the space in between: Evangelicalism

Showing posts with label Evangelicalism. Show all posts

John Stott (1921-2011)

Last Thursday I was greeted by the tragic news that the Reverend John R.W. Stott, has already gone home to be with the Lord. Early this morning I wrote what's below on his memorial website's Remembrance Book:

I have never met him personally. I only knew him through his books, that I first encountered after my long departure from the Evangelical church of my youth. Reading his works challenged me to take serious note of the radical and holistic thrust of the Gospel of Christ. His passion for authenticity of thought and action that was motivated by his fidelity to the Scriptures was among the many factors that brought me to environmental activism and what also got me into taking up a master's degree in theology. I may not have known him in person, but thank God that he was blessed with eloquence that made his faith both a challenge and an inspiration for a sojourner like me in the Philippines. God bless you Rev. Stott.

Although I theologically find myself in the tradition of Evangelical Christianity I would be the first to say that I’m no fan of Born Again Christianity.

Well, true I do believe that it is important for individuals to make a personal commitment to follow Christ, I do however, feel that the way it is presented in contemporary Christian circles is that it is more of a cheapshot placebo wordplay where salvation from the wages of sin and eternal life are peddled into an instant prayer that supposedly assures us of being snatched from the vivid image of hellfire that was used to compel us to receive Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, as according to selected Bible verses that somehow gives one the impression that the Gospel is being pointed to us at gunpoint.

I was reminded of Karl Barth, when I passed by Popular Bookstore on the way to the seminary. There was a huge tarp poster with a posterized profile of the late labor leader, Crispin Beltran, that somehow resembled the face of Karl Barth.

There must be something in posterized images of revolutionaries that seemed to invoke the radical in passionate youths as I remember myself wearing such shirts that back then were deemed to be subversive as it gives a hint of our political tendencies –that was sad to say against that which is implemented by the state, I mean what does the face of Mao inscribed beside a phrase that reads: “Serve the People!” say about me and my beliefs, surely the t-shirt speaks a lot –and the same goes for those who opted to wear Che Guevarra or Uncle Ho instead...

The brokenness of earth is the brokenness of God’s home.”

It has long been held that the environment is among the most pressing concerns of this generation. In this bygone age of technology and consumerism, ministry pertaining to the natural world of creation has taken a backseat in the teaching and preaching of Evangelical Christian churches in particular. While most Christians appreciate the beauty of nature, many don’t realize there is a strong Biblical basis for creation care, in fact many ethical values, fundamental to the development of a peaceful society, are particularly relevant to the ecological question.

In the Book of Genesis, where we find God’s first self-revelation to humanity (Gen.1-3), there is a recurring refrain: “And God saw that it was good.” [2] Mankind’s first home was Eden –paradise. The Earth was paradise, teaming with life, vegetation, and the wondrous landscape of skies, the land and the sea. Creation in God’s eyes was good, but at the same time entrusted it to the care of man and woman.
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here's one for the so-called Bible Christians...

When I first watched this I could not help but say: "amen!" although deep inside me I know there's a lingering feeling that I myself is guilty of doing such a thing with regards to twisting the teachings of Christ, anyways I hope stings those who are guilty of doing such as I am.

Shane Clairbore apologizes in behalf of Christianity

Potter Street Community’s Shane Claiborne is a well-admired brethren as he is among the few Christians within the mainstream Evangelical movement who has vocally expressed disdain for laissez-faire capitalism, not to mention his prominently social activism and service to the poor.

His books have come under criticism from some Evangelical Christians for his theology that his critics likened to the Social Gospel. His radical Christian's ministry for the poor, The Simple Way, has gotten him in some trouble with his fellow Evangelicals.

In an article for Esquire, Shane addresses those who don’t believe, which I hope would be a point of reflection for all of us.

Click here to read What If Jesus Meant All That Stuff?

Required readings for new Christians on the basics of Evangelical Christianity

For better or worse I would always find myself in association with the Evangelical wing of Protestant Christianity, and although I have a lot to disagree with my fellow Evangelicals I find this tradition still as a viable option as it is the most basic expression of faith in Christ as articulated in the Bible.

There are a lot to be said about Evangelicalism and perhaps this would be a great topic in the coming days, but now I would like to write about books –as in Christian books that are not written by Rick Warren, Chuck Swindoll, John Maxwell and Max Lucado.

To start I would like to say that I am and will always be thankful to God that I have been a part of a church that puts such a high value on reading and fundamental doctrines. Here are some books that I would recommend to any church worker who’s teaching basic theology in their local church.

