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I mentioned the two biggest themes for 2007 for me: gospel and forgiveness. One more that I can't ignore is my grad.

It feels good to be done. Graduating was a way to mark the occasion but it really wasn't as big a deal was the experience of being pushed to integrate study, ministry, and life. The other big benefit was relationships I developed with people I wouldn't otherwise have met.

2007 was a very good year.

The other day I mentioned that 2007 was a year of rediscovering the gospel for me. The other theme of 2007 for me is forgiveness.

I was describing to Bene a while back some of what happened to us in 2005 and especially 2006. I won't get into all the details here, but we had to extend forgiveness to a few people. We began that process in 2006. At first we had to forgive dozens of times a day. Over time you find your heart is changing and you're only having to forgive the people who hurt you 3-4 times a day. Eventually you realize that you're free and they're forgiven for good. In 2007 we found ourselves at the end of this process and finally freed from having to dig up what happened, even though what happened was truly brutal at the time.

Last year on this day Scott Williams wrote:

it seems somehow natural to put things behind you on this night, to move on. it's easy to say, harder to do. so much baggage is accumulated. too many memories, too many episodes.

is forgiveness the hardest part of life?

i hope in 2007 we can learn to forgive. i hope i can. i hope some people can finally let me go, you know who you are. i hope a few can forgive me for things i've done, and for things they think i've done. i hope i can move on in life. i hope i can forgive my outstanding accounts...

welcome to 2007. there are a few bridges to build, a few to mend, and a few to burn. that is my prayer for this year. i hope this year i will also come to peace with my station in life, and boldly dream again for the future. i am glad i have a future.

i forgive you.
please forgive me.

2007 has been a year of forgiveness, and it feels good.

Forgiveness flounders because I exclude the enemy from the community of humans even as I exclude myself from the community of sinners. But no one can be in the presence of the God of the crucified Messiah for long without overcoming this double exclusion - without transposing the enemy from the sphere of monstrous inhumanity into the sphere of shared humanity and herself from the sphere of proud innocence into the sphere of common sinfulness. When one knows that the torturer will not eternally triumph over the victim, one is free to rediscover that person's humanity and imitate God's love for him. And when one knows that God's love is greater than all sin, one is free to see onself in the light of God's justice and so rediscover one's own sinfulness. (Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace)

"I can't believe this book is getting published by a big-time publisher," writes blogger Brant Hansen. "This is going to be interesting...This book is going to honk people off."

The book he's talking about is Pagan Christianity (available for pre-order at Amazon or for immediate purchase at the book website), originally written by Frank Viola but now updated with George Barna as co-author. This book comes with a disclaimer from the publisher: "Tyndale does not necessarily agree with all of the authors' positions...The authors raise important questions...These questions should not be ignored."

Here, in a nutshell, is the argument of the book:

1. The origin of many of our church practices (examples: church buildings, orders of worship, sermons, pastors, tithing, clergy salaries) is non-biblical, and these practices are inconsistent with those of the early church. "Almost everything that is done in our contemporary churches has no basis in the Bible." (p. 4) Much of it was lifted from pagan culture.
2. Just because something does not appear in the Bible does not mean it is wrong. However, our non-biblical church practices often hinder the development of our faith and keep us from encountering the living God.
3. "The church in its contemporary, institutional form neither has a biblical nor a historical right to exist." (p. xx)
4. The church must return to its biblical roots. At a personal level, we must ask questions of church as we know it and pray seriously about what our response should be.

I think that covers the basic argument of the book. I'm going to return to each of these and take a second look to see if their arguments hold up.

For now I will only leave this comment. This book threatens a lot that pastors and churches hold dear. But that shouldn't scare us. If they're right, it doesn't matter what it threatens. This book has to be evaluated on the evidence and the strength of its arguments, not on how much it will cost us if they're right.

More to come. Rumor has it that Bill Kinnon will be blogging on this book as well today.

Without thinking too hard, I can come up with five kinds of churches:

• New churches that follow traditional models
• Older, established churches
• New, non-traditional churches
• Older, non-traditional churches
• Organic churches with little structure or leadership

I can think of examples of churches in each category. Each type has its unique set of strengths and weaknesses.

You can argue that some of these types are better than others. Some, however, argue that some of these categories are unbiblical or wrong.

A couple of questions:

• Did I miss any categories?
• Is there a right kind of church, or are any of these legitimate forms of church with unique sets of strengths and weaknesses?

All of this is leading up to a review of Pagan Christianity, but it also mixes with some of what I've been thinking about lately.

