The evangelicals are screwed!

You are not going to believe this! Well, you probably will, but it will make you wish something bad.

James Dobson has gone ahead and labled SpongeBob as not only having an oddly square private region (which he did not say directly, but is rather true), but SB is a pro-homosexual advocate!




Man, those Dobson's just ain't going to be friends with me.

So, Dobson has called out SB's participation in a video which he says is going to promote homosexaulity. I know whenever I see a sponge wearing pants it makes me gay as a $3 bill. What a swearword joke. What's next? Dora is into beastiality!! Look at her relationship with that monkey wearing boots!!

This is why the general public hates Christians. We allow this guy to be the leader and he does stupid stuff like this. It is no surprise that the term "Christian" may be beyond recovery, as is suggested by McLaren.

So click on the title link and go down and watch the video...it's an absolute joke...Dobson picks out SB from all of the characters that have children's shows...simply b/c SB is easiest to pick on b/c he is known to adults.

It appears Dobson's real concern is in being known by adults, not saving the children from the evil homosexual spnge.

Hoser.

Countertop Theology

LJ, Heather and I have got four fish. They live on our kitchen counter (in an aquarium, duh) and we take care of them. We're even members of PetCo customer program now.

The reality is that we are revisiting what a Christian's interaction with creation says about God. How we treat living things has to say something about God. It is a major part of reorienting our faith to get out of an industrial age in our religion.

So we care for some fish, and it helps us to become the people that God originally created us to be. Working out our salvation with some goldfish. Taking a quiet time, where all I do is watch the fish and interact with them for a while.

emerging.

The postmodern novel will have no climax

It's just true. Look around and see what is happening in popular media and the way it is being reacted to. In the past, people wanted a story to take them somewhere uncomfortable, and then resolve it. Today, and in the future, people want to go somewhere and that's it.

What else is there?

Children, HIDE YOUR BLOGS!

Best compliment I ever got was from my current Senior Pastor.

After interviewing (auditioning?) for the youth ministry position (part?) out here in Oregon he called and told my wife that we "are....very...real."

We thought that was great, because that is the image that we really want to project. Moreover, it is who we really want to be. One of my big struggles is to balance that realness with love. I see lots of people who claim to be "real" but they're really just jerks.

Jerks in sheeps clothing, sounds like the Bible.

The way that the millenial generation (now showing in a youth group near you) uses the interent as a virtual confessional. It seems to be the modern equivalent to the Catholic confessional booth. Where you couldn't really see the priest, though you knew who he was. The priest was like a guide for your confession to God. Everyone has seen the movies, maybe some have actually been to confess, you know what I am talking about.

Recently, I was asked if the leaders in our church read my blog, or if I keep it a secret from them. I hope they read my blog. I doubt they even know what a blog is. But the bigger question exists still, "Do I get a rush out of confessing what might be read?" Even more so, is that a prevailing reason why this wired-confessional is working the way that it is?

Perhaps that is the way God designed human beings. It is supposed to feel good to confess our sins, not only to God, but to one another, to true friends. To be willing to admit why we hate ourselves and what we suck at, but can't seem to overcome, no matter how hard we pray. Maybe God was thinking we could help each other.

Nevertheless, the virtual confessional continues and I am amazed by it. Kids who want to allow people into their hearts, but are afraid that heart will get stomped on. Afriad because their heart has treadmarks on it already. Pre-stomped by friends, teachers, parents, pastors, themselves. If this is even a bit true, then it is no surprise that blogging is turning into a virtual millenial confessional. It is no surprise that kids hide their blogs from their parents/authority figures.

So what to do about it?

Post Industrial Christianity

Today I pray that I will be able to outlive industrial, market-driven Christianity. Pastors have attempted to become professionals and have given away what makes them distinct in the process. I digress...

>>>The United Church of Canada's pastors are seeking to join the Canadian Auto Workers Union. For protection from their congregations.

>>>Pastors read business management books as the key to becoming better pastors. I don't like this very much at all. It reminds me too much of a quote from the book "Dining with the Devil" by Os Guinness (which I have not read, have only read this quote),

Whenever I met a Buddhist leader, I meet a holy man, Whenever I meet a Christian leader, I meet a manager. ---comment of a Japanese businessman

>>>In an industrial society, value is measured by production. Western Christianity needs to be reoriented and corrected to see that production is not success in our mission.

