But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
1 Corinthians 15:10 KJV
The Irresistible Revolution
"While the voices of blockbuster movies and pop culture cry out for a life outside the matrix of numb efficiency, Christianity often has offered little to the world, other than the hope that things will be better in heaven."
"Sometimes we speak out to change the world, and other times we speak to try to keep the world from changing us."
"In our culture of "seeker sensitivity" and radical inclusivity, the great temptation is to compromise the cost of discipleship in order to draw a larger crowd. With the most sincere hearts, we do not want to see anyone walk away from Jesus because of the discomfort of his cross, so we clip the claws on the Lion a little, we clean up a bit the bloody Passion we are called to follow."
"We would like to include people like the rich ruler and Ananias and Sapphira, but we would end up with the sort of Christianity that arose after Constantine, in which everyone can be a Christian but no one knows what a Christian is anymore."
"For us, belief is only the beginning. What really matters is how we live, how what we believe gets fleshed out, so we also have a statement of orthopraxis (meaning, "right living, right practices"). And this is where most belief-oriented faith communities fall short. They tell us only what they believe, but they do not tell us how their beliefs affect their lifestyles."
"We live in an age in which people, when they hear the word Christian, are much more likely to think of people who hate gays than people who love outcasts, and that is a dangerous thing."
"The world has seen Christian extremists who will blow up abortion clinics and dance on doctors' graves. We have seen Christian extremists who hold signs that say, "God hates fags." The world has seen Christian extremists who declare war in the name of the Lamb. But where are the Christian extremists for love and grace?"
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Non traditional thoughts about life, the world, and God from a Christian's perspective.
"I am seized with fear that my own will will be given place, and I will thus ruin my usableness for God. It would be easy to follow my feelings...to interfere with the voice of the Lord when He says, 'This is the way, walk ye in it.' "
Elisabeth Elliott
Friday, March 31, 2006
Featured Blog of the WeekIn an effort to generate more traffic, I've joined BlogExplosion.com. They also have this interesting feature where you can "rent" space on your blog to feature another. As you can see by the thumbnail in my sidebar, I have done just that.
Check out Through a Dark Glass. The basic premise is that a man who is not a Catholic works for a Catholic publishing house and blogs his thoughts.
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Posted by Amanda at 3/31/2006 05:27:00 PM
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Bibles for Porn Stars
I contacted the American Bible Society and had made arrangements months ago to order 10,000 bibles. We have 3 porn shows coming up (Erotica LA, June. Gay Erotica NY, October. AVN Expo Las Vegas, January.) The cost was over $7,000 but in our opinion it was money well spent. They printed the Bibles prior to getting our cover artwork. Two weeks ago, we sent over the cover art and all hell broke loose.
Long story short…they have refunded all of our money and have refused to print the Bibles. They have told us that this goes against everything the Bible stands for and they don’t want anyone to think that Jesus is okay with porn. We think they are wrong. We think this goes with the central message of the gospel and Jesus loves you regardless of your profession.
My first thought is, WHOA! Since when does giving Bibles to people who need the hope, grace, and love of Jesus go against everything the Bible stands for? I love this verse (Matthew 9:13) in the Message: Go figure out what this Scripture means: "I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders."
Jesus came to seek and save the lost! He spent his time with sinners. He had dinner with the tax collectors. He conversed with the Samaritan woman. He loved sinners. As the hands and feet of Jesus, we are asked to do no less!
I hope someone out there reads this, or one of the other stories floating around and offers to print the Bibles for this ministry. This is what we are here for. This is what the church should be doing.
Tags: Porn, Jesus, Christianity, Bibles, American Bible Society, XXXChurch
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Posted by Amanda at 3/31/2006 09:27:00 AM
11 Comments
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Currently Reading: The Irresistible RevolutionShane Claiborne makes me uncomfortable. I'm reading his book, The Irresistible Revolution:Living as an Ordinary Radical, and it makes me very uncomfortable. It reminds me that I'm not living the way Jesus intends me to live, and I don't like facing that fact. I like to think that my life is just fine, thank you, and I don't need to change. But I do. I suffer from what Shane calls "Spiritual Bulimia."
