Merging Arts and Emerging Church in Lancaster City
I am absolutely ecstatic about the now official partnership between an incredibly cool Lancaster City based artist collective aka The Infantree and our Anabaptist, Emerging, Missional, Multiethnic and Multicultural burgeoning church plant of dedicated followers of Jesus’ simple way collectively tagged Inner Metro Green. No, we don’t like labels; adjectives are cool, though. Seriously, I could not be more excited. The potential is incredible! I’ll simply say this: “God is good, and up to something in Lancaster City!” Read More »
The Website Currently Known as The Daily Scribe
The Daily Scribe is back! The domain name is once again in my possession. It’s a little bit tattered and slightly worn, but there is still life in it! A little water and sunshine will do it some much needed good. Read More »
Working Out Your Salvation with 10,000 Friends
We are living in one of those remarkable periods in Christian history. These periods roll around every few hundred years or so, it seems. These are times laden with days in which the ‘ole approach to life and living nostalgically referred to as “the way things have always been done” gets all messed up, and permanently too! The familiar is exposed as something ephemeral and it is discarded for new, unexpected, unimagined, and unavoidable potential and possibility. We know we must continue to do, but we know we must do differently. Today, the way we “do” Christianity is changing. The way we “do” church is changing too. Our faith practice and ecclesiology are gradually being altered. It is all changing, even as I write this essay. Read More »
Hypography Addendum 06212007
A fresh cache of great theological links have been recently stashed in the Hypography drawer. Do visit and subscribe to the following nine additions: Read More »
Reading for Internship, Coach, & Church Planting
I am taking part in a hybrid internship as a pastor/church planter in the Atlantic Conference of the Brethren in Christ. I am interning at a local BIC church (yet to be named), and partnering with a seasoned church planting coach in the conference, while simultaneously (← hybrid!) planting a church in Lancaster City and vicinity. An early portion of the partnership with my church planting coach included a reading list to get things started. Read More »
Chip Ingram’s Five Lies that Ruin Relationships
Chip Ingram’s Five Lies that Ruin Relationships: Wrong Beliefs Produce Wrong Behavior is a 10-part DVD teaching series built upon God’s truth as revealed in the fourth and fifth chapters of the New Testament book of James. Five Lies that Ruin Relationships is an incredibly solid, fluid, Bible-centered curriculum tailored for individuals and/or small groups. Christians interested in a critical and spiritual critique of how and why we do certain things in our relationships will absolutely love this wonderfully produced and crafted DVD series of God-honoring life lessons. This curriculum - from the DVD film segments to the workbook and group discussion questions - is as technically well done as anything I have seen to date. It also cuts to the heart with effective and affective presentations of God’s truth as it relates to our relationships. In short, Five Lies is awesome. Read More »
The Faust Myth according to Christopher Marlowe
Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe does incredible justice to the Faust myth in his own Dr. Faustus. Dr. Faustus is a poem (blank verse, unrhymed iambic pentameter) about a learned, intellectual, German scholar who sells his soul to the devil in effort to gain ultimate wisdom and the ultimate power accompanying it. This ultimate wisdom and power purchased by Faustus is delivered to him in the form of twenty-four years of service from a devil commissioned by Lucifer called Mephastophilis. The knowledge and power gained through deep exposure to academic disciplines such as philosophy, law, medicine, physics, mathematics, and divinity (theology) are not enough for Faustus. His Ph.D. expertise is not enough. He desires something greater. He has already mastered - to the point of self-conceit and waxen wings (illusion to the myth of Icarus) - all that these academic disciplines have to offer. He wants so much more! He desires to master the universe! He wants to be a god. So, Faustus tragically turns to the magic arts and necromancy. The resultant story is laden with vivid images of Mephastophilis (a devil), Lucifer, good and evil angels, the Seven deadly Sins, a tormented Pope, and the Spirit of Alexander the Great. Read More »
Roaming Immediate and Future Soteriology in Luke
There is no shortage of big and small talk regarding “apocalyptic themes,” “end times scenarios,” and the “anti-Christ” in North American Christian circles. It is an interesting phenomenon, to say the least. Perhaps Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins have something to do with it? Maybe it is all of those late night Cable TV “prophets?” I really can’t cite one reason for the subject matter’s popularity in the United States. There are probably many reasons. I do know that there is plenty of contextual material to seriously consider before jumping willy-nilly into apocalyptic conclusions and preaching them as if they were the gospel itself (e.g., Jewish and Christian Sacred Texts, Culture, etc.). One example of this sort of material consideration follows: Read More »
A Shift in Design, Content, Frequency, and Adverts
The move is over, for the most part. We are settled into our new digs. It is good. I am happy and tired. Now, a few important updates for readers:
Updates Concerning the weblog
I took the entire day to recover from the physical and mental stress incurred in our move out of seminary housing. How did I recover? Well, for one, I spent some time tweaking this site’s code. I usually do that sort of thing when I need to unwind after a long day or recover from various taxing experiences. You may not be able to see much of my labor’s therapeutic fruit, but trust me it’s there. Obviously, there is a bit of a design change. It’s not much, but it is a change. It’s a change for the better too, IMHO. The majority of change occurred “under the hood,” so to speak. The changes have to do with proper semantic XHTML markup and site architecture. It took a little bit of effort, but I do believe I’m gliding semantic now. Again, most readers will not notice any of these changes, but they are there, living high on the backside of this virtual quilt. I’ll be making more behind the scenes adjustments and a few more design changes over the next several days. Read More »
Those Who Don’t Believe in The Fall Never Moved!
We are still in the process of moving all of our earthly belongings into our new nest. I sincerely detest - no I hate - moving. I’ll hire a moving company next time; I’m too old for this ridiculousness. I’ll be fairly quiet on the blog until we are settled into our new house. Why didn’t I hire a moving company? Eh.
