life in mordor :: mike frizzell’s blog

Over the past few weeks I’ve overheard a number of discussions about the emerging church. The people involved in these discussions are intelligent and godly people, but the discussion bothered me because of their lack of charity, accuracy, and honesty. Because of that, I’ve come up with a few ideas to consider when critiquing any movement, although in this case it’s the emerging church movement.  (And keep in mind, I write this as someone who is not “emerging” and has no stake in the debate; all I want is honest dialogue by all involved.)

Diversity
One of the things you hear a lot is “The emerging church believes…” as if everyone who remotely identifies themselves as emerging believes the same thing.  You can say “they” don’t believe in absolute truth, but you can’t possibly mean everyone believes that.  It’s like saying “Baptists believe drinking alcohol is a sin.”  Really?  Every Baptist does?  Understand there is diversity in the emerging church just as there is in Protestantism, evangelicalism, and Reformed Christianity.

Honesty
In critiquing any movement, make sure you’ve actually read at least something by someone representing that movement.  It never ceases to amaze me how Calvinists on the one hand get so angry at Arminians who have only read Dave Hunt’s critique of the doctrines of grace while on the other hand critique the emerging church having only read John MacArthur.  Read some of their stuff and engage with that, don’t take someone else’s word for it, even if you respect that person completely. 

Along the same lines, if you read a critique of the emerging church by someone who has not actually conversed with the people he is calling out, be suspicious.  It’s all about being honest when you make a critique, something I hope people would be towards me.

Charity
One of the things I’ve observed is people making the worst possible assumptions when an emerging church does something or a leader says something.  Imagine if everything you said was taken to an extreme end, making you seem as if you’re a nutball (assuming of course that aren’t a nutball).  Extend some charity to those with whom you disagree, the same charity you would extend to someone like John Piper, who has been known to say some pretty outrageous things.  It does not mean you have to agree with them, only that you don’t have to assume the worst until you are certain.

As I said before, I have no stake in this.  I’m not emerging, and I really don’t know anyone who is (in real life), so I don’t have a need to defend anyone.  What bothers me is when people I love, people who are my family, people who are godly Christians behave in a way that is unseemly towards other Christians.  This bothers me because in it I see the way I have treated other traditions and how un-Christlike I have been toward other members of the family of God.

I’ve been blogging about vitae simplex (a simple life idea I’ve been running in my head for a while now) at a new blog I created here.  There are only about 10 posts as of now, but more are on the way.  This is why I haven’t posted here in a while.

..but only because I’m 65% pacifist.

1. Grown men who say “buh-bye” in any context that does not involve small children.
2. Any vehicle owner with a faux-Calvin-urinating-on-something sticker.
3. People who insist on men wearing ties.
4. The producers of automatically flushing toilets.
5. The men and women of Springfield, MO who sport non-ironic mullets (white men with soul patches will also be considered).

When the revolution comes, these people will be some of the first to go (assuming it isn’t a robot revolution, which I fear).  I’ll generally be a benevolent dictator, but in these cases I can’t make any exceptions.  Any suggestions would be welcome.

BibleXpress

A while ago I wrote about the possibility of Bible apps on the iPhone/iPod Touch, and now they’re becoming a reality.  While I haven’t had a chance to check them all out (plus, I don’t think I have that much money), the one right now that seems to rise to the top is BibleXpress. 

While the price point seems steep ($29.99) with so few versions available (4 in 1.01, 2 additional versions are in Spanish), it’s actually not that bad of a price.  First of all, whenever new versions are added they will be pushed to existing users at no cost.  Until at least 80% of the net price is being paid as royalties the app will be updated.  

Second, as of today there is only 1 free Bible app and it’s in Chinese.  The other apps range from $2.99 for the KJV to $17.99 for the ESV.  BibleXpress not only offers more versions than others, but the price per version (including the Spanish ones) is only $4.99.  In the future, it’ll probably be lower.

While I count vouch for all of the features, BibleXpress seems to be the best Bible app in the first round.  I’m sure more are to come, including ones that’ll be better, but BibleXpress is going to stick around in my phone for a while.

Edit: No word yet on a Greek text for the iPhone, but it can’t too far away.

Pretty funny list from Topless Robot (some may consider it a bit offensive). I won’t spoil it for you, but #1 involves a pregnant Snape.

I lift my soul to God,
My trust is in His Name:
Let not my foes that seek my blood
Still triumph in my shame.

Sin, and the powers of hell,
Persuade me to despair:
Lord, make me know Thy covenant well,
That I may ’scape the snare.

From the first dawning light
Till the dark evening rise,
For Thy salvation, Lord, I wait
With ever longing eyes.

Remember all Thy grace,
And lead me in Thy truth;
Forgive the sins of riper days,
And follies of my youth.

The Lord is just and kind,
The meek shall learn His ways,
And every humble sinner find
The methods of His grace.

For His own goodness’ sake
He saves my soul from shame:
He pardons, though my guilt be great,
Through my Redeemer’s Name.

by Isaac Watts

These are the kinds of things I think about pretty much all day long.  Oh, and I agree with the commenter who said that Dr. Strange’s Sanctorum is clearly an illusion.

N.T. Wright, in his commentary on Colossians, says the following about evangelism:

The task of evangelism is therefore best understood as the proclamation that Jesus is already Lord, that in him God’s new creation has broken into history, and that all people are therefore summoned to submit to him in love, worship and obedience. The logic of this message requires that those who announce it should be seeking to bring Christ’s Lordship to bear on every area of human and worldly existence. (79-80)

HT: Euangelion

If you’re American, happy Independence Day. If you aren’t, then just go about your business and don’t mind the loud, abnoxious Americans. We really do mean well.

From Douglas Wilson

I believe in plodding. Productivity is more a matter of diligent, long-distance hiking than it is one-hundred-yard dashing. Doing a little bit now is far better than hoping to do a lot on the morrow. So redeem the fifteen minute spaces. Chip away at it. For example, I have a stack of six books that I am working through most weekday mornings — a page or two of each every time I sit down to read. I do the same thing with writing — if you have time for a little bit, then do a little bit.