the journey

Jesus for the non-religious (part 1)

In a previous post I noted that John Shelby Spong characterizes Jesus in the following manner:

• Jesus, breaker of tribal boundaries
• Jesus, breaker of prejudices and stereotypes
• Jesus, breaker of religious boundaries
• And the Cross, a human portrait of the love of God

Here's what he says about Jesus, the breaker of tribal boundaries:

"The missionary imperative at the heart [of the gospel]. . .is a call to share with all people the life-giving power of love that always enhances human life and that frees us to cross constricting security barriers.  That is what the Jesus experience was and is all about.  When we turn to Luke this theme of inclusiveness and the need to lay aside our security blankets of tribal thinking in order to become fully human is laid out . . ."

By eliminating anything miraculous (or supernatural) about the life and ministry of Jesus, the man of Nazareth becomes little more than a means of self-acualization, self-improvement or wholeness (if you prefer that word).

In other words, he transforms Jesus into, well, someone like Joel Osteen.

Tags: John Shelby Spong

Russian icon

I'm not sure why, but I really like this Russian icon posted by I-youniverse.

Source: I-YOUniverse

Tags: Russian icon, icon, icons

Jesus for the non-religious

I just finished reading John Shelby Spong's most recent book.

Taking a predictable tack, Spong methodically rejects most of the historical teachings about Jesus and leaves us with a fully human man of Nazareth in whom God most fully revealed himself.  Hmmm.

As a result, we have a legendary man--Jesus-- who is characterized in the following ways:

• Jesus, breaker of tribal boundaries
• Jesus, breaker of prejudices and stereotypes
• Jesus, breaker of religious boundaries
• And the Cross, a human portrait of the love of God

I find it interesting that he considers Jesus more of a "breaker" than a "builder."

In upcoming posts I'll say a word or two about each of these descriptors.

Tags: John Shelby Spong, Jesus for the non-religious, Jesus

One Prayer

Here's something new from LifeChurch.tv.

It's a series of services designed to:

• Promote unity in the body of Christ.
• Expose churches to other great teachers and ministries.
• Empower churches to experiment with video teaching.
• Infuse spiritual passion into a typically challenging month (June).
• Give the senior pastor a three-week break from teaching.
• Raise money for a mission project.
• Teach our people to fast, pray, and seek God in concert with thousands of other believers.
• Participate in the larger work of God in His church.

Here's the promo video at YouTube:

To participate or for more information, click here.

Tags: LifeChurch.tv, One Prayer

The dream of a lifetime

Ever since I saw one on TV, I've always wanted it.  So I went on a quest today and found one at Walgreens of all places! So much for keeping up with the latest gadgets.

Now it's finally mine!  Muhahahaha.

It's Ron Popeil's Pocket Fisherman.  ;-) Now that I have one, however, I need to decide when (and where) to use it because I haven't fished for years. I'm not what you'd call an avid fisherman-- just a guy who occasionally drowns worms to enjoy the sunshine and the company of friends.

I hope to let you know whether this bad boy was worth the wait. 

Tags: Pocket Fisherman, Ron Popiel, Ronco

Miracles in the New Testament

An interesting thought by Spong:

Miracles in the New Testament are, time after time, simply a literary device to enable the gospel authors to talk about the in-breaking kingdom that is available to those who have eyes to see.  Miracles are part of the vision of wholeness that inspires us human beings to press the limits of our humanity in the eternal search for the transcendence that we feel is our destiny.

Source: Jesus for the Non-Religious by John Shelby Spong, p. 94.

Tags: John Shelby Spong, Jesus, Jesus for the non-religious

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

I can't wait!

Tags: Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones

A confession of faith

I like this one:

We believe that God the Father,
Good Creator and giver of life,
Calls us to love all creation
And care for it as respectful stewards,
To do justice, to love mercy,
And to walk humbly with God.

We believe that Jesus Christ,
Sent from God to save and lead us,
Teaches us to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength
And to love our neighbors as ourselves,
So we see God in the poor, oppressed, condemned, and forgotten,
And embrace all people with God’s true compassion.

We believe that the Holy Spirit,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
Unites us in God’s eternal dance of love,
Empowers us diversely to serve and love,
And fills us to overflow with grace, truth, beauty, and life
As God’s agents in this world.

And this one too.

Source: Brian McLaren

Technorati Tags: confession of faith, liturgy, Brian McLaren

Forgiving the church

Something interesting:

“When we say, ‘I love Jesus, but I hate the Church,’ we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the Church seldom asks us for forgiveness.”  ~Henri Nouwen

HT: bob.blog

Technorati Tags: Jesus, church, forgiving

A Christianity focused on individual transformation

Interesting thought:

G. K. Chesterton once said, "Beware of the person who wants to change the world but is uninterested in changing himself." I could add, beware a Christianity focused on individual transformation but is uninterested in the transformation of the world. It is a religion too comfortable with its culture.

Source: Myers Park Baptist Church (Stephen Shoemaker)

Technorati Tags: Stephen Shoemaker