Unfortunately, I think Shane has given an accurate description of Western Christianity today. What society deems "Christianity" is this view of who can proclaim Jesus the loudest. Who looks more Christian? Who sounds more Christian? It's all about image. It's all about who's doing right and who's doing wrong. This is nothing at all like the Christianity that Jesus started. Shane correctly notes that from his desk at college, "it looked like some time back we had stopped living Christianity and just started studying it." So Shane went looking for a Christian. He went all the way to Calcutta (literally) before he found one (and no, the Christian he refers to was not Mother Teresa). Shane found a Christian when he looked into the eyes of a leper and saw Jesus. He realized what miracles really are--an expression of Jesus' love. The miracles themselves were not what had lasting significance--it was his love.Bulimia, of course, is a tragic eating disorder, largely linked to identity and image,where folks consume large amounts of food but vomit it up before it has a chance to digest. I developed the spiritual form of it where I did my devotions, read all the new Christian books and saw the Christian movies, and then vomited information up to friends, small groups, and pastors. But it had never had the chance to digest. I had gorged myself on all the products of the Christian industrial complex but was spiritually starving to death. I was marked by an overconsumptive but malnourished spirituality, suffocated by Christianity but thirsty for God.
Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, and a few years later, Lazarus died again. Jesus healed the sick, but they eventually caught some other disease. He fed the thousands, and the next day they were hungry again. But we remember his love. It wasn't that Jesus healed a leper but that he touched a leper, because no one touched lepers. And the incredible thing about that love is that it now lives in us.But how many of us show that love? If a leper walked into your church this Sunday, would you move over and let them sit next to you? What about a smelly homeless man? A prostitute? A drug dealer? If we are the hands and feet of Christ, we should do more. But we don't. This is why this book makes me uncomfortable. It challenges to do more. To be more. And I'm only in the third chapter!
Tags: Christianity, Love, The Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne
Posted by Amanda at 3/30/2006 06:17:00 PM
4 Comments
Christian Carnival 115
Christian Carnival is being hosted at The Secret Life of Gary this week.
Christian Carnival is a weekly collection of blog posts from a Christian worldview. One of the goals of the Carnival is to offer a broad range of Christian thought.
I definitely suggest you check it out!
Tags: Christianity, Christian Carnival, Blogging
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Posted by Amanda at 3/30/2006 09:43:00 AM
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Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Italy Gives Asylum to AbdulAbdul Rahman had disappeared after his release from Afghan custody, but a new report reveals that he has received asylum in Italy.
Tags: Afghanistan, Abdul Rahman
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Posted by Amanda at 3/29/2006 10:29:00 AM
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Monday, March 27, 2006
Eugene Petersen and The MessageI read an interesting post on Dustin Bryson's blog this morning concerning The Message. You see, Dustin loves the Message. At first, I had a hard time swallowing this. Since the Message became popular, for the most part I've been staunchly against it. I was wrong. It occured to me today that the majority of folks who are against the Message have a) never read it, and b) treat it as if it's meant to be a literal translation. Neither of those lend credibility to the critics. I was raised in the Bible Belt. Very Southern, very fundamentalist, very conservative. You know the type--folks who claim that if the King James Bible was good enough for Paul then it's good enough for them. These are the people who helped formulate my view of Christianity growing up. Recently (in the last few years), that view is morphing into something completely different. Books like Miller's Blue Like Jazz, Douglas Banister's God on Earth, Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis, and even Petersen's Message have completely revolutionized the way I see Christianity, Jesus, God, and the world. Petersen's take on Scriptures is fresh and invigorating. It offers new insight into the way we do things and understand things. There's nothing wrong with new ideas! The church often seems to encourage staying put and not moving forward. But we should always move and grow! No man has a monopoly on Truth. What was Truth 500 years ago is still Truth today--but it may look a little different in the way it's carried out. There's nothing wrong with that! Bringing new life to old Truth is a gift from God! Look at John the Baptist. Look at Jesus! His sermon on the mount was entirely bringing new life to old truth. Truth is more important than tradition. I have nothing against tradition, but tradition should never take the place of truth. Eugene Petersen understands that. God bless those who aren't afraid of skirting tradition for the truth. Related Tags: Bibles, The Message, Eugene Petersen, Christianity, Truth, Tradition
Posted by Amanda at 3/27/2006 10:59:00 AM
4 Comments
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Who will save Abdul Rahman?Michelle Malkin has a fabulous article about the Christian Afghani who is on trial for converting. The Afghani government is trying to have Rahman executed for his faith.