This one and more at The Holy Observer

I've now been at Richview for over nine (!) years. The people there are amazing, and I've learned tons in this time.

One of the tensions is that it is an established, traditional church. Even with great people, there are forces at work that draw us inward to focus on maintenance, routine, budgets, meetings, etc. I haven't always succeeded in wrestling with these forces but here are some of the phases I've been through at various times:

• trying to do better at the institutional game (an attractional approach)
• occasionally despairing of the institution altogether
• realizing that I am as much of a problem as the demands of institutional life
• doing the bare minimum to maintain the institutional demands while focusing energy on moving toward mission
• drawing hope from other churches where God is at work within traditional settings

I move between various of these phases, but generally I have been living more near the bottom of this list. There I am facing other challenges, such as learning how to serve a community that's diverse and more suburban with some urban pockets.

Some argue that established churches are a waste of time. I disagree. I think some are called to new forms of church and church plants, but we also need missional leaders who are called to traditional settings. Both callings have their challenges.

I'll be reflecting a little more on this as I review a new book coming out called Pagan Christianity . For now I'll say this: from what I can see, non-traditional settings have their challenges as well. I've learned that smaller, organic groups can be just as inwardly focused as established churches. This isn't to say that established churches don't have significant challenges. It's just easy to overstate them and understate the challenges of new forms of church. But more on this when it comes to review Pagan Christianity (which is better than I expected, by the way).

One of the best things we can do for each other is to get to know and support those in settings different than yours. If you are part of a newer form of church, I hope you adopt and pray for a church in a more traditional setting, and vice versa. There are lots of ways that we can understand and help each other.

David Fitch has an excellent post on the tension between mission and organization. As always, he's worth reading. More to come.

It started, really, with some of the work I did on my thesis. It began to crystalize with a sermon I heard late last year preached by a pastor in Charlotte who had returned from his sabbatical and committed to preach differently, echoing Paul's words, "I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). It continued with a quote from Tim Keller, as well as a set of lectures he delivered on preaching, and has been reinforced by bloggers like Jared.

It's a renewed focus on the gospel.

Late last December I preached a sermon:

Maybe part of the problem is that we like to complicate things...There's enough in the Bible to get lost unless we keep our eye on the big picture. Jesus himself tells us what the central message of Scripture is. Luke 24:27 says of Jesus, "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." That is something I would have liked to have heard. Jesus opened up all the Bible and told these two people he met how the Scriptures spoke of himself. Somebody's said, "All the strands of the witness of Scripture to the identity and purpose of God converge in Jesus Christ" (Daniel L. Migliore). Every part of Scripture must be understood in relation to the person and work of Jesus Christ...

So we must make Jesus central. We must never lose sight of who he is and what he did for us. We must resolve, as Paul did, to make this our main concern, believing that this simple message is at the heart of everything that we need to know for life. We will never outgrow this message.

I can't tell you what this renewed focus has done for me. I know this isn't a new thing, but I find that our grip on the gospel is easily lost, especially in ministry. Martin Luther wrote, "The truth of the gospel is the principle article of all Christian doctrine....Most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually." Not to mention beating it into our own heads. As many have said, we have to preach the gospel to ourselves daily.

It matters less and less to me if a church is shaped in traditional or new ways, or characterized by many of the other things that we get worked up about. These are important issues, but they're secondary. What matters is that we get the gospel and live and serve in light of its reality. Without knowing it the gospel can be pushed to the periphery and almost lost. It's been an amazing year of re-centering life and ministry around the gospel, and (I hope) I'm just getting started.

William P. Young has written a dangerous book. It shouldn't have been possible to write this one. I first heard about it from my friend Earl who said, "This will probably be one of those books I read again and again." I picked it up yesterday. As I began to read it, the novel seemed to run into impossible dead ends. I kept wondering how Young was going to write himself out of where the book seemed to be going. He didn't. He kept on going, and amazingly, he pulled it off.

The Shack is one of those books that you'll probably need to read more than once. I kept arguing with it before realizing that the author was way ahead of me. It's not a safe book. I'm sure that there are some areas of theology to quibble over, but this is a theologically profound book that will stretch you and lead you down paths to Scriptural truths you thought you believed but have never really allowed to sink into your heart.

"Flesh and blood is apt to have very hard thoughts of [God]," writes John Owen. "There is not anything more grievous to the Lord, nor more subservient to the design of Satan upon the soul, than such thoughts as these." The Shack gets to the heart of the issue of how we see God, which is usually with the "hard thoughts" Owen talks about. I highly recommend it.

