Unbelievably, yesterday my blog went over 50,000 views. In the two years I have been writing it I have found great joy in the discipline of writing. I have encountered new friends, and most importantly I know that people really, desperately, passionately care about who the greatest lead singer in rock history is and what is the greatest rock song ever.
So to celebrate the 8 people who have visited my blog 6250 times each, I give you a bunch of random links and thoughts from the mind of Greg. Here we go.
Youth in Great Britain are mad because stores have started using a device after hours that emits a high pitched 85 db noise that is brutally annoying. Evidently about the age of 25 we lose the ability to hear this sound so only the young and loitering are bothered by it. It sounds kind of like a war on teenagers, but more importantly, did you know you have already lost some sounds from my life. Why didn’t anyone tell me this? I feel robbed. Someone at least could have told me.
Watched the Oscars with my lovely wife on Sunday. For her it is bigger than the Super Bowl. That is if the Super Bowl were played by a bunch of people you have never seen play before. for teams no one has ever heard of, and these teams were renowned for being creepy, disturbing, violent, and tedious. I didn’t see any of the films up for best picture, (although I do want to see No Country for Old Men, and maybe There will be Blood), but Jon Stewart is right, Hollywood must need a big hug. Yikes, was there a feel good movie at all in 2007?
By the way, here is me as Anton Chigurh
When I started seminary my wife banned me from using the word hermeneutics. Evidently I was a little full of myself and like to talk about hermeneutics and exegesis quite a bit back in those days. Have no idea what I am talking about? Well go to this site and take a hermeneutics test to see where you fall in the realm of Biblical interpretation. Thanks to Scot McKnight for creating this.
I had the best concert experience of my life on Friday night. A couple of friends and I went to US3D the greatest concert movie ever made. I saw this tour in Charlotte a couple of years ago and that experience paled in comparison to the experience of 3D U2 on an IMAX. The sound, the 3D effects, and the cinematography were all excellent. Wow, I can’t say enough about it. If you like U2, at all, you must go see this movie.
Seeing the movie also made me think about what we look like when go to concerts or sporting events. When we cheer, go crazy, sing along with all we have, and act like the people I saw in the film, we all look like idiots. The intensity, devotion, and focus on the 3D faces of the fans I saw almost unnerved me. It also made me wonder why we look like that at a concert but never in worship. Maybe we just don’t live our lives with enough awe of God. I hope I never appear to be more in awe of some athlete or a band than I am my God.
It has been three weeks in Lent now and I am a little tire of rice and beans. Sunday I had a double bacon cheeseburger from Burger King and it made me sing the doxology it tasted so good. I don’t ever eat fast food if I can avoid it, but man that was good. I have started planning my meals for the week after Easter and let me tell you, much like all the Oscar nominees, there is going to be some blood that week! Chickens, cows, pigs, fish, they are all going to quake with fear when I approach them. Mark it on your calendars, in April there will be a worldwide shortage of bacon! Sweet Jesus, thank you for the resurrected life of Easter that look forward to celebrating with as many varieties of pig as possible!
There is some randomness to celebrate life as it is today. Thanks to the 8 people who keep stopping by!
April 24, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Greg,
Pagitt gave mention of Jesus, at the event, but he did not give the Gospel (which is why you said that a Christian pastor would be there).
I watched Pagitt’s comments and found them far less anti-gospel than you. (Imagine that)
But at least, apparently, you think that it was anti-gospel in nature, which defeats the purpose of a Christian being there. Neither Pagitt, nor Bell, offered something different to the unsaved than the other religions offered. What good is temporal compassion that leads to an eternity in hell? Is that really goodness? Is that really love?
(a very emergent way of saying Christianity, even I get tired of the inability of emergents to use terms everyone understands)
For people who pride themselves in allegedly speaking the language of the postmoderns…they say a lot of things that are not understood.
I actually disagree with Doug’s kingdom theology a little bit.
A little bit is not bad…but, given the tendency towards universalism in the emergent camp, a lot of bit would have been much better.
I don’t struggle with anything Pagitt said about the event or why he went or what he did. He said that he was very comfortable sharing from his faith in answering questions and found a place ripe to discuss and engage in better ways of bringing compassion to the world.
Pagitt played nicey-nice with other religions and did not present the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The lost left lost and the deceived left further deceived.
Pagitt may have been very comfortable sharing from his faith…but, however, the Christian faith (Jesus Christ the Savior) was not shared.
…so wasn’t that a place where one found the Kingdom of God at work?
I know that a “bullhorn guy” street-preacher was going to be there – so, in that sense, yes. But the Kingdom of God is not of this earth and cannot be inherited of flesh and blood, according to the Bible. This “Kingdom” stuff really needs a biblical definition..and not an emergent one. It is being utilized in the emergent camp to put all “faith expressions” under one roof.
