In case you were wondering where exactly I stand theologically, I just took an online survey and here are the results:

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.

What's your theological worldview?
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Above: the "high places" of ancient Gezer.  Below: Ba'al figurine.

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"Jehoshaphat...walked in all the way of his father Asa; he did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord; yet the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and offered incense on the high places."  - 1 Kings 22:42-43

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In his book, "Terrorism and the War in Iraq" (c 2004, Kairos Ediciones), Dr. Lindy Scott -- Director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics at Wheaton College -- boldly suggests the following:

Sincere Christians should not deliberately accept any commitment that would weaken or distort their relationship to Jesus Christ.  Nevertheless, the Bible is clear that some Christians, because of commitments that conflict with their Christian faith, do indeed drift away from God.  Loyalties to people, to organization and to created objects have the possibility not only of weakening our walk with God, but at times they can even turn into idolatry.  Evangelical voices from Latin America suggest that churches in the United States are coming under the power of twin idolatries: materialism and ethnocentric patriotism (pp.107-108).

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As I read this, four questions come to mind:

1. Are materialism and ethnocentric patriotism among the idolatrous pursuits of many American Christians?
2. What other sources of idolatry, if they exist, should American believers be even more concerned about?
3. Are reform leaders within the body of Christ (including the Emerging Church) sufficiently aware of the idolatries the Church has embraced and/or struggled with in the past?
4. Are we passing on these idolatries to the next generation and if so, do we have a clear sense of what must be done to end the cycle and prevent their perpetuation?

In case you're wondering, here's a very brief summary of how I would answer these questions:

1) Yes, and their roots are deeper than we realize.   2)  Other idolatries absolutely exist, including some institutional aspects of the church itself, the worship of worship itself, the pursuit of fornication, and the veneration of high-profile Christian celebs.  3) It's certainly not on the radar as far as I can tell. This may be, in part, because of embarrassing or archaic associations with the word "idol" or "idolatry."  4) I believe it is highly probable that we will pass them on.  In terms of ending the cycle -- what immediately comes to mind is: becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus.  Beyond that, I am not sure.

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What are your thoughts on this topic and/or the questions above?

Some say the way to a person's heart is through their stomach.   Well, maybe it's through their child's stomach!

Candy is the "language" children in our community are speaking right now, and our church & school are speaking it loud and clear!  It's amazing how many families from our city are here on campus tonight for our harvest festivale.  But what's even more amazing to see is the relationship building that's going on.

If Jesus were here, do you think he would be speaking "candy?"

In addition to the the prevalence of exorcism, the ministry of Jesus was clearly characterized by healing.

Throughout the gospels, the healing acts of Jesus were visible evidence that the in-breaking of God's kingdom had arrived. "Healing was so clearly at the center of Jesus' mission that the only way to escape it is to deny that the miracles really happened and to claim that they are fanciful legends. There is no other option: In the gospels, "signs and wonders" are at the center of the story." 1

Acts 10:38 summarizes well the focus of Jesus' ministry:

"And no doubt you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with him."  (NLT) 

And this was precisely the model and norm for the early church's ministry. And during the Church's first 325 years, Holy Spirit-enabled healing was widespread, and attested to by the church fathers and others. Tertullian claimed that the noblest Christian life is "to exorcise evil spirits -- to perform cures -- to live to God," and went so far as to try to convince pagans that they would get more real enjoyment in healing the sick and casting out evil spirits than by attending pagan plays and gladatorial contests." 2

But the ministry of healing has nearly disappeared from much of the Church today, replaced by our growing confidence in the "miracles" of modern medicine, as well as a growing embarrassment over those claiming to be "faith healers."  This has contributed to a culture of suspicion within the Church, distancing us further and further from the ministry practices of Jesus. 

Whether or not we verbally acknowledge it, we've adopted a "pick-and-choose" approach in relation to Jesus -- embracing his teachings but distancing ourselves from his practice of healing and deliverance.  Apparently, many "Christians" are too sophisticated for the practice of healing ministry anymore.  It may have been good enough for Jesus, but let's face it -- we're beyond that now.

But are we?

In his recently released book, "The Nearly Perfect Crime: How the Church Almost Killed the Ministry of Healing,"  Francis MacNutt lays out a convincing case for why the Church must repent of its past and embrace anew the early church's passion for the healing ministry of the Kingdom.

And so I ask, are we too sophisticated in our day to heal people in the power of the Holy Spirit?  Whether Orthodox, Catholic, or Protestant -- whether Modern or Postmodern,  Emerging or Traditional, what are we prepared to do with the ministry of healing?

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1 - Francis MacNutt,  The Nearly Perfect Crime: How the Church Almost Killed the Ministry of Healing, Grand Rapids: Chosen Books, 2005, p.47.

2 - MacNutt, p. 83.

(Double-click for larger version)

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Emergent Church Points (ECP's) -- giving them, earning them, receiving them, tallying them -- it's the hotest new craze among pomo's!  But be warned: you can lose ECP's as quickly as you can get them!