You can read more at the book's website, but you may as well just order the book. I think you'll want to read it.

more from Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

I discovered this book the other day. It's not due out until April but I plan to read it. The book's website is also up:

The Emergent Church is a strong voice in today’s Christian community. And they’re talking about good things: caring for the poor, peace for all men, loving Jesus. They’re doing church a new way, not content to fit the mold. Again, all good. But there’s more to the movement than that. Much more.

Kevin and Ted are two guys who, demographically, should be all over this movement. But they’re not. And Why We’re Not Emergent gives you the solid reasons why. From both a theological and an on-the-street perspective, Kevin and Ted diagnose the emerging church. They pull apart interviews, articles, books, and blogs, helping you see for yourself what it’s all about.

Also found this post last week (via):

For the last several years the church I pastor (Compass Point) and I have been mistakenly lumped in with the Emergent movement. It may be because Compass Point puts so much emphasis in missional, servant outreach…or it could be because I’m an occasional contributor to Next Wave. I have never been comfortable with us having the Emergent tag, though I did little to discourage it. I had always maintained a “live and let live” mentality when it came to my concerns about Emergent’s theological stance. I can no longer do that...

My previous posts on this subject include What's Good About the Emerging Church and What's Bad About the Emerging Church. Rick McKinley recently wrote a post about the emerging church that got a bit of flak from both sides.

I sense the ground has shifted a little. I could be wrong but here's what I'm picking up:

• I'm finding more people tuning out what the extreme critics are saying on one end, and what some of the less orthodox emerging folk are saying. Of course, the extremes still get lots of press, but on the ground I'm finding less of an appetite for them. I'm trying not to name names here but you know who I'm talking about.
• I would still hold to my two posts (what's good and what's bad) but I'm much more frustrated with what's bad than I used to be. I wish more self-correction had taken place.
• If you talk to some people who are viewed as emerging, they have concerns about some of the flakiness too. This is often missed by the critics. Out of concern for relationship they're not as vocal as they should be sometimes.
• A nuanced view is a hard to take. I expressed some praise for the emerging church among some concerns one time and got hammered until I mentioned that I was just basically quoting D.A. Carson. Tim Keller's example is a good one - he can express the hard stuff but still maintain a teachable spirit while doing so.
• More Reformed churches are embracing some of what's good about the emerging church while avoiding what's bad. In other words, they're reformed with a missional edge. I really like this.
• A lot of us are tired of this whole thing and just want to get on with it.

One more somewhat related note: he couldn't keep the pace going indefinitely, but does anyone else miss the old days of Tall Skinny Kiwi?

Nothing too profound here, but I sense the ground is shifting in subtle ways. I'll post tomorrow on what I think is a more important discussion than this one.

Somehow over the past year my Amazon wish list crept up to some 180 books. That's bad news because the rate of books I'm adding to my list is greater than the rate of books I'm reading. This doesn't even include the stack of books in my office waiting to be read, the ones that I've promised to review, and the couple that I've pre-ordered.

Sure, some of them are reference works that don't need to be read cover to cover, but some are works like Owen's Communion with the Triune God that need to be read slowly and savored.

Occasionally I'll come across a quote or thought that's quite good. When I look into it, I sometimes discover that the thought comes from a book I own but haven't read quite yet. Reminds me of a chapter in Ordering Your Private World called "The Sadness of a Book Never Read." It is actually kind of sad to own some of the stuff we have access to and never benefit from it.

I don't want to be one of those guys who thinks that owning and touching the cover of a book makes me smarter. So here's what I'm thinking.

First thing: I need to get a lot pickier. I started this week by ranking my wish list. It seems a lot more manageable now with just over 20 books ranked highest. Thoreau was right when he said, "Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all." I can handle these 20 books. The real fun will start when I am done with these books and have to choose between the almost 75 books I've rated as high on my list but not highest. Still, 75 is still better than 180.

Books are expensive, but the real constraint is time. Even if we have scads of time to read, we probably don't have enough time to read the best books in the fields that interest us. There simply isn't enough time to read without being picky. It's especially important to be picky because some of the more popular stuff that's being published isn't worth the time and won't be read by anyone five years from now. I have lots of these books on my shelf and they don't age well.

Even more importantly, reading is a discipline that takes time and commitment. Tim Keller recently commented, "I find that people who learn to read online can’t work their way through heavier books and works. So you can say the internet creates a market – but the counter is that it is merely giving them shorter attention spans, and that makes discourse more shallow and less well-informed." I think we all face the temptation to settle for the stuff hanging on lower branches, and blogs seem more urgent, especially when there are 100+ items on my Google Reader list. But online reading is not enough.

