religion sucketh

I know where I’ll be on Sundays at 5:00 pm (CST) beginning August 16th.

North Point Online Promo from John on Vimeo.

http://NorthPointOnline.tv

If you don’t follow The Resurgence Blog, you need to. Great posts from a variety of writers like Mark Driscoll, Tim Smith, Matt Johnson, Bob Thune and others.

Anyways, Matt Johnson has written a series of posts called Thoughts on Music for the Media-Gorged and while they’ve all been great, part 5 really spoke to me. One point Johnson made was especially relevant to me, and that is how many Christians take a hardline approach to music and claim that you should only listen to Christian music and that listening to secular music pollutes your mind and soul (can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the “garbage in – garbage out” explanation). Which of course Johnson rebukes by showing how, “if Paul hadn’t “polluted” his mind with pagan poetry, he wouldn’t have had sermon material to work with when he spoke on Mars Hill in Acts 17.”

Johnson also points out that scripture does not give us freedom for freedom’s sake, but that “mature Christians in step with the Spirit can cautiously engage thematically raw music, while not allowing a blank check mentality for sin.”

But that’s just a taste of what Matt Johnson wrote about. Check out part 5 and also the complete series.

Great discussion going on over at Ragamuffin Soul. What biblical/theological/doctrinal issue(s) are you tired of hearing people bicker about?

For me there’s quite a few. Not that I hate talking about these things; friendly discussions are one thing, bickering is a whole other subject. One which ends up causing division.

pre-destination vs. free will
alcohol
secular music vs. Christian music
church styles
church sizes

I could keep going. But you should visit Ragamuffin Soul and join the conversation.

Just checking my RSS reader and came across Tyler Braun’s weekly Saturday post Fortuitous Bouncing. As always the posts he links to are interesting, but two of them really stuck out to me.

Up first, a post from Ben Arment on rethinking the spaces we use for church gatherings. And not just Sunday services, but what about Bible studies? Small group meetings? Instead of meeting at the “church”, why not meet in places that, while they may stretch our comfort zone, are safe for the unchurched? And hey, why not hold a church service there? Who says you can’t have a service in a pub?

Next, Jim Vining lists the top ten ways to ruin young pastors. The only thing I would add is that it isn’t the top ten ways to ruin just young pastors, but any staff members. If any of the things in Jim’s list are going on at your church, regardless of whether it’s directed at a pastor, secretary or janitor, it isn’t good. I can say I’ve personally experienced half of the list and seen others experience the other half.

I came across a Twitter conversation where people are debating whether or not the slang word “sucks” is inappropriate. Anyways, it got me thinking: who determines what is evil? Sure, the Bible is very clear on a lot of things that it deems evil (sex outside marriage, murder, lying, lusting after someone who isn’t your spouse, etc.), but what about those things that it doesn’t talk about?

When my grandmother was my age, “humbug” was just as bad as “bullshit”.

What about other things that, even within the church, spark arguments as to whether or not they are evil?
Music, video games, alcohol, tobacco, violent sports, movies, books, TV shows, etc.?

The one argument church people keep throwing at me is 1 Thessalonians 5:22 which some translations say to avoid every appearance of evil, while others leave it at avoid evil (click here for more on the translation differences).

But who is making the determination of what is or is not evil if the Bible is not explicit in the matter?

Some people deem Halo 3 to be evil because it simulates murder; others argue that because it is simulating war, the killings are no more murder than when an American soldier defends himself by killing an enemy soldier.

I actually heard one person say that “drinking is not a sin, but as Christians we are supposed to ‘Abstain from all appearance of evil’, so to drink would appear evil in the eyes of the world.”

WHAT?!?!?

So drinking alcohol is not a sin, but because the world (in this person’s eyes) sees it as evil, we shouldn’t do it?

It’s the same with language; the church doesn’t deem what is or is not appropriate – the world does.

Personally speaking, you won’t offend me by using cuss words in my presence, but at the same time, I view words like “idiot” and “loser” (used in a derogatory way) to be just as demeaning as “bitch” or “asshole”.

But that’s just me.

I could keep going with topics like music, movies, etc., but you get the point.

Any thoughts?