So... how do you and your emerging community rate?  It's easy to find out, just use the abreviated scorecard below and then tally up your points to see if you're an emerging winner!

So... how'd you do?

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Credits: the term "ECP" did not originate with me.  I first encountered its use by Nathan Gilmour on a comment post on TheOoze.

Are emerging church leaders sufficiently aware of the inherent dangers involved in encouraging people to deconstruct their faith?  Is it possible that instead of eventually leading them to a more vibrant faith, they may actually be contributing to some people's apostasy?

Consider the words of Jesus:

"And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck." - Mark 9:42 (NIV)

The NIV fails to render the Greek, skandalon, correctly here.  It more accurately conveys the idea of causing someone to fall away from their faith  (cf. NRSV, NLT).  And the consequence for causing someone's apostasy will be worse than death.

I suppose there are MANY ways by which we might "cause" someone to abandon their faith:

• abusing our Christian freedom in front of weaker brethren.
• being a leader who is spiritually abusive.
• forsaking the faith ourselves.

In light of all this, here's what I'm thinking:  If we think we can challenge the tenants of our faith, and encourage others to do likewise -- and do all this without assuming any personal responsibility for its outcome in the lives of others, I fear we are treading on very dangerous ground.  The culture at large seems to stress the individual nature of faith, rarely if ever emphasizing how our beliefs and practices have an impact on (or ar tied to) others.  I for one certainly grew up viewing apostasy as purely the choice and action of the individual.  If someone chose to reject Christ, that was entirely "their" responsibility.  But Jesus' teaching in Mark 9 is now challenging me to think otherwise.

How long will we keep hanging on to the "I'm not my brother's keeper" mentality?  What will it take for us to take on the sobering and frightening realization that our actions (even when part of our "freedom" in Christ) have the potential of shipwrecking someone else's faith, and pointin us out as the responsible party?

Fellow blogger, Andii Bowsher, has coined a fascinating word to describe today's technology pioneering youth: digiborigines.

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Andii -- I hope your defintion makes the Oxford dictionary, and that it makes you LOTS of money!

While teaching through the Gospel of Mark, I've found it increasingly difficult to dismiss the significant role deliverance from demon posession/obsession plays in the in-breaking of God's kingdom.  Jesus drives out demons (1:34,39; 5:8; 7:29; 9:25), the disciples drive out demons (6:13), outsiders drive out demons (9:38), in fact, all who believe in Jesus will be driving out demons (16:17)!  But when was the last time that you or I drove out a demon? 

In our modern, enlightenment-influenced age, I fear we are quick to diagnose "troubled" people as having a host of psychological and/or neurological disorders, but slow (if at all) at attributing anything to demonic influences.  Why is that?  Is it because we are much more a man or woman of science than we care to admit? Is it because of unfortunate abuses we have witnessed in years past?  Is it because we're embarassed to believe in demonic activity anymore?  Or is it because we've become far too sophisticated for such primative notions as demons and the like?

That said, it's an uncomfortable thought -- minimizing, trivializing, or alegorizing the demonic encounters in the Gospels.  Am I alone in this, or have you found yourself thinking the same?

"Don't tell me what I should believe!"

Whether expressed with these exact words, or in some other form, I find it both fascinating and troubling how deeply this sentiment appears to be embedded within the church-at-large.  And it's certainly not unique to the deconstructing postmodernists among us!  Its much more widespread than that, being touted across generational and perhaps even ideological lines.

As I see it, we're standing in the midst of a culture that worships the autonomy of "self" -- a culture that empowers the legitimacy, authority, and infallibility of the individual.  This is an emphasis which has been relentless in its undermining of social institutions: marriage, family, church, and communal responsibility.  Why?  Cause it's all about me!  MY needs, MY wants, MY ideas, MY beliefs.

And when such a person's beliefs clash with those held by their community of faith -- or better yet -- when they clash with the "trajectory of belief," which Christians in all places at all times have always believed...  well, then it's time in either words or actions to resort to the inevitable: "Don't tell me what to believe!"

Our churches are filled with people so addicted to the tenants of radical individualism, they are completely oblivious to how it is raping and pillaging our faith.  Tradition, reason, and the authority of the scriptures are so quickly being set aside in favor of "personal beliefs."  And the arrogance of such a hermeneutic is all too often ignored.

In the days of Israel's kings, it was Ba'al worship which often seduced God's people into committing spiritual adultery -- something the prophets repeated railed them for.  Today, the idol of choice is no farther away than our own mirrors. And the infidelity continues.

Lord, help us!

Our Orthodox brethren remind us of the importance of letting our ancestors have a say in what we believe.  To do so requires humility, surrender, a teachable spirit, and a greater sense of faith.  These are qualities we desperately need more of -- qualities that just might lead to our deliverance from self.

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Your thoughts?