Here's what I'm thinking for the coming year when it comes to books:

• Really being selective with what hits my shelf
• Mixing some newer books with some classics
• Having a book from a few categories (fiction, theology, applied theology) on the go at any given time
• Aiming to read 75 books next year
• Posting a 100-word review of a book each week

If you have any suggestions on how to maximize one's reading, and how to cultivate discipline to read, leave a comment. I'd love to hear what works for you.

This year's Christmas has been different because we've been taking part in the Advent Conspiracy. Our gift spending was reduced by over 50% compared to other years. I wondered what Christmas morning would feel like with fewer gifts, but we weren't at all disappointed. If anything we were less overwhelmed because we didn't have too much to enjoy all at once. We didn't feel deprived at all. It's been good.

It actually makes a bit more room for worship.

By the way, Richview raised over $6,500 through the Conspiracy, and more is still coming in. It's all being given to Living Water International Canada:

By drilling clean water wells in a poor village, I have seen the benefits that are amazing. The extra two hours that the women of the village save each day by not having to hike the long distance for water have opened up new opportunities. "A simple well brings more benefits than just a clean and dependable source of water. It brings everything from peace of mind to better living conditions stated." (Barry Hart, President of Living Water Canada)

Living Water International Canada’s mandate is 'to provide a cup of clean water in Jesus' name'. LWI has provided clean water to over 4 million people preventing needless lifelong disabilities and save lives.

For less that a cup of coffee a day Canadian’s can bring water to desperately needed communities.

4 million people isn't so much when I read that 1.1 billion people don't have access to clean water. Still lots of work to do.

I did get a completely indulgent gift though: a membership at U2.com. I've had my eye on this for a while but I didn't expect to get it, especially this year. But I'll be generous even with this gift and share it with my brother Arthur.

Hope that whatever you're doing today and whatever you're opening, you're having a good Christmas.

Non in dialectica complacuit Deo salvum facere populum suum.
It did not please God to save his people by means of logic. Rather, he sent his Son. (Ambrose)

A story by J.B. Phillips:

Once upon a time a very young angel was being shown round the splendours and glories of the universes by a senior and experienced angel. To tell the truth, the little angel was beginning to be tired and a little bored. He had been shown whirling galaxies and blazing suns, infinite distances in the deathly cold of inter-stellar space, and to his mind there seemed to be an awful lot of it all. Finally he was shown the galaxy of which our planetary system is but a small part. As the two of them drew near to the star which we call our sun and to its circling planets, the senior angel pointed to a small and rather insignificant sphere turning very slowly on its axis. It looked as dull as a dirty tennis-ball to the little angel, whose mind was filled with the size and glory of what he had seen.

"I want you to watch that one particularly," said the senior angel, pointing with his finger.

"Well, it looks very small and rather dirty to me," said the little angel. "What's special about that one?"

"That," replied his senior solemnly, "is the Visited Planet."

"Visited?" said the little one. "you don't mean visited by --------?

"Indeed I do. That ball, which I have no doubt looks to you small and insignificant and not perhaps overclean, has been visited by our young Prince of Glory." And at these words he bowed his head reverently.

"But how?" queried the younger one. "Do you mean that our great and glorious Prince, with all these wonders and splendours of His Creation, and millions more that I'm sure I haven't seen yet, went down in Person to this fifth-rate little ball? Why should He do a thing like that?"...

"Do you mean to tell me," he said, "that He stooped so low as to become one of those creeping, crawling creatures of that floating ball?"

"I do, and I don't think He would like you to call them 'creeping, crawling creatures' in that tone of voice. For, strange as it may seem to us, He loves them. He went down to visit them to lift them up to become like Him."

more

I'm spending some time today wrapping up some commitments before we head to our Christmas Eve service tonight. Then I'm mostly off work for the next couple of weeks. Beginning late this week I'll have some reflections on the past year, which has been a whole lot better than last year was. I'll also have a preview of what I'm working on for the coming year.

I don't know everyone who reads this blog personally, but I'm getting to know more of you. Some of you have been around a long time and have not only commented and emailed, but have also met with me. The best thing that's come out of this blog are some friendships I wouldn't otherwise have.

Whoever you are, I wish you a blessed Christmas.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
(Isaiah 9:6-7)

If you've been following the Advent Conspiracy, this 20-minute online video is a good summary of the production cycle of our stuff:

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

It's easy to politicize or ignore this, but it's worth doing some theological reflection on these issues.

Happy 17th Anniversary, Charlene!

Nothing like the Frontenac in Quebec City around Christmas. Man, that was a good anniversary. This year we're celebrating closer to home.

