hebrews
Hebrews 1:1-4 ala Star Wars. My heart rejoices. Source: Theology and Culture (via James McGrath) To find out more about opening Christian systems and other “hacks” visit Hacking Christianity or follow UMJeremy on Twitter
Original Sin or Original Grace?
We often point to the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 as The Fall or The Original Sin which explains a level of theodicy: how a benevolent God would make us live in our own personal hells. It goes like this: God made the world good and we screwed up. God kicked us […]
The Matrix, The Architect, and God
The Matrix Trilogy is a Christian Hacker’s dream of nuanced meaning, theological dilemmas, and the sci-fi world of humanity v. machine. It makes me sweat. In the Matrix Trilogy, the character of the Architect describes how the machines (who have taken over the world and enslaved humanity into a drea world) dealt with the variable […]