The Tribune reported that prosecutor Abdul Wasi demanded Rahman's repentance and called him a traitor: "He is known as a microbe in society, and he should be cut off and removed from the rest of Muslim society and should be killed." The country's attorney general says Rahman should be hung. The judge handling the case, who has been photographed wielding Rahman's Bible as evidence against him, threatens: "If he doesn't regret his conversion, the punishment will be enforced on him. And the punishment is death."
If we sit on the sidelines and watch this man "cut into little pieces" for his love of Christ, we do not deserve the legacy of liberty our Founding Fathers left us. How about offering Rahman asylum in the United States? Perhaps Yale University, proud sponsor of former Taliban official Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, can offer Rahman a scholarship. Where's the Catholic Church, so quick to offer sanctuary to every last illegal alien streaming across the borders? And how about Hollywood, so quick to take up the cause of every last Death Row inmate?Hello, anyone, hello?
Posted by Amanda at 3/22/2006 09:07:00 AM
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Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Child BrideThis is a horrifying, yet amazing story of a little girl who survived. Tags: Afghanistan
Posted by Amanda at 3/21/2006 11:40:00 AM
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Friday, March 17, 2006
Do it yourself abortionsI am absolutely HORRIFIED that someone has stooped to this level.
Posted by Amanda at 3/17/2006 01:17:00 PM
1 Comments
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Adolf Hitler Church?KLOVE reported on a story originally reported in the Times Online. Is this bad faith?
Posted by Amanda at 3/15/2006 01:43:00 PM
1 Comments
More on homosexuality
Someone asked me today how to treat homosexuals as the precious human beings they are to Jesus without condoning their sinful lifestyle. I will try to answer that here.
It isn't easy. It's a lot easier to read someone's writing on the matter and say "Yes! I agree with that!" than to actually put it into practice. Especially when you're someone like me who tends to live in a "Christian bubble." But Scripture is clear. We are to love people--ALL people. Not just the ones who look like us, think like us, and believe like us. Remember, Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He came to heal the sick. And if we are truly trying to live in His steps, then it is the lost and sick that we should be concerned with. They are the ones who need our love more than anyone else.
A person is a person above all else. We don't define people by their sin. As Scot McKnight put it, people "are not morality acts or immorality acts." A homosexual needs to be respected and loved as a human being above all else.
It seems that Christians like to categorize sin and the people who commit the sin. For example, Joe who just told his mom he finished his homework when he really hadn't rates a 2 on the sin scale, Mary who lives with her boyfriend rates a 7, but Barry, the homosexual man rates a 10. Why do we do that?
People will often refer you to 1 Corinthians 6 because that chapter contains these verses (9-10): "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
This is a great proof-text that says homosexuals will not go to heaven. But you have to take it in context. Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians because, after beginning their new life in Christ, they were beginning to slip back into their old immoral ways. A man in the church was sleeping with his father's wife and the church was allowing it. The church in Corinth was associating themselves with so-called believers who were sexually immoral and disassociating themselves from those in the world they should have been helping.
Verse 11 is important here: "And that is what some of you were." Past tense. Paul is telling the church in Corinth that they were sinners but now they are clean. This is the equivalent of Jesus telling the adulterous woman, "Go, and sin no more."
This is why you can't use this verse as a prooftext against homosexuality. Paul is speaking to the church. He is reminding them of where they came from and who they are now in Christ. It's no big secret that sinners who have not surrendered to Christ will not enter into heaven--this includes liars, thieves, idolators, and yes, homosexuals.