One of the psalms that really challenges me is Psalm 20. David is about to go to war. Before heading out, as was normal for a king, he offers sacrifices to God. Meanwhile, the congregation blesses David in prayer: "May the LORD answer you...May he send you help...May he remember all your sacrifices."

It's one of those moments that brings to mind the preparations for battle in movies like The Lord of the Rings. All is quiet, but you know the battle is coming and you're filled with anticipation. You can almost hear and feel the battle that's about to begin.

But then the psalm says something surprising:

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
(Psalm 20:7)

Nice thought - unless you're actually about to do battle. It's one of those things that's easy to say until it's not a theory anymore. Remember that the setting of this psalm is before a real, actual armies were about to clash.

Two questions:

• Should we be limiting our accumulation of horses - "best practices" that we are tempted to accumulate but that will make us think that the secret to success is in these resources and skills? Maybe we need to stop reading books and chasing after things that give us the impression that we need to depend on God less than we already do. What would it look like for us to limit our accumulation of horses? Fewer conferences, books, strategies?
• How can we avoid passivity but still, by our actions, show that we're depending on God? David still had to get ready for battle. He didn't just sit there waiting for a miracle. At the same time, the victory had to come from God, not his preparations. How do we do the same?

If it looks like I have the answers to these questions, I don't. But I'm chewing on them. As I say, this is a psalm that continues to challenge me.

Strange that the first thing I thought of as I watched this video is some blogs and commenters. I'm not kidding.

via

My latest column at Christian Week:

One of the themes we hear a lot about at Christmas is incarnational ministry. Just as Jesus took on flesh and became God with us, it is important for his followers to leave the church buildings and become part of the neighborhoods in which they live.

This is an important theme, but there's another Christmas theme that is less common but just important. It's the theme of weakness. Jesus came to earth not in a position of strength, but in startling weakness. God the Son became completely dependent on a young couple for his basic needs. He did not grow up in a centre of power. When offered power, he consistently walked away. Even when he faced death, his refusal to respond with power is stunning. Jesus taught us that God often works most powerfully in what appears to be weakness.

From The Journey:

Being a Gospel-centered missional church is not a strategy for growth or a self-help philosophy aimed at being a "better Christian." It is in large part an awareness that the only hope we have for transforming the world is Jesus and the Gospel that bears his name. The fundamental need of every person, Christians and non-Christians, is to hear and know the Gospel at each moment in their life. As Pastor Tim Keller has written, "All our problems come from a failure to apply the Gospel." Therefore, the primary calling of our church is to equip Christians and inform and encourage non-Christians through the teaching of the Gospel in our worship services, sermons, community groups, classes, so that they will live out the Gospel of grace in all of their relationships and contexts (family, friends, career, leisure, etc). Our desire is to uphold the essentiality of the Gospel both as the means to salvation and the pathway to sanctification.

via (a blog worth subscribing to)

Like everyone else I hardly win anything. Last month I won Classics of the Christian Faith CDs from Tim Challies (sponsored by the Fellowship for the Performing Arts). I've had them in my CD deck this week and they're outstanding. I've never heard, for instance, George Whitefield's sermon The Method of Grace. Tim Keller comments on this recording: "Max McLean helps us to see how the great preachers of the Great Awakening brought the Gospel into connection with people’s hearts not just their heads. I read it early in ministry, and it had a profound impact on how I preach."

Can't beat some of the old classics. Keep the free stuff coming my way! (Ken wants some too.)

I've been pastoring long enough to have remembered many of the fads that hit the church. I have the evidence: I have books that belong to the time that certain fads were hot. Some of them are good, but it's easy to get cynical when you see fads come and go with such regularity.

David Hansen talks about looking through his predecessor's library and noticing some of the movements that the former pastor had followed: "The movements he followed actually had little if any effect on his ministry, except in a fatal way: ultimately perhaps he confused following Christian movements with following Christ."

Edward Curtis writes:

Most of us feel compelled to "jump on the bandwagon" without asking where the bandwagon is going. Western society has made so many sharp turns in the past four hundred years that we have been conditioned to accept change as soon as it seems to be the potential "wave of the future." Some of us go even further and try to predict the next wave before it takes hold of the world, thus putting us (to use a cliché) "on the cutting edge."

...And why is such faddism a hindrance to spiritual growth? Because spiritual growth is primarily internal, whereas most fads are external; because spiritual growth is hard work, whereas most fads require little or no effort on our part; because spiritual growth is a long process that requires our daily attention, whereas most fads distract us with their promise of instant gratification.

