A few nights ago Natalie and I watched the first twenty minutes of Mark Driscoll's 75 minute message to his church on Haiti. Shortly after the earthquake, Driscoll and James MacDonald went to Haiti together, with the goal of connecting with pastors and learning how their respective ministries can help the church in that country. The video flashes back and forth between Driscoll's message, and video footage of his trip. At one point in the video a 'popping' sound is heard, and the camera pans over to find a man laying on the ground with his brains spattered all over the road. That country is in chaos! I'd strongly recommend watching this video, and considering supporting the ministry of Driscoll and MacDonald, called 'Churches Helping Churches' (or, like I did, find another reputable ministry to give money through).
Friday, January 29, 2010
Tim Keller's Impressions of 'The Shack'
I just read Tim Keller's recent 'impressions' of Paul Young's 'The Shack' and was greatly helped by it. Though I have not yet read the book (I know, I know, I have to since it sold over 7 million copies and I'm a pastor. . .but I procrastonate), I have a hunch that the following paragraph hits the nail on the head:
Here is my main problem with the book. Anyone who is strongly influenced by the imaginative world of The Shack will be totally unprepared for the far more multi-dimensional and complex God that you actually meet when you read the Bible. In the prophets the reader will find a God who is constantly condemning and vowing judgment on his enemies, while the Persons of the Triune-God of The Shack repeatedly deny that sin is any offense to them. The reader of Psalm 119 is filled with delight at God's statutes, decrees, and laws, yet the God of The Shack insists that he doesn't give us any rules or even have any expectations of human beings. All he wants is relationship. The reader of the lives of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Isaiah will learn that the holiness of God makes his immediate presence dangerous or fatal to us. Someone may counter (as Young seems to do, on p.192) that because of Jesus, God is now only a God of love, making all talk of holiness, wrath, and law obsolete. But when John, one of Jesus' closest friends, long after the crucifixion sees the risen Christ in person on the isle of Patmos, John 'fell at his feet as dead.' (Rev.1:17.) The Shack effectively deconstructs the holiness and transcendence of God. It is simply not there. In its place is unconditional love, period. The God of The Shack has none of the balance and complexity of the Biblical God. Half a God is not God at all.
You can read the whole thing here.
Here is my main problem with the book. Anyone who is strongly influenced by the imaginative world of The Shack will be totally unprepared for the far more multi-dimensional and complex God that you actually meet when you read the Bible. In the prophets the reader will find a God who is constantly condemning and vowing judgment on his enemies, while the Persons of the Triune-God of The Shack repeatedly deny that sin is any offense to them. The reader of Psalm 119 is filled with delight at God's statutes, decrees, and laws, yet the God of The Shack insists that he doesn't give us any rules or even have any expectations of human beings. All he wants is relationship. The reader of the lives of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Isaiah will learn that the holiness of God makes his immediate presence dangerous or fatal to us. Someone may counter (as Young seems to do, on p.192) that because of Jesus, God is now only a God of love, making all talk of holiness, wrath, and law obsolete. But when John, one of Jesus' closest friends, long after the crucifixion sees the risen Christ in person on the isle of Patmos, John 'fell at his feet as dead.' (Rev.1:17.) The Shack effectively deconstructs the holiness and transcendence of God. It is simply not there. In its place is unconditional love, period. The God of The Shack has none of the balance and complexity of the Biblical God. Half a God is not God at all.
You can read the whole thing here.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Churches Helping Churches (in Haiti)
Mark Driscoll and James MacDonald have partnered together in an effort to help the churches of Haiti. I'd encourage you to watch the brief video below, and then to go to this web site to learn more about what they are doing! They travelled to Haiti together last week.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Live in the Bible. . .Not Entertainment
Friday, January 15, 2010
Tim Keller on His (Different Kind of) Multi-Site Church
Tim Keller recently wrote this article, offering the distinctive motives and methods in his church's multi-site model. I love his focus on wanting people to have a church in their own area, and his strategic plan to eventually have single pastors over each of these sites. You can read the whole thing here.
Here's the introduction:
Recently Redeemer was featured prominently in a USA Today article about multi-site churches. Outside of the fact that Redeemer doesn't 'do video,' the differences between our approach and others were not referred to. And in much discussion on line after the article, it was clear that all multi-site churches were being Lumped Together. Just for the sake of clarity, it might be helpful to know these facts about why and how Redeemer does the multi-site.
Here's the introduction:
Recently Redeemer was featured prominently in a USA Today article about multi-site churches. Outside of the fact that Redeemer doesn't 'do video,' the differences between our approach and others were not referred to. And in much discussion on line after the article, it was clear that all multi-site churches were being Lumped Together. Just for the sake of clarity, it might be helpful to know these facts about why and how Redeemer does the multi-site.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Abortion is Murder!
Take a few minutes and watch this powerful video interview with a woman about her experience at the abortion clinic.
HT: John Piper
HT: John Piper
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