And c’mon…this stuff:
Pagitt said that the Seeds of Compassion event put an end to “the religious dogmatism that states that Christianity is the only expression of religion that is the sole proprietor of love, compassion and goodness.” (just…wow! Not only a sort of strawman but the anti-gospel too! And…Christianity is the only faith that is the sole proprietor of true love, true compassin and true goodness!)
Pagitt stated that he is a follower of the “Jesus story” and that if he wants others to follow the “Jesus story”, then it can’t be because he/we argue that he/we is/are the sole proprietor of all that is loving and good. He says that it was good to publicly renounce this thought at this event. (…and there we have one of the reasons for attending the event)
Pagitt stated that Jesus calls us to the fullness of humanity and not to a belief system that then releases us for compasion and goodness for the first time (What?!…You have got to be kidding me?)
…is completely anti-gospel.
And…it is interesting that Pagitt is endorsing, and promoting, a Quaker mystic’s book on spiritual discernment (Sacred Compass, by J. Brent Bill) on his blog.
Quakerism denies the authority of the Bible, is universalist, practices mysticism, and is decidely non-Christian. Why is it necessary/spiritually discerning, let alone spiritually healthy, for Christians to allow a false teacher to teach them “to understand the beauty of the practice of Quaker Spiritual Discernemnt”? And..is this really “beautiful”?
What do you think God thinks about the alleged “beauty” of the false practices of the falsely discerning, false teaching Quakers?
April 25, 2008 at 12:45 am
Paul,
I don’t quite understand the way you interact with what I say. You keep coming back to this statement I made before the conference about a Christian pastor sharing the gospel there as if my disagreeing with the way in which a pastor tries to share the gospel de facto removes them from being a real Christian.
I am obviously understated and gracious in all my comments but this evidently leads you to misunderstand what I am saying.
When I said I found Pagitt’s comments far less anti-gospel I meant that I found them to be consistent with the gospel and not anti gospel, let me state that clearly.
I do not believe Pagitt is a universalist whatsoever. I have met him, dined with him, talked about faith with him and measured him. I have no questions about his commitment to Christ as the fully revealed truth of God.
Within emergent circles there are a lot of discussion about the nature of the gospel and the kingdom of God. People have very differing views on some points, which is why it is a conversation.
I am not sure exactly what Pagitt meant by the the comment about Christianity being the sole proprietor of compassion etc.. but I what I hear in that is a criticism about the lack of compassion sometimes within Christian camps, and the way in which we are sometimes dismissive of finding any value in the way other people express their faiths.
I agree that the highest good is always found in the truth of Christ, but there are reasons to respect the way other faiths express themselves. We can learn about how we should live by their devotion to their faith.
You are seriously dismissing Quakers everywhere in one fell swoop. That is astounding. Richard Nixon is turning over in his grave!
How can you be so angry about so many things? It must be seriously tiring. I have a hard enough time devoting my energy to being passionately committed to loving God and my neighbor. I don’t have the energy to be so fired up about everyone.
April 25, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Hey Greg,
I don’t quite understand the way you interact with what I say. You keep coming back to this statement I made before the conference about a Christian pastor sharing the gospel there as if my disagreeing with the way in which a pastor tries to share the gospel de facto removes them from being a real Christian.
Are you saying that Bell and Pagitt tried to share the Gospel?
If so, please cite their attempts.
At best, would you agree that they failed in their alleged attempts?
You stated that you were disappointed with Bell. If he tried to share the gospel, what happened? Does Bell preach a different gospel?
I agree that the highest good is always found in the truth of Christ, but there are reasons to respect the way other faiths express themselves. We can learn about how we should live by their devotion to their faith.
Devout pagans worshipped via the sacrifice of their children…should we respect their faith expression and their devotion to it (or should we call it the abomination that it was)?
All “faith expressions”, except for Christianity, lead people to an eternity in hell. In that light, any “respect” for their hell-bent devotion seems a bit out of place.
You are seriously dismissing Quakers everywhere in one fell swoop. That is astounding. Richard Nixon is turning over in his grave!
I am sure that you are aware of the Quaker “Inner Light”, revelation through silence, universalism, lack of sacraments, lack of baptism, “we are all divine and part of the divine” belief, and so forth. These things separate them from, and dismiss them from, Christianity.
And I am sure that George Fox would turn over, in his grave, if he heard the Nixon tapes.
How can you be so angry about so many things?
You may be mistaking passion for anger.
But…When an alleged Christian pastors make comments like these:
Jesus calls us to the fullness of humanity and not to a belief system that then releases us for compasion and goodness for the first time.
the Seeds of Compassion event put an end to “the religious dogmatism that states that Christianity is the only expression of religion that is the sole proprietor of love, compassion and goodness.”
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Todd: Yea, do you think, do you think there’s an eternal damnation for people who are not Christians?
