Pics N Polls

Here’s my Friday photo of the week:

Also, be sure to cast your vote in the poll in the right sidebar.  I’ll do a new poll each week.

The Great Omission

  The very last thing I intended to do was to try to overanalyze (or for that matter, analyze) the Principles of Affirmation that came out of a recent gathering called The Joshua Convergence.  I want to say that I’m not opposed to the meeting nor anyone who was a part of it, whether in attendance or leading out.  Honestly I don’t know any of them.  So, I don’t want to assign any motivations to them.  The only comment I’ve made elsewhere about this meeting was that their website apparently changed from the time I heard about it to the time I went to visit the site.  It seems to me that the change was simply a matter where they posted their Principles of Affirmation ahead of time, then took them down, perhaps to wait until the gathering put their official stamp on them, and then published them again.  Streaming video of the gathering is available here (1 hour 41 minutes).  I have not yet watched it, so I cannot recommend it one way or the other.

[On the left: St. John Crysostom, St. Luke, St. Peter and the angel Gabriel]  [On the right: the angel Michael, St. Paul, St. Mark and St. Basil] [In the middle (not pictured): Jesus.] 

I do, however, want to mention something in their Principles of Affirmation that I believe to be a glaring omission.  For me, this omission is fatal to the very document itself, no matter what else it might say.  The omission is Jesus Christ.  It seems rather odd to me that there can be a published statement by a group of Christians that have the subheadings of: truth, gratitude, service, holiness, unity, identity and mission that fails to say anything about Jesus Christ directly.  There are two references to the gospel of Jesus Christ, one to pleasing him, and one reference to service to him, but no direct reference to Jesus himself.  No, "We declare him Lord and Savior."  It directly references "godly men and women…who have taken our Convention back to its theological and spiritual moorings," but no gratitude is expressed for the Son of God who died for our sins so that we could be a part of the church itself.  It specifically references drinking alcohol and using profanity, but it isn’t drunk with the Spirit nor does it proclaim the beautiful name of Jesus.  The stated purpose is "to give a voice," and yet that voice is silent regarding the very center of our faith, the one in whom we believe and have life. 

He is not the object of gratitude, the source of holiness, the basis of unity nor the focus of identity.  What’s most disturbing to me is not that I noticed this, but that none of them did.  These people are probably a lot brighter than I am, probably more sanctified and greater in wisdom.  Perhaps at some point they’ll revise it.  I hope so.

Well, I won’t belabor the point.  It doesn’t require an essay to point out the obvious.  I’ll try to refrain from making some sort of snotty comment about how I can’t believe that at least one of our own seminary professors was involved in drafting this sort of thing.  [Oops!]

Let me also say this: I was not in Memphis.  I was contacted after the Memphis meeting with an offer to sign the Memphis Declaration.  It took some heavy thought and consideration before I was willing to make a decision on that.  I signed it in absentia and with some caveats.  I say all of that so as not to appear to have some sort of axe to grind.  I’m not a great staunch defender of all things declared in Memphis.  I’m not trying to say Memphis got it right and the Joshua Convergence got it wrong.  I’m simply saying that whatever good there may be is, for me, overshadowed by a missing Christ.  Feel free to tell me that you were there or that you watched the video and Jesus was talked about right and left.  I genuinely hope that was the case.  As of now all I have to go by is this public statement. I promise I’ll try to get around to watching the video.  I just haven’t had almost two hours to devote to that yet. Having watched all but the last speaker I can only say that the conference itself has not greatly changed my mind.

Tom Ascol has also offered some thoughts worth reading.

Ben Cole Pays Tribute To Paige Patterson

This will put a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye.

If you need context (don’t know who Ben Cole or Paige Patterson are, or the admiration they have for one another) go here.

Jerry Fallwell Pushes Away From The Buffet

…just long enough to say he likes Beelzebub better than Hillary Clinton.  Of course, all of this was "tongue-in-cheek."  Hillary, being the Luciferian that she is, came back with….that’s right….THE GOLDEN RULE!  Ouch!

So.  Hillary Clinton shows a more faithful public adherence to the teachings of Jesus than the pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church and the former head of the former Moral Majority.  Double Ouch!  At first I thought Fallwell was channeling Pat Robertson.  Then I realized that he was just channeling Jerry Fallwell.

Another proud day to be a Southern Baptist.

Avoid The Rush

Hate Texas now!  For those of you who are University of Texas fans, don’t give me that bull that you are thinking about Sam Houston Junior College.  We may have to put up with those lies from Mack Brown, but we don’t have to put up with them from the likes of you.

