Well my conversation with Chris over at Living Waters came to an end. I am planning on the reviews, but his answer to my last email was quite curt and polite. I'm going to miss that discussion. Chris, I extend an invitation to go for coffee, my treat. I would love to sit down, brother to brother, and hear your heart a bit more. I have a real concern for helping widen the discussion amongst my evangelical brothers and sisters. I think it is important for us as a movement to work on unity and to combat the history of polemics that so easily ensnares us. Also know that I'll continue to pray for you that you would open yourself up to other resources that would enable you to preach the gospel clearly, maybe give that Ray Comfort guy a rest for awhile.
The end of that conversation is also the beginning of my research work this semester. I am working on narrowing my research problem and finding a director. But all of the areas I have a passion to tackle address the issues surrounding the need for a re-instatement of public religion in the evangelical world. Not that there are not great examples of public religion re-emerging, but usually only with great suspicion from the rest of the evangelical world.
4 comments:
I was just at a Salvation Army Bible Conference where one of the speakers (Dr. John oswalt) was one of the featured speakers.
One of the comments he made as part of his series (it wasn't a main point, just an aside, as I recall) was that the church (and by this I'm sure he meant specifically the evangelical falvor) needs to quit viewing each other with suspicion and celebrate the movement of God, however and whereever He chooses to act.
At the same time I recognize a need to ensure sound biblical doctrine, but too often, we go the guilty before proven innocent route.
I just finished a post of initial comments from starting to read Comfort's books. It is evident that he comes from the propositional view of revelation, a common paradigm within evangelicalism. The problem is that groups that hold this view tend to think they have the market share on the propositional truth they espouse. Comfort is pretty dismissive of other approaches to evangelism, even to the point of questioning your salvation if you haven't been saved through his methods. It isn't surprising then that Comfort would start with a polemic rather than generosity.
I didn't bring the book with me to the coffee shop so I'll have to enter the page references when I get home and post from there. Maybe later today.
How's that course coming?
Actually, it's courses. Their kicking my tail. Not because they are hard, but because I have to figure out a schedule that will allow me to study sufficiently and still do the stuff I need to do everyday in my ministry.
Yeah, from my experience (I've been juggling classes, ministry and family for a while now) you have to carve a consistant time out. Not that I always do, but when crunch time hits you want to minimize that impact. We should pray for each other - wisdom and grace.
blessings,
Frank
Post a Comment