Doug: Yeah, well, I think that there’s.. I think there’s all kinds of … I mean that, that, damnation would sort of be that.. that there’s parts of the uh, life in Creation that seem to be counter to what God is doing and those are the things that are eliminated and removed and done away with. And so I think that’s what damnation is, and so there’s people who want to live out that kind of uhm, wanna have that good judgment – the judgment of God in their life. I mean you know Judge… Judgment in a biblical fashion meaning that God remakes… that God remakes the world.
Todd: OK, Doug, hold on Doug… Doug hold on a second. I have no idea what you just said. Here’s what I think Hell is: eternal damnation, God sends lawbreakers to a place where there’s weeping, there’s gnashing of teeth, a lake of sulpher, the worm never dies, eternal conscious torment. Agree or disagree?
Doug: Disagree.
-and-
Todd: Doug, I am a good Buddhist. Where do I go when I die?
[silent pause]
Doug: You, you know this is not an interesting conversation for me. Is this what we’re gonna do? You’re gonna… Your gonna put together false little dichotomies and then ask me to answer one sentence and then interrupt my answers?
Todd: I don’t know what’s hard about the question. I am a good Buddhist, where do I go when I die?
Doug: Well you probably go to the funeral home, but depending on where you’re being born if that’s what you’re talking about.
Todd: No, pastor. I’m a good Buddhist. Where do I go when I die?
Doug: [laugh] Ok. This is not.. This is just not an interesting or helpful conversation for me to be part of. So if that’s what we’re doing uh, in this conversation, then uhm… It’s.. it. Because what – what you’re asking in this – in this kind of question has to do with a place. Are you suggesting to me that Heaven is actually a place? When you say where do I go, you’re suggesting to me that the reign of God, that the place of God is an.. is an individual PLACE that you go? Is that what you’re suggesting?
Todd: Yes, sir.
Doug: Where, where is that place?
Todd: It’s called heaven.
Doug: Where is it?
Todd: We don’t know where it is exactly right now.
Doug: Then why would you ask a question, “where do I go?”
Todd: Just because I don’t know where it is doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Besides sir, this is… This is…this is the core of Christianity..
Doug: Then why would you ask where? Why do you ask where?
Todd: This is no-brainer land, sir.
Doug: It is not no-brainer land. It’s a nonsequiter.
Todd: Sure it is. I’m a good Muslim. Where do you think I go, pastor?
Doug: Where do I go? See here we go again. Now you’re talking about a place..
(excerpts from Todd Friel interview of Doug Pagitt on The Way of the Master Radio program)
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It does create some ire.
What does get tiring, though, is the constant emergent deconstruction of the Christian faith (heaven, hell, atonement, the gospel, etc.).
Emergents seem to be generous towards every “faith expression”, as they are fond of saying, with the exception of biblical Christianity (the narrow way as described in Scripture).
And it is loving towards God and neighbor to contend for the Faith and to point out the Truth (and the false).
A great argument can be made that it is an unloving act (towards God and neighbor) to constantly use vague, very loosely defined, inclusive terms (like Kingdom, and faith expressions, the Jesus way, and so forth), in which the Gospel of Jesus Christ is never proclaimed (like at the Seeds of Compassion) and, thereby, all religions are equalized through the commonalities of compassion.
If you want people to see true compassion, point them to the reality of their sin, to the reality of their pending judgement, to Christ, to His work on the cross, and to the empty tomb. It is from faith in this that real compassion then flows…Anything less is just a cheap counterfeit.
April 25, 2008 at 5:46 pm
A cheap, damning counterfeit.
April 28, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I thought that this info. was intersting, given the discussion:
On March 19, 2006, Bell unveiled a little more about his spiritual beliefs. He invited a Dominican sister to speak at his church. He said as he introduced her, “I have a friend who has taught me so much about resting in the presence of God.”1 During the service, Bell and the sister led the congregation in various meditative exercises.
The sister who spoke at Mars Hill during that service is from the Dominican Center at Marywood in Michigan where a wide variety of contemplative/mystical practices are used and taught.2 One of the practices at the Center is Reiki (similar to therapeutic touch). The belief behind Reiki is that everything in the universe is united together through energy. In Japan, the word reiki is the standard term for the occult (or ghost energy). It is ghost energy because when Reiki is practiced, spirit guides are reached. William Lee Rand, the head of the International Center for Reiki Training, states:
There are higher sources of help you can call on. Angels, beings of light and Reiki spirit guides as well as your own enlightened self are available to help you…. The more you can open to the true nature of Reiki which is to have an unselfish heart centered desire to help others, then the more the Reiki spirit guides can help you.3
Reiki is becoming very popular in the Western world. In the United States alone, there are now over one million Reiki practitioners.4 If Reiki gains a foothold into Christianity, Rob Bell’s statement “We’re rediscovering Christianity as an Eastern religion”5 could be very accurate in the sense that Eastern religion (i.e., mysticism) is quickly becoming a qualifier for mainstream Christianity. (Faith Undone, Roger Oakland, p. 111)