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The Secret Jesus: John 7:2–10

February 26, 2012 in Religion with 0 Comments

Feast of Booths

In my morning devotion this morning I read an odd passage in John (John 7:2–10):

Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” After saying this, he remained in Galilee. But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private.

I find it odd that Jesus said he was going to do one thing and then did another. I don’t suppose this was a lie, for the heart of a lie is the intention to deceive, rather changing his mind is likely the explanation. However, it’s still an odd exchange. I wonder what prompted him to change his mind and go.

Celebrity Pastors Make Ministry Hard For the Rest of Us

September 15, 2011 in Re-posts, Religion with 0 Comments

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I just read a great post by Steve Hall, over at his blog, entitled, “strange negotiations: an open letter to everyone.” Steve’s complaint is that celebrity pastor’s, with their tweets and blogs and videos and what-not, muddy the water by making such huge waves. They take on issues and each other’s issues in such a public way that it leaves him always doing damage control instead of ministry. Here’s an exert:

But here’s the problem, boys. My people read what you write. They listen to what you say. They track your tweets. What may take you a matter of minutes or hours to post–a controversial video clip, a dismissive tweet, or a fear-mongering blog–takes me months of sidetracking discussion, confusion, and chaos. You’re creating dissension and dischord in the body, a trait which is much more akin to the false teachers noted in Scripture than any of the theological musings you so obstreperously condemn.

It’s totally worth the read. Go check it out here: strange negotiations: an open letter to everyone

The Golden Age of the Faith: Do We Have A Skewed View of the Early Church?

September 15, 2011 in Religion with 2 Comments

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Warning: The first two paragraphs may sound disproportionately technical as compared to the rest of the article. Just stick with it.

I was recently reading “Historical Criticism and Social-Scientific Perspectives in New Testament Study” by Stephen C. Barton. It’s from Joel B. Green’s Hearing the New Testament.

While applying historical and social-science criticism, specifically in regards to 1 Corinthians 11, Barton discusses Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian Christians regarding their meals together (found in 1 Corinthians 11:17-22). Barton writes:

The rich householders distinguish themselves from the poor by the timing of their meal — they eat first and without waiting for the others to arrive (11:21, 33); by its quantity and quality (11:21); and by their refusal to share (11:21). In this way the rich may be seen also as attempting to extend their influence in the church. Their eating practices are a demonstration of social status and an attempt to dominate by imposing shame (11:22).

The familiarity of these actions struck me. This kind of behavior is still seen in the church, in varying ways, and that says something to me. We’re still struggling through the same issues. Continue Reading…

The Patriot’s Bible (I Hope This Is A Joke)

June 5, 2011 in Religion with 1 Comment

I saw this over at Jesus Needs New PR:

I find this both sickening and terrifying at the same time. The quote by Ronald Reagan is a nice touch.

I’m Afraid It’s Going To Be Hell All Year

May 28, 2011 in Religion with 2 Comments

I saw this video over at Jesus Needs New Pr the other day:

It’s a pretty long video, and by the end of it I wasn’t sure what point he was trying to make (other than he’s apparently writing a book on hell). Though, I did like the challenge he puts out there about only being able to worship the God that matches my own feelings about things.

But the thing I really took away from Francis Chan’s video is this: Apparently 2011 is going to be the year we talk about hell non-stop. And I find that a bit disappointing. Of all the things we could focus on as a faith, I feel a little bit like we’re discussing a modern day “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” Don’t get me wrong, salvation and justice are important topics, but talking about them only in terms of experiencing eternal torment or not might be too narrow of a conversation. Let us, perhaps, focus elsewhere, or at least more broadly.

While camping this weekend two of my campsite neighbors got into a discussion about hell’s existence. One is Unitarian and the other has a Baptist background, which could be the two most opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to hell. An hour or so (maybe two hours) later they went their separate ways, and both of them felt pretty certain they had the correct view. I was fairly certain they had wasted a lot of time.

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