The Tyranny of Liberty

One of the core values of our country is freedom. Freedom is good, but I believe it is also often confused and misunderstood. The prevailing view seems to be that what will make us happy is having the freedom to choose to have or do whatever we want. However there is a downside to choice. Having the freedom to choose among nearly infinite options doesn’t bring about the utopia which it seems to be sold as having.

Have you ever gone to the store to buy chips, pop, something for a headache, toothpaste, shampoo, etc., only to be faced with dozen of different options to choose from? You may already know which option you want, but at some point, you had to decide for the first time. What are the differences between all of the different Continue reading →

Men vs. Women – Can We Help Each Other Out?

Men and women are often segregated, perhaps not as much in our culture as in many others, but it’s still there. And, ironically enough, it seems that there is more segregation in conservative evangelical Christianity than in the rest of the culture. I say that ironic because it seems that Christ broke down these barriers. He talked to women and generally let women into the man’s world of that time. And Paul later says “there is no male or female…” (Galatians 3:28).

I recently shared a link to an article about how women are portrayed in the media. I’m aware of the over-sexulization of our culture, and I’ve heard similar things on occasion before. But as a guy it’s easy to forget or not think it’s that big of a problem. But I recently Continue reading →

Movie Review: Fireproof/Courageous

A couple of months ago some friends invited me to a movie night. We ended up watching “Fireproof”, a movie which I hadn’t even remembered hearing about. Essentially all of the “Christian” movies I’s seen before—even the good ones—had been deficient or sub-par in some way. Personally, I’m not normally a big fan of “inspirational” type art (you know—the kind with flowers and pastel colors and where everything works out perfectly in the end). So a movie has to really be done well on its own in order for me to accept it. I won’t overlook the flaws and love it for the positive and/or Christian message.

But after watching “Fireproof” I had to admit that there wasn’t much to criticize. They actually did a really good job with the movie. Continue reading →

Book Review: Friendships That Run Deep

At the suggestion of a friend, I recently Friendship That Run Deep by Keith R. Anderson. (For the record, this book was published about 14 years ago.) There are several things found in the book which I felt worth sharing.

The first is, in searching for a definition of friendship, Anderson settles on the concept of hospitality. Friendship is “creating a free and open space in which people can meet without fear or hostility.” (pp. 18-19) I do not recall attempting to define friendship myself, however I like this definition. My closest and most appreciated friendships have been the ones in which I knew I could be honest and open, and knew my friend wouldn’t look down on me or be afraid, etc. I other words, I knew I was accepted. This Continue reading →

The Difference Between Gender and Sex

I appreciated some new insight I gleaned from a book I read recently. In it, the author talks about how there is a difference between sex and gender, even though the terms are often used interchangeably. In a sentence, “Where sex is tied to reproductive physiology, gender is a cultural construct.” (Struthers, p. 136) This is the best insight I have yet gained on this topic. At times during the past year, I’ve been contemplating gender topics (click here for one good example). At it’s most basic, the question is if there is any traits which can always tied to one’s physical sex. In other words, can it be said that “All men are (fill in the blank)” or “Women always (fill in the blank)”?

I’m not quite ready to confidently say that nothing Continue reading →

Love Gays?

I’ve heard it said that Christians are known more for who we hate than how we love. What do you think? Unfortunately, I believe it’s far too often true. There are many ways people take Christianity, and many things which they think it’s really about. It may be about following a liturgy, personal spirituality, social action, doctrine, morality, etc. All of these things are good and have their place, but what is actually primary and central?

Reading through the old testament, one hears God giving a lot of rules and making a big deal about following them. He seems to be quite strict on all of this. Even in the new testament there seem to be a lot of instructions on how we are to act. One very prevalent take on Christianity is that it’s Continue reading →

Book Review: In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day

If I had to try and summarize In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day by Mark Batterson, I’d say that is basically a book encouraging taking a “leap of faith” for God. However he takes a number of different angles and makes enough different points to where I feel like it’s difficult to say this is always the clear focus. The book is written to be inspirational, but some trade offs are made in order to achieve this goal. I feel like the book ends up being a bit unbalanced and some important points are clouded.

The greatest problem with this book is that it doesn’t make a clear distinction between our dreams and God’s plans. The result is that at times it sounds like Batterson is saying that we should take risks and face our fears simply for Continue reading →

Book Review: And: The Gathered and Scattered Church

I’ve been going through books pretty rapidly here recently, which is good because I’ve got quite a few on the “to read” pile. The most recent book I finished is called “And: The Gathered and Scattered Church”. I was given the impression that the book was about arguing for the need of both mega and micro church formats and/or finding a balance between these. The introduction introduced the micro vs. mega issue and suggested that there’s a place for both. However, most of the rest of the book didn’t really address this topic directly. In fact, the book read like a collection of papers or articles which were written separately but which touched on related topics.

Chapter one introduces the true thrust of the book through a quick overview Continue reading →

Thoughts Regarding Planting a Church

I have recently begun interacting with a new church plant seeking feedback on what they’re doing. It was a catalyst for me to consider what advice I’d give to people planting a church. Here’s what came out:

  1. It’s Christ’s church, and he is the builder. “I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18) “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) If he is not the one constructing our church and if his spirit is not behind it, it will be merely a human institution. God may continue to work in, around, and despite it, but overall God’s hand and movement won’t be seen in “God-sized” ways.(Because of this, I believe well meaning people, looking for God, sometimes attribute very common, ordinary things to him that Continue reading →