Hey Guys,
You’ve heard me talk about Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church. This is not to be confused with Mars Hill Bible Church led by Rob Bell, the author of Velvet Elvis and considered “emergent.” Keep in mind these terms are hard to define as movements tend to define themselves after they become institutionalized. Our bro Kyle attended Mars Hill in Seattle for the past year and will be back in SB this week!
To that end, I've added a link to a great resource called The Resurgence. Check it out yo. Below is some additional info you will find useful.
Mark Driscoll is the co-founding Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. Driscoll, in sermons, has claimed to be "Emerging" or "Emerging Reformed" but not "Emergent."
Here is his description of his association with, and eventual distancing from the Emergent Church movement. The following YouTube videos are worth viewing for further clarification of the terms:
In the mid-1990s I was part of what is now known as the Emerging Church and spent some time traveling the country to speak on the emerging church in the emerging culture on a team put together by Leadership Network called the Young Leader Network. But, I eventually had to distance myself from the Emergent stream of the network because friends like Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt began pushing a theological agenda that greatly troubled me. Examples include referring to God as a chick, questioning God's sovereignty over and knowledge of the future, denial of the substitutionary atonement at the cross, a low view of Scripture, and denial of hell which is one hell of a mistake.
Rob Bell is the founding Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI.
In his writings, Bell affirms things as truth regardless of the source, saying "I affirm the truth anywhere in any religious system, in any worldview. If it's true, it belongs to God." Rob Bell suggested the virgin birth was not essential to the Christian faith in Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, on one page (26), while confirming it on the next (27), and seemed to question the doctrine of sola scriptura on one page (67-68), while affirming it on the next (69).
Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, Zondervan, 2005
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Woman at the Well
Hey Guys,
Here's a YouTube contemporary version of the woman at the well. Where is Jesus encountering you?
Here's a YouTube contemporary version of the woman at the well. Where is Jesus encountering you?
Monday, March 30, 2009
God vs. Science
This was sent to my facebook and got a kick out of it
" THINK AS YOU READ THIS"
God vs. Science
This is awesome and well worth the read!! Great thought processes!
Excellent explanation!
The science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students, 'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.' The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.
'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'
'Yes sir,' the student says.
So you believe in God?'
'Absolutely.'
'Is God good?'
'Sure! God's good.'
'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'
'Yes.'
'Are you good or evil?'
'The Bible says I'm evil.'
The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a moment.
'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'
'Yes sir, I would.'
'So you're good...!'
'I wouldn't say that.'
But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'
The student remains silent.
'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'
'Er...yes,' the student says.
'Is Satan good?'
The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'
'Then where does Satan come from?'
The student falters. 'From God'
'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'
Yes, sir.'
Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'
'Yes.'
'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'
Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'
The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes'
'So who created them?'
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'
The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'
The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'
No sir. I've never seen Him.'
'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'
'No, sir, I have not.'
'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'
'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'
'Yet you still believe in him?'
'Yes.'
'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'
'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'
Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'
'Yes,' the professor replies. 'There's heat.'
And is there such a thing as cold?'
'Yes, son, there's cold too.'
'No sir, there isn't.'
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can reach up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees..'
'Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold; Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.
'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'
'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'
'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word.'
'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'
'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'
The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'
'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'
'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'
'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'
'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'
'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that t his process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'
he class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.
'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.'
The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter.
'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain; with all due respect, sir.'
'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess you'll have to take them on faith.'
'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'
Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'
To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'
The professor sat down.
Charles
" THINK AS YOU READ THIS"
God vs. Science
This is awesome and well worth the read!! Great thought processes!
Excellent explanation!
The science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students, 'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.' The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.
'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'
'Yes sir,' the student says.
So you believe in God?'
'Absolutely.'
'Is God good?'
'Sure! God's good.'
'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'
'Yes.'
'Are you good or evil?'
'The Bible says I'm evil.'
The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a moment.
'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'
'Yes sir, I would.'
'So you're good...!'
'I wouldn't say that.'
But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'
The student remains silent.
'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'
'Er...yes,' the student says.
'Is Satan good?'
The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'
'Then where does Satan come from?'
The student falters. 'From God'
'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'
Yes, sir.'
Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'
'Yes.'
'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'
Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'
The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes'
'So who created them?'
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'
The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'
The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'
No sir. I've never seen Him.'
'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'
'No, sir, I have not.'
'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'
'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'
'Yet you still believe in him?'
'Yes.'
'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'
'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'
Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'
'Yes,' the professor replies. 'There's heat.'
And is there such a thing as cold?'
'Yes, son, there's cold too.'
'No sir, there isn't.'
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can reach up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees..'
'Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold; Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.
'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'
'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'
'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word.'
'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'
'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'
The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'
'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'
'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'
'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'
'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'
'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that t his process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'
he class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.
'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.'
The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter.