We OU fans have two weeks to think about the game upcoming and so do you.  Rhett Bomar’s ego may show up at the Sam Houston School For The Ethically Impaired game this week, but his body will be resting comfortably on the sidelines basking in the glow of the Pom Pom squad.  That means this Saturday’s game is devoid of any intrigue whatsoever.  The most interesting question for that game is what flavor blow-pop Mack will prefer for his halftime treat.

So, get ready to talk some smack.  If you’re a Texas fan, no Paul Thompson jokes.  I have a friend named Paul Thompson who just happens to be a fan of the burnt orange, and while I’m sure he’s not the sensitive type I don’t want anyone to get the two confused.  You have a week to come up with your best OU or Texas joke.  Please, none of that lame stuff that’s a decade old.  Next week I’ll host a best OU/Texas joke contest, so don’t go loading your gun with blanks.  Early entries will be considered, but will not qualify for extra credit.  And keep it clean.

The Angry Reformed

Generalizations are of limited value, generally.  White men can’t jump.  Black men can’t swim.  Blondes are airheads.  Women are bad drivers.  Ok.  So that last one is true.  But the others are generalizations that can be oversimplified.  I admit that.

Here’s another one that I often think is closer to the women drivers thing than the oversimplified thing.  Reformed bloggers are rancorous.  Nasty.  Virulent.  Contemptuous.  Caustic.

That’s by no means a universal.  I try to keep the Tom Ascols in mind - the guys who are gracious, humble, fair.  There are certainly others like him.

But I’ve also read my fair share of the nasty sort.  Those that are willing to declare all dissenters reprobate and consigned to the sixth level of the Hell where they approach Satan’s wretched city where they behold a wide plain surrounded by iron walls. Before them are fields full of distress and torment terrible. Burning tombs are littered about the landscape. Inside these flaming sepulchers suffer the heretics, failing to believe in God and the afterlife, who make themselves audible by doleful sighs. They will join the wicked that lie here, and will be offered no respite. The three infernal Furies stained with blood, with limbs of women and hair of serpents, dwell in this circle of Hell.

And those are some of the things they say when they’re being nice.  If you’re a reformed blogger, try to lighten up a little, will ya’?  For the most part I like your theology, just not your attitude.  You aren’t Calvin and this isn’t Geneva.

Pic-O-The-Week

Wildflowers.  Check out all of the Friday photos at Flickr.  You can find more of my photos here.

Pope-ing Off

Muslims are so offended that Pope Benedict XVI suggested that their religion is one of violence that they have responded with…..violence.  Since he has apologized I’ll assume he was not speaking ex cathedra.  According to an article on Yahoo news, the murder of a Somali nun is suspected to be retaliation for the Pope’s words.  The mufti of Jerusalem has had to call off the firebombings of churches and an Islamic group calling itself by the most non-violent name "The Army of Guidance" has called for attacks on Christian sites in retaliation for the remark.

Islam is a peaceful religion, and if you say anything to the contrary we will smite you!!  This could very well make Kevin Bussey’s Pharisee of the Week award, that is if he believes he could pull it off without worrying for his safety or that of his congregation.  Frankly, I’d like to see how Kevin would describe Islamic Pharisees.

Church Planting - Art or Science?

Missions Misunderstood has an interesting post on the nature of church planting.  Me like what me read.  As a teaser, check out the last sentence:

We will remain on the sidelines of what God is doing around the world
because we are debating the science of Christianity and mission while
the artists are being used to build the Kingdom.

[Thinks to himself: I wonder how this might apply to pastoral ministry in America?]

You Get What You Pay For

This might not make any sense to anyone but me.  I write it not for you but so that I can blow off some steam.  Your time may be better spent cleaning the lint from your navel.  Carry on.

It actually may not be true that you get what you pay for.  I’m thinking the Chargers got ripped off by Ryan Leaf.  I also don’t know how much David Spade has ever been paid for his comedy, but I’m pretty sure it’s way too much.  On the other hand, I know some wonderful school teachers who are paid a mere fraction of what they’re worth.

I don’t know how much a person who works for the government is worth, but I know a few who are way overpaid.  I remember a friend who at one time worked for the municipal road crew.  He told me about extensive breaks under shade trees broken up by occasional bouts of real work.  I’ve known some who were underpaid (if any of the Griffins are reading you folks are the really good ones), but in my increasing experience with those on the public dole I have to say that while they get paid very little, some of them are worth even less.  Which is really sad because so many of our country’s needy and underprivileged are given into the care of government employees.  It does not give me a great deal of confidence in my tax dollars at work.

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