So why do we place homosexuality at the top of our "sin scale"? Why do we believe that a homosexual man is a worse sinner than the woman living with her boyfriend? Is homosexuality really any different than fornication? They should both be treated the same--if they are not Christians. We can't expect someone who has never met Christ to act Christ-like. That's our job. And in acting like Christ, we show them grace. We show them love. We invite them to our tables so that they may see the light we bring to the dark world. Jesus led by example more than anything else.
Posted by Amanda at 3/15/2006 10:33:00 AM
3 Comments
Monday, March 13, 2006
Jesus and HomosexualsI have found the most objective and Christ-like response to homosexuality. Scot McKnight has posted on his blog a series about Jesus and Homosexuality. Brief excerpt:
Humans are Eikons; humans are people; they are not morality acts or immorality acts. That is my point. If we believe, as I do, in God’s embracing grace that awakens in us the capacity to embrace God, ourselves, others, and the world (see Embracing Grace), then we will begin each and every moral discussion with the fact that humans are Eikons of God, persons, people, relationally-charged folks whose central need is to relate to God, self, others, and the world. So, I begin right here: How would Jesus have “treated” homosexuals? The answer to that question is incredibly simple: he would have treated them as Eikons, as human beings made in God’s image who are designed to reflect God’s glory in this world by relating to God lovingly, to themselves lovingly, to others lovingly, and to the world lovingly. They would have been welcomed at the table of discussion, they would have been invited to listen to him, to interact with him, to follow him, and to fellowship with his followers. They would have been challenged to live before God as Jesus taught. In short, they would have been loved by Jesus. Not shunned; not humiliated; not ostracized; but given a seat for as long as they cared to be with him. He would have told everyone and anyone that there was a seat (or place; they didn’t use chairs) at the table for them.How right he is! We spend so much of our time judging and ostracizing when Jesus would never have done the same. Jesus would have invited everyone to his table. He loved everyone. Why can't we be a little more like Him?................If I may, I’d like to draw a significant conclusion at this point: the walls around Jesus were permeable. The walls of most churches are impermeable. Those in and those out are clear. I find the recent trend of many Christians, many of whom are “emerging” folk, to create environments where the walls are permeable to be one of the most significant features of the emerging movement and these environments have the capacity to unleash kingdom power. Jesus’ table fellowship, which is the heart of his mission, is more like coffee discussions at coffee shops or what a student calls “party evangelism” or “porch missions” than it is like “church” as we now know it and do it.
Posted by Amanda at 3/13/2006 09:20:00 AM
1 Comments
Coolest sidewalk art I've ever seen
Check it out! Seriously, this guy rocks.
Posted by Amanda at 3/13/2006 09:14:00 AM
0 Comments
Saturday, March 04, 2006
EpiphanyIt hit me tonight, like a ton of bricks. No matter how Christian I try to be or how Christian people think I am, it's not enough. I'm nothing like Jesus. I call myself a Christian, which means Christ-like. But I'm nothing like him. You see, I live in a Christian bubble. I am surrounded by only Christians. I work in a Christian organization, and my social life revolves around the church. Jesus was not like that! The first thing he did when his ministry started was surround himself with sinners. His closest friends were people who were part of the rougher crowd. He came to heal the sick, not the healthy! So why is it that Christians seem to believe that they can't hang around unbelievers? It's like we're still living in the world of 3rd grade, and the nonbelievers have cooties and somehow Jesus is our cootie shot. When will we take a stand and grow up? I want to be like my Jesus.