>>>I think many leaders in modern western Christianity read the Great Commission to say to go into all the world and make lots of disciples. They have inserted the word lots. Of course, I hope that all would come to follow Jesus in the rythyms of God's grace and experience the best life possible, but we have added the word lots and created a culture, influenced by the modern, western industrial revolution, that values production.

Can I read a book by a youth pastor who has an average suze youth group? Good luck. The only one I have ever heard of is Tony Jones (and he is an excellent writer), and even he got ripped for writing prescriptive material when his youth group was just average size.

The world of western Christianity values larger churches and larger ministries more than smaller ones. We think the church in S. Korea with 75,000 members is a great thing. And we have no biblical reason for thinking this way.

If God thought this way,

There would have been more animals in the ark.
Earth wouldn't be so freaking tiny in comparison to the universe.
Jesus would have been taller.
Jesus would have had more than 3 people who cared about him at his execution.
Judas would have been fired/laid off/let go a whole lot earlier.
The number of people who became Xns at Pentecost (3,000) wouldn't relate so dang exactly to the story of the Levites when Aaron built the golden calf for the Israelites.

If God thought this way, he would actually want to know how many people you witnessed to before you died. Is that biblical? NO. NONONONONONONONONONONONONO. NO.

That's just industrial Christianity.


Addenum: I must be feeling good. I shaved all up and am ranting profusly. Must be that freezing cold Canadain air.

Postmodernism and the Death of Honor

This links you to a guy that I don't even know. He plays guitar for someone I do know. He is on myspace.com.

Here's the issue. He is claiming that he is a believer and follower of Christ, and a minister througth music, yet he objetifies women and degrades them by putting up pix that are "unmotherly" (OH YES! I made that word up!)

Here's the issues: I don't even know who this guy is, and I probably don't even think he is a bad guy. He is simply a perfect example of a personal (read:extra-biblical) version of Honor in a postmodern context. I actually wonder most, what exactly is going on inside his thoughts. He blogs on love and poetry, but, really, that kind of stuff is usually 99% crap.

I hope he is in process, I really do, but, the theology on his page is rather choiceful (another word I made up) and creates a religion that is a version of Christianity, but seems to be a choose your own adventure version of the Christian religion.

Again, I have no beef with whoever this is, I simply found his myspace.com and thought it was a perfect example of postmodernity and theology causing a trainwreck.

Addenum: Don't even bother commenting anything similar to "it's about a relationship, not a religion." That's 99% crap also. Christianity is a freaking religion. A relationship is what you have with a person, not a gathering of enabling criteria to live life to the fullest (that's Christianity).

2005 - the year of laugh my guts out

Drop your food. Pick up your mouse.

Two very funny lines today!

1. Over at B & E....

In which real world do you have to be home at 9? In the I'm on crack world?

2. And over at liquidthinnking, via someone else,

Dear Jon,

Remember: Whenever we say "Christmas," Christ always comes first. And whenever we say "X-mas," X comes first. Not many people know that Jesus Christ's real name is "Jesus Little." He changed His name to "Jesus X" to show that He was His own person and didn't need the white man's slave name... He was His own man. Which explains the meaning behind X-mas. It's just short for "X-Man's." Because the X-Men had superpowers... just like Jesus.

Jim

Very funny at 1:45 est.

2005

I'm in the EST zone and celebrated new year's early compared to normal. I'm going to stay up till at least three so that I can celebrate the new year in my new homeland...this was a shorter year for me, by three hours...

This is supposed to be a super introspective time and all, planing for the new year and making resolutions to break. But since I am on such a great vacation I haven't had a lot of time for quiet and introspection. A few years ago I would have felt guilty, Lord knows the old quiet times haven't been amazing, or daily. But these days I am much more relaxed and secure in my salvation and relationship with Jesus. I follow him, meaning I orient my life to do what he did and learn what he taught. It's not a set of practices that have to be kept (legalism rules, right), but it is my close friend, who creates a universe when he is bored. What a nut. And yes, I just called Jesus a nut...

So it's a new year and we're going to give this another whirl.

This year I hope to learn some real spiritual practices. Develpop a rule of life. Become even more mellow....or i will seem to those who look at me....they don't see the intense fire on the inside.

I'm out like 2004.

Poll

So here's a relevant poll:

Are people who write the word "effing" (in blogs, etc.) really just pansies for not writing what they really mean to say?



Vote by commenting. I'll vote while I am off in the north.

Emergence

I got thinking about this a bit from a statement that Tony Jones made saying that the emerging church will be missional. He talks about this in the context of church polity and government. His main thrust is that the emerging church must have a thin organizational chart in order to have thick relevance. Think Carl George.

