If salvation isn’t personal but rather corporate as so many in the emerging church claim, then personal sin is not an issue either. Author Andrew Perriman of Open Source Theology states, “Am I sure that I am saved? I do not think that the Bible defines ‘Christianity’ fundamentally or centrally as a religion of salvation, and certainly not of the highly individualized personal salvation that is characteristic of modern evangelicalism; so I do not think that the question ‘Are you sure you are saved?’ really gets at the heart of the matter. I believe that the God who called Abraham has called me to be part of his own people, and that my inclusion in that people is a matter of grace and is a consequence of Christ’s death and vindication. It could not have happened without the victory over Israel’s sin, its alienation from God, the prospect of judgment, and the opposition of the powers that ruled over Israel, that - to my mind - is best captured in the story about the suffering Son of man who receives ‘dominion and glory and a kingdom’ from God. This is a narrative of salvation but it is worked out primarily at a corporate level and it is set within a larger narrative of the calling or election of a people to be a place of God’s dwelling in the world.”  (You can read the rest of Andrew’s article here:  http://www.opensourcetheology.net/node/925)  Andrew is not alone in this view.  Brian Mclaren is a big fan of Andrew’s writing and likes to quote him.

I believe that this view has been adopted to remove the need for personal repentance from sin thus opening the door for behavior contrary to the word of  God such as homosexual, bisexual Read the rest of this entry »

Isn’t this a provocative question?  Last weekend while visiting with some friends, the subject of the Amish came up.  Our friends were commenting on a trip they had taken which involved Amish country and how content, simple and happy the lifestyle of this group of people seem to be.  We all agreed that they have isolated themselves to the degree that they have virtually no impact on the world outside of a “how nice” comment; and they make beautiful quilts (which are purchased by people who are extremely ‘worldly’ by their standards).  Upon reflection as to why they are living here in the United States of America we came to a unique realization.  Pacifist groups from all over Europe came to the U.S. over the last 150 years or so in order to practice their ‘non-combatant’ status without personal sacrifice.  In light of the required sacrifice of others, through fighting in wars, to keep the U.S. free, is their presence here hypocritical?  I don’t want to start a firestorm here but isn’t this a legitimate questions for Christians to ask?

The Out of Ur blogsite ran an article on the pressure many “holiness” denominations are receiving from would be pastors about prohibitions on drinking and smoking for the clergy.  You can read it here. http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2006/09/eat_drink_and_b.html Read the rest of this entry »

Founding father of the emergent church and popular Azusa Pacific chapel speaker, Brian Mclaren has decided there is no hell, and according to a Washington Post article from Sunday, Sept. 10, he doesn’t think a person needs to believe in Jesus to be saved. Read the rest of this entry »

This evening, Melody and I had the unique opportunity to meet and hear Ken Mansfield, a music industry executive who found Jesus as a result of difficult times.  The way Ken puts it, his involvement with the Beatles (yes, the Beatles) along with Capitol and Apple Records were all part of God’s plan to bring him to the point of making a decision for Jesus Christ and ultimately to put him in a position to share Jesus with individuals who may also have a Devine appointment with eternity.  How refreshing it was to hear a man speak of how the Lord has changed his life.  There was no parsing of scripture.  It wasn’t necessary.  Ken just got up and explained how Jesus met him where he was (in the pit) and lifted him out.  This is the Gospel pure and simple.  If you are a Beatles fan and/or a seeker, you will find this site of special interest: http://www.fabwhitebook.com.

I recently read a fascinating study concerning the existence of evil in God’s creation titled Satan and the Problem of Evil. According to Dr. Gregory Boyd, “The view that evil spirits are largely responsible for ‘natural’ evil has been suggested throughout church history by many theologians. But due to the influence of Augustine’s blueprint model of Divine providence, this insight was rarely considered the ultimate explanation for ‘natural evil, as it was before Augustine. The assumption was that everything Satan and demons do somehow fits into God’s meticulous plan for world history. Because of this ‘natural’ evil has generally been regarded as a problem of understanding God’s providence, not an issue of spiritual warfare.” In this very provocative work, Boyd argues against the view that God has meticulous control over world events, especially puzzling natural disasters and human sickness. If this is true, it would seem that the Church needs to take a much more active role in how we pray and how we take authority over the works of the Devil, instead of just throwing up our hands and exclaiming “Oh well, it must be God’s will.”

First some background for those of you who may not have heard: On Wednesday, August 29, 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger signed into law SB1441, mandating that businesses and organizations (including faith-based organizations) receiving California state funds must either not discriminate against homosexual, bisexual, or transgendered individuals or forfiet state funding.

After Governor Schwartzenegger signed Senate Bill 1441 into law I got to thinking about some decisions Azusa Pacific University may have to make in the immediate future.  Will they take a stand for righteousness sake and holiness or will they capitulate Read the rest of this entry »