Labels: Personal, Spiritual Growth
Posted by Amanda at 3/04/2006 09:22:00 PM
5 Comments
Friday, March 03, 2006
Is the pro-life view inconsistent?As I was performing my morning ritual of blog reading, I came across a most interesting post on Parableman. He is commenting on recent posts made on Pro-Life Blogs that suggest the common position of pro-life with exceptions (for example, rape and incest) is an inconsistent position. I agree with Pro-Life Blogs. My beliefs on abortion are very closely tied to my faith and belief in God. I believe that God is the Creator of every life. I believe that God knows every child before they are even conceived. I believe children are gifts, not consequences. If a woman is raped and becomes pregnant, God has a reason, plan, and purpose for the child. No one on earth has the right to take the life of a child God saw fit to bring into being. By allowing exceptions, we are indirectly saying, "No, God. You were wrong. This child shouldn't be allowed to come into being because it's too traumatic for the woman. We think you made the wrong decision by creating this life so we are going to take it." Jeremy, of Parableman, says, "Being pro-life is being generally opposed to abortion, not being absolutely opposed to it, and moral considerations might lead someone to be generally opposed to it while allowing some exceptions, particularly in these life-or-death cases." What greater moral consideration is there than the life of a child who did not choose to be brought into the world, can not choose to remain in it, and is at no fault whatsoever for any choice made by the mother, or the man who may have raped her? What kind of morals do we have when we kill a child God brought into this world in order to save the life of the mother? If our steps are numbered, and I believe they are, then killing the child won't save the life of the mother if God intended her to die. And saving the life of the child won't kill the mother if God intended her to live. Perhaps my argument is too "Christian flavored" for you. But for me, the two issues (God and abortion) are so closely tied together that you can't talk about abortion without talking about God.
Posted by Amanda at 3/03/2006 11:03:00 AM
1 Comments
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Lent?So I've been having this discussion through the comments of my friend Zach's blog (I use the word "friend" loosely since I've never met the guy, but I immensely enjoy his blog..and he is a brother in Christ). Basically, I don't get the tradition of Lent. Let me ask you the same question I posed for him: How does giving up soda (tv, chocolate, meat, etc.) make one more like Christ? Zach assumed I was being facetious, but I wasn't. It honestly seems superficial to me. Maybe I just don't understand the tradition well enough. I was never taught anything about Lent growing up. All I've ever seen are people who never make any attempt to follow Christ throughout the year give something up for a few weeks before they give in to temptation and endulge themselves in whatever it was they gave up. This seems superficial to me. I understand that the point is supposed to be about sacrifice. But how arrogant are we that we think giving up chocolate for 40 days is anything remotely comparable to Jesus' sacrifice? Maybe I've missed the boat altogether. I'm sure that some of you will not hesitate to tell me how wrong I am, but please don't miss my point. I am not belittling anyone who participates in Lent with a pure and sincere heart. I am however, seeking answers to my questions. Why should Lent be important to me? How would me giving up something (Chocolate milk, for example, something I love dearly) for 40 days make me any more like Christ?
Posted by Amanda at 3/02/2006 08:18:00 PM
4 Comments
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Dan Brown is a ChristianIn an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Dan Brown, author of the controversial The Da Vinci Code, asserts that he is a committed Christian.
"Suggesting a married Jesus is one thing, but questioning the Resurrection undermines the very heart of Christian belief," said Brown, who described himself as a committed Christian.Some sources completely scoff at this idea. Ok, I admit. Brown certainly doesn't live the testimony of someone who is committed to living for Christ. But you know what? Neither do a lot of folks who consider themselves Christians. And admittedly, a lot of folks who call themselves Christians aren't. The Bible is pretty clear on that: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' " (Matt. 7:21-23). But the Bible also says this in the very same chapter: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." There isn't a single person alive who doesn't do something that breaks God's heart on a daily basis. If being a Christian means you do everything right, then no one can claim the name. No one knows Dan Brown's heart except God. I've already posted on why I think there's nothing wrong with The Da Vinci Code, and I do believe that a Christian could have written that book. Why is the church so pitted against creativity and imagination? It's as if nothing good has happened since the 70's. Did we reach the pinnacle of creativity decades ago? If we did, then this world is a sad sad place. I believe that my God takes joy in art and expressions of ourselves through art. God's nature is that of creativity. Look around! See what He created! We are made in His image--that makes us creators too!
Posted by Amanda at 3/01/2006 11:03:00 AM
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