Tag Archives: church
Why, as a Christian, I’m Not Joining the Fight Against Gay Marriage
Photo credit: flickr/sushiesque
We have a hot one in the news right now. Washington State has legalized same sex marriage and there is no doubt that Christians are often fired up about this issue. We are rallying, we are petitioning; flat out, we are against this. “This should not happen. This is an abomination. God would not approve. They are sinning. It says right in the Bible that what they are doing is wrong. Have they not read Leviticus? What about Romans? It is our job to FIX them, not give them the right to marry. It is the end times and they are surely all going to hell.”
Except, I don’t believe that, and I am a Christian. In fact, I support gay marriage.
A Pastor’s Rebuttal on Church Discipline: Responding to the Mars Hill Controversy
Photo credit: flickr/Cornelius Flickerman
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.
I Want to Know Your Story, Just Not Like This
Photo credit: flickr/mojoey
As Christians we started with the fish. Something simple. Something intended to let people know that we were, indeed, Christians. No words were necessary, it was as simple as carrying a Bible around. We just wanted people to know.
Then it grew. The popularity of catchy bumper stickers became extreme.
It is Time for the American Christian Church to Surrender the Gay Marriage Fight, Apologize, and Share Love
Photo credit: flickr/julesreyes
I need to clarify right out of the gate that this post will not focus on the “choice vs. birth vs. childhood” arguments related to the origin of homosexuality in an individual. We must start from the reality that acknowledges the American Christian church as divided on that issue, and will be for some time. Many on the Right view homosexuality as sin, a growing number on the Left view homosexuality as God-authored and inherently beautiful, and those in the middle have varying views and distinctions to offer. For Christians across the political and denominational spectrum, it is often a struggle to find one’s footing in this complicated issue. After all, the GLBT community includes family members, friends and neighbors.
Instead, this post will focus on making a case from a Christian perspective that gay marriage should be allowed legally in this country, and will attempt to explain why the church will become more like it was intended to be when it concedes this legislative battle. Here’s why.
When Christian Blogging is a Popularity Contest (and Other Snares to Meaningful Living)
Photo Credit: flickr/thegirlsmoma
I am a Christian, and a blogger, so I guess I have to reluctantly conclude that I am a Christian blogger. It’s a title I’d rather not be associated with, because all of the challenging writing, beautiful stories, important theology, and courageous confessions done by some Christian bloggers are often overshadowed by others showing off and being competitive in Jesus’ name.
The elephant in the room is that Christian blogging has become a popularity contest. It’s picked up where high school left off. An attractive or sassy writer stands a better chance of getting a bigger audience. Tweets become about who knows who and headlines get massaged to maximize readership (just like how The Huffington Post does it). And drama? It gets amplified rather than being ignored.
Interview with Author Richard Dahlstrom: The Artistry of Godly Living
Photo Credit: Ian Ebright | The Broken Telegraph
As we reach the end of our conversation, I notice that a small portion of the ceiling above Richard is cracked and in need of repair. It looks like it has been exposed for awhile. For a moment, I imagine the same problem in my home, and how differently I’d react. I wouldn’t be sitting underneath the hole smiling, conversing and enjoying the moment like Richard is. No, I’d probably keep staring at it like the thing was spying on me, even if it had been there for months. It is easy (especially for self-reliant people like myself) to become preoccupied with perfectionism and responsibility. And I wonder if our lives don’t need more damaged ceilings, or specifically- a greater acceptance of life’s damaged ceilings, and the pursuit of vibrance in spite of them- because we can’t possibly live meaningfully if our time is held hostage by a to-do list populated with secondary concerns.
Interview with Author Richard Dahlstrom: On Economic Survival, Evangelism, and the Crushing Nature of Adversarial Consumerism
Photo Credit: Ian Ebright | The Broken Telegraph
As our conversation continues, I’m realizing that this idea of intentional living is not just a bunch of words for author Richard Dahlstrom. He seems to be enjoying the moment rather than trying to rush through it. The office we are sitting in is a loft with the usual computer and bookshelf. But there’s also candles burning on top of the space heater, and a pretty impressive climbing wall that he’s made out of a corner of the office complete with climbing holds, carabiners, and what looks like a meditative prayer sheet that’s been tacked halfway up the incline. On the other side of the stairs is a flat, carpeted cubby area that he calls the prayer space, and the books over there have been left open. I can’t find anything in the entire area that has been placed for the sake of appearance.
Interview with Author Richard Dahlstrom: Embracing the Colors of Hope
Blame it on the lingering skeptic or the recovering cynic in me, but I would be distracted by a pastor’s house (especially one who preaches simplicity, generosity and community on a weekly basis) if he or she had a huge luxurious place to call home. “It’s actually none of my business,” I remind myself on the drive over to meet author and pastor Richard Dahlstrom. “Maybe a huge luxurious house was a gift from some rich relative.”
I don’t know if I’m right or wrong to feel conflicted about pastors and the size of their house, but I am relieved when I arrive and find that the Dahlstroms live in a humble home on a quiet street north of Seattle. After a great breakfast together, Richard and I head upstairs to the office for a conversation about the themes in his new book ‘The Colors of Hope.’ In the first of a three-part series, we discuss the church, busyness and brokenness, and demonstrations of mercy and love.
Mars Hill, Mark Driscoll, and Church as a Spectacle
Photo Credit: flickr/Mars Hill Church Seattle
Regardless of your faith affiliation, you’ve probably heard about Mars Hill pastor Mark Driscoll, and if you have heard of him, you likely have pretty strong feelings about the guy one way or the other. I caught a video of the final two minutes from Driscoll’s Easter sermon that I want to share with you, because it has been stuck in my mind for all the wrong reasons.
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