I wonder if the emerging church will be missional or if the missional church will emerge. It's a little chicken and egg. It's also possibly limited. But it may be a way to know who is truly emergent and who is masked evangelicalism.

That is, I think one can test the emergence of any particular church/movement to see why it is emerging. Some possibilities may include: marketing, prosytltism, booming population, and missional posture.

Many churches will emerge. I think what needs to be said is that those which are emergent are missional in their reason for emerging.

I see missional as meaning relevantly engaging the world/culture and giving redemptive life away.

So, is a commercial ministry missional?
Is a Christian t-shirt missional?
Is James missional?
Are you missional?

If you aren't you die. Simple as that. You might look really alive. Really really alive.

But you and your religion are dead.

Therapy 2

I just emailed my best man from when I got married 5.5 years ago. Crazy, we ain't hardly talked since, b/c I moved, b/c...

I also think I have a fear that I have offended people when I haven't talked to them in a long time. I think it's stupid. I think it's the devil. I got to beat that.

Where's the friggin monkeys?
-lj

Therapy

I think the best thing about me is that I no longer think I am really great. I never would have said it, but if you knew me, you knew I believed it.

I think the worst thing about me is my memory. I can't remember anything unless I read it or see it. Only things that go in the eyes gets remembered by old James. Drives me crazy. I go to a movie and forget what I am watching during the previews.

Online Advent Calander

via Jonny Baker

This is a great daily site with online meditations and such in the form of an online advent calander. Much ups to the Episcopal Church, especially in comparison to the business model exhibited in my conference's website. When we were kids we used to get these with little chocolates in them. This version has a stained glass with different pieces having numbers on them.

Each meditation has a modern day icon, an opportunity for giving, a written meditation and links to the daily office.

Today's meditation contains the above picture of Joseph from a Russian nativity scene. I love how the internet is being used to help me become more spiritual. To think all that porn technology is helping people follow Jesus.


Eat it Satan.

Parables

I am having a bit of a borderline obsession with the parables. I think they might be where we can find the eternity of our faith. Which is an important question as we are struggling with the reorientation into a new way to be Xn.

So, those fantastic episcopals, with their homosexual ducks in northeast GA (another story), have a really cool online gallery of pictures of the parables. It's another great way to use art to connect you to the revolution.

Christmas Promo

Most Christmas, heck, most church, promotion is borderline cheesy clip art crap. Looking in on Jonny Baker I found a link to this promo line, that is actually interesting. And Mary is black - call me crazy, but that is so refreshing.

So, here's the picture that got me hooked:



And there is a whole gallery of them that will help people have proper reflection in the Christmas season. It's all pictures of Mary that will help you to think through what she expereinced in order to give mankind their Savior.

Sean Dayton

I've added some more blogs to the links on the right - needing to simplify my life y'know -

Also - this is a website for a kid who was in the first youth group I ever volunteered with. Great kid, although he is 20something now.

Anyways - you can enjoy some music and such from the great white north.

Great Weekend Part Three

Finally -

We had just a great neXus last night. A great group and did some Sacred Reading, I think it may have been the first time for everyone in the room, but Heather and I....but most people were sharing and all.

I tried doing some in small groups and had never done that - so it was pretty exciting...even though the focus was lost for a bit! I really enjoyed it though.

Just regular spirituality and community.

Not bad.

Great Weekend Part Two

Lj had a birthday on the weekend! He's two now and can already give the story of salvation and has a good theology of God's soveriegnty and the Satan's ultimate destiny. What a smart kid.

We got him a drum set that I'm sure our neighbors will come to love over the coming years.

He had a great time and had a bunch of little people running around our house with him.

Great Weekend Part One

Just had a great weekend -

Had an overnight retreat (advance!?) with the students in the invert program - it was all about exploring Jesus and his life on earth. Spent time in a mall, praying at 4 am, in a cemetary,at a bock dock, chasing a Santa parade.

It was a great weekend with a lot of growth.

And my team dominated the Cranium game!

the Word on the Street

It's not every day I'm going ot do advertisemenst for Zondervan, but click on the title link to see Rob Lacey, a theatre preformer who has created a Bible paraphrase that is able to be acted out. I got a DVD at the convention and it has some clips on it - very cool.

It's like the message, or the NCV, but a step further. The coolest part is that he says revelation sounds like John was on drugs. That is so true...