Back to David Hansen. Reflecting on all the fads his predecessor followed, Hansen says:

He and I were cut from the same piece of cloth...I was suckled on trend-driven Christianity. I'd grown up in the thick of consumer religion. It was all I knew. I knew every movement represented in his library. I'd tried them all myself. I didn't know if I could do pastoral ministry without them. But every time I looked up at his library, I knew that I had to try.

There is no secret formula or program. There is only the Gospel, the Spirit, and "working the angles" as Peterson puts it. Believing this may change our lives; if nothing else it sure will help with our conference budgets!

In 2002 I took this picture of The Eagle and Child in Oxford. This pub was the haunt of the Inklings, a writers' group that included J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. They met there every Monday or Friday before lunch to drink and talk. I was alone and too chicken to go in by myself, but it's cool to think of the meetings that took place within these walls.

The introduction to the White Horse Inn program describes a time five centuries ago when the masses met in taverns and public houses to discuss and debate ideas. From one such inn, the White Horse Inn in Cambridge, the Reformation came to the English speaking world.

I belong to various groups and attend meetings. I don't expect to ever replicate what happened above, but I don't think we're trying hard enough. Although I have a few friends who fit the bill, and I've experienced a little about what I'm about to describe, it's only enough to tease me and make me want more.

Here's what I'd love to find: a group of people who get together and:

• Eat. There has to be food. Something happens when you turn to others around a table and eat steak and kidney pie or whatever, and lift a glass together. The whole experience becomes relational.
• Discuss theology. I am tired of pragmatism. We need to get practical but we can't start there. We can't just emote, neither can we only talk how-to's. Ideas have the power to change the world. I love sitting together with others who are not just wrestling with what to do but who are talking about what to think, who are dipping into some of the best thinkers of the past, and who believe the good stuff is found at the theological, not the methodological, level.
• Are open but orthodox. Some of my best interactions have been when people from different backgrounds and beliefs are thrown together. Some groups I'm part of are too insular. I want a group that is orthodox but in which we benefit from those who think differently. In other words, it has to be a group in which we talk about our differences honestly but without getting all polemical.
• Care about mission. If people like Christopher Wright are right (and I think they are) and mission is the basis of the entire Bible, then good theology will propel us into mission. We should become a group of people who are changing the world around us.

As I say, I have hints of some of these, but I want more. I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

Learn about the sordid tale that began with pastors stealing Tim Keller's material and has led to the end of Southern Baptist church planting and the Christian blogosphere:

After an intensive three year investigation the justice department uncovered an extensive network of pastors, seminary students and other church workers who downloaded hundreds of sermons by Rev. Keller, distributed them and preached them regularly in churches across America...

Every Southern Baptist Church that has been planted in America since 1995 has either been planted by the Rev. Ed Stetzer or by someone who was following the script of one of his books. But Stetzer confesses "frankly I lift all of my material from Tim Keller, with this ruling I'm done"...

Geoff Hammond, President of the Southern Baptist's North American Mission Board (NAMB) is upbeat. "Yes, losing Stetzer was big...We are moving forward with a new vision of hosting more Beth Moore conferences. In fact, on January 2, 2008 Broadman and Holman will publish Beth's newest book 'Become a Moore Better You,' to coincide with her much anticipated 'Your Beth Life Now,' nationwide bus tour. So yes I am upbeat - who needs Stetzer or Keller when you've got Moore?"

The internet was the arena where most of Keller's sermons were shared, amongst Christian blogs and social networks. But these are being hit just as hard as the denominations. Famed Keller blogger and minister Steve McCoy of the Reformissionary blog has shut down his blog and left his church and is pursuing his dream of becoming a member of the Hollywood paparazzi. The leading Keller blogger on the internet, D. J. Chuang believes this is the end of the "Christian blogosphere." Chuang says "when it comes to 'Christian blogging' 50% of the bloggers out there were either blogging Keller's words or commenting on them. The other 50% were arguing with them. Now 50% of Christian bloggers have nothing to say and the other 50% have no one to argue with."

Steve Jobs is a master at giving keynote presentations, but even he runs into trouble occasionally.

If you're a public speaker, or even a preacher who occasionally has one of those Sundays, this might make you feel better.

Any street cred that I had left is about to disappear with what I am about to admit.

In 1989, in the age of the cassette tape, I owned, and loved, Michael W. Smith's Christmas. About a month ago I mentioned this recording to my daughter and decided to look it up. I already knew it wasn't on iTunes (at least the Canadian one), but I tracked down the CD and ordered it online somewhere. It arrived this week and (here it goes) I love it.

