Self Righteous, Self Serving, Isolationists

So one of the many things I have the privilege of doing is helping tend the Web Store for a friend's band. Recently the band has been challenged by an opportunity to perform in a very public and noteworthy venue. That's prompted some interesting responses from those who claim to be fans. Today, I saw an email from a supposed fan that pushed me over the top.

In his email he was chastising the band for calling themselves a "Christian" band but playing "secular" venues and music. He pointed out verses of Scripture (out of context mind you) which he thought helped him build his case for an isolationist approach to living "the Christian life". What he must have forgotten was the verse which was in his email signature and went out on all of his emails:

" And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. "

—Mark 16:15

How can you "Go" if you stay in the walls? And it actually carries a meaning of "as you are going". How can you preach lest you are in venues that provide and audience for the message? He likens the band to Satan who elected for power and tried to overturn God. He called for them to drop out of the commitment to participate in the venue in order to keep commitments to "the Christian community".

I watched the End of the Spear the other day. First time I'd seen it. One of the things that struck me about the movie was the comment of the dad about the missionaries not shooting the natives if the missionaries were in danger because the natives were not ready to meet Jesus and the missionaries were.

Too bad this guy who sent the email was a missionary who was ready to shoot the missionaries for going to the natives.

Paradigm Shift

From Point "B" to Point "P". I read an interesting article the other day and it had a very descriptive image for my own journey.

A “paradigm shift” of historic and biblical proportions is under way as the shaking of the old gives way to the rise of the new. There is both good news and “bad” news in this new paradigm shift that God is now bringing about. The good news is that God is moving, raising up new paradigms to accomplish His Kingdom purposes, and He invites us to move with Him. The “bad” news is that not everyone who “should” move will move.

I feel Julie and I just beginning to climb out to the Point +1 stage right now but are very excited about what God has in front of us. Notice though... it IS a climb!

When The Church Was Young

I'm adding some link categories for stuff I come across that seems to be on the path where God is taking me. I'm not 100% sure where it will end up, but I am 100% sure those comfortable in their weekly rituals of religion will be uncomfortable with where it appears God is taking me. Today I was reading a blog about myths of church as we seem to know it. A book by Ernest Loosley was referenced (which I've ordered to read... it was written in 1935! WOW!) . Here's a quote from the beginning of the book:

"When the church was very young, it had no buildings. Let us begin with that striking fact. That the church had no buildings is the most noticeable of the points of difference between the church of the early days and the church of today. In the minds of most people today, "church" means first a building, probably something else second; but seldom does "the church" stand for anything other than a building. Yet here is the fact with which we start: the early church possessed no buildings and carried on its work for a great many years without erecting any."

—Ernest Loosley, When The Church Was Young

It would be an interesting blog series to do a myths about "the church" we adhere to that just are not there! Hmm... I'll have to consider that one.