March 30, 05 by ed
<%image(20050330-church outside.jpg|85|124|church outside)%> Continuing my Back Blog: In light of the latest shots the Baptist Press has been taking at the Emerging Church (calling it a “Threat to the Gospel.” Take note of the one-sided view of the article!), the poorly researched critiques from prominent evangelical theologians, and some personal cheap shots that have been dished out at emergent theologians, I have caught myself fuming with anger and frustration.
I have simultaneously been reading up on liberation theology, a movement that reads scripture in light of oppression, poverty, and the margins of society. The other night these two concepts fused together in my mind . . .
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March 29, 05 by ed
<%image(20050329-aleve 2.jpg|92|92|aleve)%> I’m sure the pun has been used before, but it works for now. A trip to Lancaster, PA and the Easter holiday have kept my fingers off the keyboard, yet my mind has been buzzing with ideas. Here’s a the beginning of some mini-blogs that all seem to hit on the theme of anger. Act one (for all of you “This American Life” Fans) “Self-Help Jesus.”
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March 24, 05 by ed
<%image(20050324-pepper spray (2).jpg|102|141|pepper spray)%>It doesn’t really matter to me if this really happened or not. Whether or not someone made this up, it’s a riot. Click this link to listen to a hilarious voicemail message.
March 23, 05 by ed
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After 4 years of living in a dorm room without the benefit of candles I have discovered that I really dig a quiet night at home with no more illumination than a few candles. Of particular mention is a big 4-wick, Wal-Mart special candle on top of our movable dishwasher in the kitchen. It has a green tea scent and adds a nice effect to the kitchen. Alas last night the green tea candle met its demise.
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March 22, 05 by ed
I’ve had some thoughts stewing lately and have finally gotten them down in the form of a satire. Though I don’t want to give away the punch line, perhaps you can read the article by David Dockery after the fact and find out what I’m responding to. I plan on submitting the piece below to an online site, so please do not distribute it. I hope that this article stirs your mind and emotions while giving you a good chuckle.
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March 22, 05 by ed
<%image(20050322-gmail.gif|143|59|gmail)%> Thanks to my friend J. R. Briggs I am now free from the bondage known as hotmail. That’s right, I am the proud owner of a gmail account. 1000 MB’s of storage and it actually saves your sent messages. Are you taking notes on this hotmail? Though we still belong to the bumbling dinosaur known as hotmail, you can also e-mail us at our sparkling new address: julieanded (@) gmail (dot) com. I may stay online for a few hours just to watch an e-mail plunge into my deep well of MB storage. . .
March 21, 05 by ed
I can take no credit whatsoever for this first of all. On the site of Andrew Jones I found one of the finest links ever. It is a site by Mike Morrell and his roommate from college. They have ammassed an incredible colleciton of links that cover just about every topic related to Christianity. Whether you’re after Bible study materials, blogs, etc. they will simply blow you away. I’m particularly interested in all of their sites related to church history, but that’s just me.
March 20, 05 by ed
<%image(20050320-lamott.jpg|47|75|lamott)%> In reading the first 3 essays in Ann Lamott’s new book, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, in Borders last night, I was struck with an element in her writing that is found so rarely in many writers (defintely with myself included!). It’s not Lamott’s unparalleled hatred for George W. It’s not her tainted past. It’s not even her unapologetic love for Jesus. It’s her brilliant honesty.
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March 18, 05 by ed
<%image(20050318-go sign.jpg|100|108|go)%>During a lunch with Nate and Josh today we had a discussion about what it would look like for a church to have a sense of mission that flows out of a growing relationship with God in a community of believers. I think we get the community part down OK, but we have been struggling to put into words what the next step would be. Our conversation turned to the ministry paradigm (if you will) of “mission trips.” What if church life was like a mission trip???
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March 18, 05 by ed
I can’t take the credit or blame (depending on your perspective) for these jokes. They were originally sent from a friend who shares my appreciation for corny humor. Enjoy, if you can . . .
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March 17, 05 by ed
<%image(20050317-coffee.jpg|116|80|coffee)%> Hanging out at Starbucks the other night, Julie and I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation. As Julie was supposed to be working on her paper for Grad School and I was doing research, we were in the perfect position to eavesdrop.
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March 14, 05 by ed
The church lost one of its most innovative theoligians on Saturday, March 12th. Stanley Grenz passed away early in the morning, 24 hours after suffering a massive brain hemorrhage. Brain McLaren has given a fitting eulogy for Stan that gives a glimpse of why we will miss him so much.
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March 11, 05 by ed
<%image(20050311-babel.jpg|57|87|babel)%> The title of the book struck Julie and myself as really odd. If the tower of Babel story is all about God’s judgment on people who wanted to make a name for themselves, why would we want to return there? Why would we want to relive the curse of being dispersed all over the world with various languages? Our disconnect from the title is because we are Americans.
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March 11, 05 by ed
<%image(20050311-cheesesteak.jpg|135|102|cheesesteak)%> When I consider the fact that Julie and I plan on movinig up to Vermont this summer (June/July-ish), I find myself often becoming nostalgic of the things of Philadelphia in advance. While I won’t miss the depressing cycle of false hopes and dashed dreams known as the Philly sports scene, I have been lamenting the native foods of my region. In such a spirit, I went to get a cheese steak at 8 pm tonight.
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March 08, 05 by ed
<%image(20050308-question mark.jpg|120|85|question)%> In following up on yesterday’s post, I have given a lot of thought to the concept of evangelism as our response to the questions of others. Perhaps living provocatively, radically embodying the Gospel, is a sorely needed aspect of sharing the Gospel that we have been missing. Instead of “righteous” Christians challenging “sinners” to get right with God, the provoked (seeker) should be asking the provokers (Christians) for the reasons behind their actions (does that sound curiosly like 1 Peter 3:15?
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