I do have a few favorite Christmas songs in my music collection but not really a whole album - except this one. It's not your typical Michael W. Smith album from that era. It features a full orchestra and choir, and the songs are arranged beautifully.

This is easily my favorite Christmas album and I'm glad to own it again. You can check out other reviews at Amazon.

I mentioned that we met Rachel and Regan Cunliffe last Sunday. They live in New Zealand and I wasn't sure we'd ever have the chance to meet. Hope it won't be the last time.

A great post from Alan Hirsch:

I have been talking with some of my more Reformed friends recently and have increasingly come to the rather unnerving conclusion that Calvinism is particularly susceptible to religiosity. Partly because of its idea of the continuity between law and gospel, partly because of its church over society stance, and partly because of sense of being being the chief historical defender of the Faith. But mostly I believe this susceptibility comes from its general circumventing of the life and teachings of Jesus. If this is so, why? Well, it is inordinately hard to make Jesus sound like a superlapsarian, five-point, Calvinist. I trained in a strongly Reformed seminary (which shall remain unnamed) and so I can speak from experience here. I can say that by and large it felt that we considered the Gospels were mere exercises Greek exegesis to gear us up for the real deal–Paul. We we reserved our real energies and excitement for Paul and Pauline theology, and I think this is true for Calvinist faith in general. I have come to the rather disconcerting conclusion that Reformed theology can easily become a religion of Paul rather than an expression of the life of Jesus is it is not careful. this subversion of Jesus from his own movement is rightly called Paulinism because it so readily discounts the central and defining role of Jesus in the life of the Christian faith. Christianity is a ‘religion’ based on Jesus or it is nothing! And it is not just about the birth, death, resurrection, ascension, and return that are vital to Christian faith, but his life, lifestyle, teachings, and ethos as well.

Read the whole post.

I am a fan of Reformed theology at its best. Yet I see the truth in this criticism, even though I'm sure many are aware of this danger and avoid it. Tim Keller, for instance, often speaks of the dangers of religion.

What do you think? Is Calvinism particularly susceptible to religiosity?

Publisher's Weekly has a short and positive review of Tim Keller's upcoming book The Reason for God:

In this apologia for Christian faith, Keller mines material from literary classics, philosophy, anthropology and a multitude of other disciplines to make an intellectually compelling case for God. Written for skeptics and the believers who love them, the book draws on the author's encounters as founding pastor of New York's booming Redeemer Presbyterian Church. One of Keller's most provocative arguments is that "all doubts, however skeptical and cynical they may seem, are really a set of alternate beliefs."

more (via)

People are realizing how much we waste on Christmas gifts every year that really don't cut it. From Reuters:

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Britons waste 2.3 billion pounds [over $4.5 billion] every year on unwanted Christmas presents, and almost a third of them wind up being sold online after the festive season.

More than three-quarters of 1,400 adults surveyed for charity World Vision said they waste up to 50 pounds on unwanted gifts every Christmas...

The research also shows that more than a quarter of Britons cannot remember what anyone bought them for Christmas last year.

But their alternative isn't all that good:

But almost 60 percent who waste money on unwanted Christmas presents said they would rather spend that money on themselves than give it to charity.

I think there's a better idea.

From a column by Andrew Potter in the current Macleans:

One of the greatest military strategists who ever lived, Napoleon was, not coincidentally, a master at getting things done. Like any general, he had to deal with a tremendous amount of paperwork. His strategy was to stack everything on his desk in a series of six piles. He would take care of the most urgent business immediately, and the rest when people came to his office to bug him about it. The piles moved from right to left every time a new week - and thus a new pile - was started. On the left of his desk was a trash can, and every week all the paper that was in the leftmost pile went straight to the bin.

I love it.

Last year four churches participated in what they called The Advent Conspiracy. It came out of a few pastors sitting around talking about how much they hate being pastors at Christmas.

You would think that a season that's all about one of the greatest theological truths - that God became flesh in what is called the incarnation - means that Christmas would be a great time to pastor. But the pastors had a sense of competing with stress, thoughts about the mall, what people hadn't bought yet, and how much debt they're going into for this great truth called the incarnation.

There's a stream of passion, consumerism and chaos that is contradictory to the message of the Gospels. Rick McKinley, one of the pastors in the group, observes, "There is a point where you want to just throw up your hands and say, 'Let's quit talking about Christmas from the Bible. Let's just talk about spend more. Let's cancel church for the Christmas season.' That probably would be easier for people. Then you realize that's stupid."