Christians in Context published a humorous blog about the "10 Marks of a Mainline Evangelical." Inspired by their post, I decided to create a version that fits the Philippine context:

Believes that Martin Luther founded Christianity, convinced that there's no way those Catholic heathens are right!
Thinks that "Born Again" is the name of their religion.
Considers Alberto comics and Jack Chick tracts as accurate historical documents, implicating the Roman Catholic Church as the Whore of Babylon.
Believes that God needs them to defend His honor and existence from Dan Brown’s abomination – The Da Vinci Code!
Secretly fantasizes about opening a can of proof-text "whoopass" for Eli Soriano, Felix Manalo, Apolo Quiboloy, etc., but for now, they’re content sparring with their high school church mates.
Believes that only the King James Version of the Bible is the "inspired word of God," while the NIV Bible is the "New Inspired Version" of Scripture.
Believes in eternal security, but fears that their ‘backsliding friend’ might be going to hell because they choose to live a life apart from the church. (And I thought we were ardent believers in 'once saved, always saved'?)
Thinks that in God’s order of salvation, around 75% of the entire human race, along with all Roman Catholics, will go to hell. The majority of Mainline Protestants will follow, and probably 80% of their own church, too.
Considers John MacArthur, John Piper, and Chuck Swindoll to be theologians.
Believes they’re going to heaven because they prayed the Sinner’s Prayer or went forward during an altar call to receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.
Wears t-shirts with Christian catchphrases like: "Hardcore for Jesus," "Stay Brutal for Christ," and the iconic ‘Jesus’ photoshopped to look like the Pepsi logo—or any shirt sold at Fig Tree in SM Megamall.
Thinks environmentalism is foolish because they’re already saved, and God will eventually rapture them when it’s time to destroy the earth, as per 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 KJV. Meanwhile, they believe advocating for the poor is dangerous because it advances the ‘social gospel,’ which they deem heretical. (I mean, who do those liberal social gospel folks think God is—Mother Teresa?)
Is convinced Jesus was a conservative Christian who attends a non-denominational, Bible-believing, Christ-centered, Spirit-led mega-church.
Thinks Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind series is gospel truth, and Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth is prophetic.
Favorite authors are Joshua Harris, Rick Warren, and Bruce Wilkinson.
Thinks anyone who disagrees with them on minor doctrines (especially those who don’t believe in Dispensational eschatology) has gone liberal.
Believes ecumenism leads to compromise and eventually the feared One World Government/Religion that will implement the mark of the beast in the end times.
Sees God's purpose for their life as neatly aligning with yuppie middle-class urban life—that’s their purpose and destiny, which they somehow realized after attending a Purpose Driven Life session at their workplace.
Can’t fit any more music on their iPod or mp3 player because it's full of Hillsong, Hillsong United, and any other ‘Christian rock’ music ripped from a CD their Christian friend bought at House of Praise.
Might feel that this blog is alienating and abrasive, and their inclination will be to confront me with the fact that I might be backsliding—or worse, apostate!

Notice how similar it is to the Christians in Context blog post?

I remember our class discussion yesterday, where our professor pointed out that whether we like it or not, Evangelical churches are also prone to succumbing to tradition—something we Evangelicals often criticize Roman Catholics for. Whether we like it or not, we are also adherents of our own tradition.

What’s even more tragic is how we approach contemporary culture and our socio-economic backgrounds—often through co-option, or what I call ‘Christianizing’—creating a ‘Christian’ or sanitized version of the cool things in secular culture so we can enjoy them too, as long as they’ve been sanctified by our Evangelical culture and tradition.

Perhaps this is one of the ways Americanized our Christianity has become. A closer look reveals how we tend to equate God’s will with the American dream and how we often use God as the sanctifier of our worldly desires. Perhaps this joke will remind us that our God cannot be mocked…

Through the Veil: Karl Barth Should Be Allowed a Place in ‘Doctrine of Scripture’ Discussions

I have recently stumbled upon this blog from a more conservative Christian sighting the importance of Barth (especially his view on God's sovereignty) in deeper discourse about the Doctrine of Scripture. Below is an excerpt from the blog entry:

This view of God and the sovereignty of God is what drives Barth’s theology. Such a high view of God is indeed refreshing in this time of scholarship where individuality leads many a well-meaning preacher to deduce for himself the meaning from the text instead of letting the text reveal God to him.

Click this link to read the entire article: Karl Barth Should Be Allowed a Place in ‘Doctrine of Scripture’ Discussions