'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain; with all due respect, sir.'
'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess you'll have to take them on faith.'
'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'
Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'
To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'
The professor sat down.
Charles
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Doctrine of Perfectionism
Men,
Lazo nailed this topic at Adorn. You can also check out his sermon notes if you don't want to listen to the whole teaching but it's worthwhile.
The Doctrine of Perfectionsm
Even so, don't just take his word for it and be a Berean and study the word for yourself. Use your reason and ask God to give you wisdom.
Don't give up and don't give in. Love you guys.
tarik
Lazo nailed this topic at Adorn. You can also check out his sermon notes if you don't want to listen to the whole teaching but it's worthwhile.
The Doctrine of Perfectionsm
Even so, don't just take his word for it and be a Berean and study the word for yourself. Use your reason and ask God to give you wisdom.
Don't give up and don't give in. Love you guys.
tarik
Does Satan Exist?
Gents,
This is a debate that was held at the church Brittney and I attend. Our pastor was one of the debators. It was between him, Depak Chopra (the leading New Age guru), a former pastor who now says that Satan and hell don't exist. There's also a former prositute turned christian who now leads a ministry to save prostitutes from off the streets.
Gnarly debate, and really heart-wrenching to watch. It's more sad than anything to see so many people buying into the ideas of Depak Chopra and self-realization. They don't know anything of Jesus, and so, they have no hope in this life or the next. You can check out the whole debate at abcnews.com. There's a video link in the top right hand corner of the page titled "Nightline Face-Off".
If you just want to see the abreviated version, check out www.marshillchurch.org. It's on the main page.
We all have some work to do for the Kingdom. It's not about us. It's about God's glory and going into the places and relationships nobody wants to, but that he calls us to. Jesus' light shines brightest in the darkest places. I love you boys. Looking forward to seeing you.
Kyle
This is a debate that was held at the church Brittney and I attend. Our pastor was one of the debators. It was between him, Depak Chopra (the leading New Age guru), a former pastor who now says that Satan and hell don't exist. There's also a former prositute turned christian who now leads a ministry to save prostitutes from off the streets.
Gnarly debate, and really heart-wrenching to watch. It's more sad than anything to see so many people buying into the ideas of Depak Chopra and self-realization. They don't know anything of Jesus, and so, they have no hope in this life or the next. You can check out the whole debate at abcnews.com. There's a video link in the top right hand corner of the page titled "Nightline Face-Off".
If you just want to see the abreviated version, check out www.marshillchurch.org. It's on the main page.
We all have some work to do for the Kingdom. It's not about us. It's about God's glory and going into the places and relationships nobody wants to, but that he calls us to. Jesus' light shines brightest in the darkest places. I love you boys. Looking forward to seeing you.
Kyle
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Listen Up!
Men,
Last night was such a great time with the Lord. Thank you Phil for bringing it all nitty gritty tellin us we have to be humble. Bam!! just like that.
Guys a few things that were brought up we need to remember:
Philippians 2:
3Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men 8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Lets all act on the things we learned and apply it to our lives. Next week we will spend some time to share any nuggets we learned this week about humility. As men we are going to battle this so lets take up our cross and follow Jesus. Remember we arent getting together as a bunch of messed up fools so that we can just talk but "the one who says he abides in JESUS ought himself to walk in the same manner as JESUS walked."
God Bless,
-N
Last night was such a great time with the Lord. Thank you Phil for bringing it all nitty gritty tellin us we have to be humble. Bam!! just like that.
Guys a few things that were brought up we need to remember:
Philippians 2:
3Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men 8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Lets all act on the things we learned and apply it to our lives. Next week we will spend some time to share any nuggets we learned this week about humility. As men we are going to battle this so lets take up our cross and follow Jesus. Remember we arent getting together as a bunch of messed up fools so that we can just talk but "the one who says he abides in JESUS ought himself to walk in the same manner as JESUS walked."
God Bless,
-N
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Found this amazing website
You guys have to check it out. You can buy Christian Books and resources. It has a section of book on US christian history as well.
I just found it so i havnt been able to look through everything. but the articles section seems pretty awesome with some relevant discussion about Christians and Politics etc.
I just found it so i havnt been able to look through everything. but the articles section seems pretty awesome with some relevant discussion about Christians and Politics etc.
American Vision
Check it out and have fun! Love you guys!
N.
Ive been browsing the website for the past week and have found a few issues with the theology of the proponents.
1.) They are Preterists meaning the Second coming of Christ was fulfilled at 70AD
2.) They dont necessarily speak out of humility and love.
Although, there are these two issues that i found, i have been reading their articles still and find them
very insightful into the discussion of developing a christian world view!
With that said, I advise caution. It is still the best resource i have found that is discussing politics and
Christianity but the guys running the show have different eschatology views than we do.
Neil
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
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