Author Archives: Ian Ebright
We’re Giving Away Tickets to a ‘Blue Like Jazz’ Screening in Your City!
Just like the title says, we’re giving away tickets to advanced screenings of the film adapted for the screen by Donald Miller, from his New York Times Bestseller ‘Blue Like Jazz.’ Miller and director Steve Taylor are currently traveling with the film on a nationwide tour before it opens in theaters April 13th. I’ll be interviewing Miller and Taylor for this site when they arrive for the Seattle screening, but enough about that! Here’s how the giveaway works, and entering to win is easy (we promise).
Religious Doubt is Imminent, But It Can Be Navigated
Photo credit: flickr/racineur. Usage does not represent endorsement by the photographer.
It begins at a young age. We are trained to hide our doubts. As we grow, this is reinforced by the adoption of labels- Christian, agnostic, atheist, for example. Comfort can be found on both sides of the religious fence. We’re told to keep things simple for ourselves. We’re told to not peek through the hole in the fence at our neighbor’s party, lest we catch a glimpse of his opposing views and be overcome like the incredible melting Nazis in Raiders of the Lost Ark. But doubts persist. Whether as the result of cruelty that crashes into life changing everything in unwelcome ways, questions and desires unanswered, the wear and tear of painful relationships, or consequences from personal mistakes, we doubt ourselves, we doubt God, or spend years trying to figure out who is to blame; questions that float on the rising tide of resentment. While religious doubt varies by the individual, it is a transformative and often grueling process that cannot be solved with a formula, but all is not lost. There is a way through it; a path that can even be nourishing.
[TELEGRAM] Notes from a Blizzard
Horror and Hope in Syria
Protesters mourn in Damascus. Photo credit: flickr/Syriana2011. Usage does not represent endorsement by the photographer.
As the Arab Spring continues to flourish in other countries, Syria is descending into civil war. Pro-democracy protests have led to a ruthless backlash from the Assad government. The death toll is in the thousands, with estimates from activists inside the country claiming as many as 40,000 casualties due to the unrest. The most conservative death toll estimates include hundreds of children. Civilian neighborhoods are under attack, the target of rockets and tank shells from government forces, while their snipers aim for anything that moves. Even in the face of these unspeakable atrocities, there are glimmers of hope.
[TELEGRAM] When A Parent Dies, and You’re Next in Line
A Pastor’s Rebuttal on Church Discipline: Responding to the Mars Hill Controversy
Photo credit: flickr/Cornelius Flickerman. Usage does not represent endorsement by the photographer.
Note from Ian Ebright: We typically do not feature guest posts on this site, but due to the recent Mars Hill Church discipline scandal (my thoughts on the matter and the problem of insulated churches here) and legitimate concern, curiosity, and questions that are being raised about the idea of church discipline, I reached out in the hope of getting credible feedback. Fortunately, a prominent pastor responded. His post is below, and has been kept anonymous by request.
I’ll be teaching a group of students today out of I Corinthians 5, which is a sort of ‘classic text’ regarding church discipline. The subject has been in the news a fair bit lately, and even if it hasn’t, it’s an important subject in it’s own right. Over the past years, there’s been shock over the repeated passivity of church authority when priests have been charged with molestation, pedophilia, and other abusive activities. Protecting predators is viewed, rightly, with anger – especially when predators are in positions of authority. If a church knows that one of its own leaders is involved in activities that utterly misrepresent Christ, the church is called to act, according to both Matthew 18 and I Corinthians 5.
These two passages, though, apply to more than just leaders. They apply to everyone in the church, because everyone who has declared their commitment to a particularly local expression of church life is committing to that church’s value structure, a structure that hopefully represents, in some measure, the heart of Christ. We’re called to hold each other accountable because, if we’re going to wear the t-shirt that says we belong to Jesus, we need to help each other look like Jesus.
Mars Hill Seattle, and the Problem of Insulated Churches
Photo credit: flickr/Mars Hill Church
You may have heard the recent story of a Mars Hill member named Andrew and the experience he had with church leadership following his voluntary confession of sexual sin, which focused around the fact that he had cheated on his fiance. ”I take responsibility for my actions. I messed up,” he said. Andrew encountered name-calling from various leaders, not to mention several meetings and text messages. Despite his remorse and participation including tearful confessionals, things were just getting started. Next came a discipline contract printed on church letterhead outlining numerous steps to full reconciliation, pressure and intimidation when he announced he would not sign and would instead be leaving the church, and most remarkably- a document naming Andrew and his sin and detailing how members were to handle him socially (when to include and exclude him, and even how to answer), published on the Mars Hill community forum without Andrew’s consent. For details, here is the full expose on Matthew Paul Turner’s site: Part 1 and 2.
Mars Hill issued a recent response to this fiasco, which I will also focus on in this post.
The 10 Best Films of 2011
George Clooney in ‘The Descendants.’ Photo credit: Fox Searchlight
It’s such a definitive title, isn’t it? And in that way, I have mislead you. I am in no shape to proclaim the 10 best films of 2011, because I missed a ton of likely contenders. On the other hand, for a married guy with a child, I gave it a valiant effort and still saw lots of movies, plus naming this post “my favorite films of 2011″ felt a bit too much like an entry in a twelve-year-old’s diary, so let’s roll with it, shall we?
[TELEGRAM] Remembering Jesus of Nazareth Despite One’s Self
Holidays with the Narcissists, and What to Do About It
Photo credit: flickr/brendan-c
As the holiday season arrives each year, some of us find it to be a time that almost triggers the worst in those people around us who are a taxing, burdensome presence rather than an uplifting presence. As the recipients of this draining energy, we find ourselves bewildered and frustrated, often in ways that are difficult to articulate. But maybe this year can be different.
Ian Ebright on When Christian Blogging is a Popularity Contest (and Other Snares to...
Ken Hagerman on When Christian Blogging is a Popularity Contest (and Other Snares to...
Jim Fisher on The Conclusion of the Heartbreak Series: Saying Goodbye
Yoga Rani on Why, as a Christian, I’m Not Joining the Fight Against Gay...
Beth on [TELEGRAM] When Temptation Taps You On The Shoulder
Tiffany Lucus on The Conclusion of the Heartbreak Series: Saying Goodbye