The pastors began to conspire together to enter the story of Christmas: not just teach about it and sing about it, but enter it. When Christ came to earth, he came as King. It threatened the king at the time and his empire. Although Christ comes in weakness, there is a true threat in this baby. He is subversive. He is a threat to the kingdoms and the powers that be in this world. When we worship at Christmas, we often bless the kingdom, and buy into consumerism and chaos. This seems contradictory to the Christmas story.

Last Christmas, four churches decided to try to enter the Christmas story by resisting consumerism, giving relationally, and redistributing what we have because God loves all. As a result of all of this, they were able to worship more. As well, they gave away close to half a million dollars. This year, over a thousand churches are taking part.

I realize it's late, but if you haven't checked out The Advent Conspiracy, do yourself a favor and spend some time doing so. They have a great website. Imago Dei, a church in Portland, also has a podcast of a recent service which introduced the Conspiracy, including interviews with someone who participated in last year's Conspiracy, a representative of Living Water International, and Morgan Spurlock, writer and director of Super Size Me and producer of the new film What Would Jesus Buy?

Check it out and spread the word. The Advent Conspiracy is changing lives around the world by providing clean water to those who don't have any, but it's also changing the lives of North Americans who are learning to enter the Christmas story and celebrate Christmas differently.

I mentioned spending some time at Tim's with Bene yesterday. I haven't seen Bene in person for a few years, and it was good to catch up.

Bene observed that this blog has changed, and that there's less self-disclosure and openness here than there used to be. I think Bene's right. As I think about it, here are some of the reasons why:

• 2006 was a horrible year, and it would have been inappropriate to process a lot of what happened online. That year is over now, and I'm thankful, but I think I pulled back a little in the process.
• Blogging can tend to be a form of thinking out loud, which leads to posts that haven't completely been thought out. This is fine as long as everyone understands this, but it can also be dangerous. There's a tension here. There's a beauty that can only be found in early and rough drafts, but on the other hand - does the world need more half-baked ideas, especially from me? (Rhetorical question - no need to answer!)
• It can be fun to get a debate going, but I quickly tire of polemics. Blogging is a great way to exchange ideas, but it's not always as great in sorting through issues. I'm a little more careful in picking my fights than I used to be.
• Finally, I'm not as despondent about traditional churches as I used to be. I am still a fan of newer, mission-shaped churches, but I'm also discovering some that look more traditional that are still on mission and wrestling with some of the important issues. It was easy to rant, but I have less reason to rant now, and maybe more reasons to learn.

All of this may have combined to make this blog lose a bit of its edge. This may be a bad thing in some ways, but maybe it's good too.

I remember a couple of friends observing the difference between the online me and the real-life me. I don't want that division to exist. The podcast on blogging I mentioned a couple of days ago touched on this issue, and referred to proverbs like this: "When words abound, transgression is inevitable, but the one who restrains his words is wise" (Proverbs 10:19).

I miss some of the early days, but there's no going back - but maybe it will evolve (with a little more self-disclosure) into something better.

When I first started blogging five or six years ago, I was drawn to some Canadian and New Zealand bloggers. The online world was a lot smaller then, so we developed some online friendships through chats. I'm talking about people like Jordon Cooper, LT, Bene Diction, and Rachel Cunliffe as well as her husband Regan. Some of these blogs have changed flavors over time, but these people are still among my favorite bloggers.

Over time I've met each of these people in person, but today I finally met the last of my original favorite bloggers, if you don't count some Aussies I haven't mentioned. Rachel and Regan Cunliffe were in town and we met for a quick bite, along with Bene and some other friends, not far from the airport. Meeting people in person that you know online used to seem strange, but it isn't anymore. I walked away feeling lucky - blessed - to finally meet them in person.

Bene joined Charlene and I for coffee at Tim Horton's afterwards. We may even have a picture of the mysterious Bene to post sometime soon.

You can't go back, but there was something unique about those early blogging years, and the people I met then were (and are) truly amazing.

We have a big backyard for the city, which gives me tons of raking to do. I couldn't avoid the job any longer, so I spend the afternoon raking and listening to some good podcasts. A couple noteworthy ones that I listened to today:

Dr. Sean McDonough has an excellent message at Gordon-Conwell on some of the dangers of our online life, with some good warnings about blogging. I was challenged by some of what he said. You can download the MP3 here.

Bruxy Cavey is teaching pastor of The Meeting House. He's an outstanding teacher and it turns out that he's also a good interviewer. The last Roundtable Podcast is an interview with Denis Lamoureux on Evolutionary Creation. This is a controversial topic, but a lot of what Lamoureux says is excellent. I'll be curious to read his upcoming book, also called Evolutionary Creation: An Evangelical Approach to Evolution. You can download the MP3 here.