Saturday, March 04, 2006

GOLD: Kingdom Blogging (4 March 2006)

ALL THINGS 2 ALL

Catez has a book review that is representative of her blog; her review of William Levi's The Bible or the Axe is fascinating, no spell binding, no heartbreaking, no convicting. Lordy, if the book is half as good as the review it is must reading for all of us.

An excerpt ...
Allthings2all: William Levi: The Bible or the Axe

Levi prefaces his autobiogrpahy by tracing his own origins to ancient biblical times - and it is fascinating. Often we can have a picture of people in African nations having no history of Christianity until European missionaries arrived. Yet Levi gives a history of his roots which dates back to Noah's grandson Cush, and the movement of his descendents from Egypt into Sudan. He writes:
Levi, the Bible or the Axe, Sudan"My family came from an African Hebrew tribal group. We traced our ancestry to the priestly line of Levi, and we had survived for hundreds of years in isolation - with an amazingly well preserved system of Levitical laws and traditions."
Catez has a heart for the Sudanese, especially the Darfurians in the south of Sudan (we all should). Visit her archives and read anything you can find on Darfur ... it's heartbreaking.

She wrote this review for Mind and Media, owned by my good friend, the young and slim, Stacy Harp, a fellow Alliance Blogger.



BLOGOTIONAL
All too simplistic, that's what I say.
The Thinklings link to Doug Wilson who quotes ...
"When a pastor retires or dies, the usual tendency is to scramble, form a pastoral search committee, and . . . you know the rest of the drill. An outsider, someone who is not in touch with the local and organic life of that particular congregation, is called, and he steps into the pastorate. His paper qualifications were impressive, and his pulpit delivery while he was 'candidating' was good, but the fact remains that churches that get a pastor this way are basically getting a mail-order bride"
What do you think the search committee does all that time? I don't know about your church, but in mine it takes at least a year to find a new pastor. The committee uses that time to first figure out what the congregation is looking for, and then to find someone who fits the bill, and to verify that person's representation that they fit the bill.

What, do you want every member of the congregation to conduct an interview? I think it's a good system.
I have a problem with all of this.

First, the congregation has no biblical roll in the process of calling a pastor. The calling is of the Lord or it isn't a calling at all ... perhaps that's why so many churches are in trouble.

As much as I hate to admit it, mainline denominations who appoint replacements are more biblical than a congregation that does; unless elder rule or an elder board is in place (my denomination would probably consider this heresy, were it not for the independence of the local church).

Second, the pastor who dies, retires, or is called away had better have done two things to prepare his church for his departure: a.) either groom a potential replacement or b.) teach the congregation to recognize a "called" man when they see one.

Third, if or when you use a committee, make ABSOLUTELY certain they understand their job is NOT to call the new pastor; their only task is to cull applicants and present qualified candidates to the church body or to the elders one by one.

And John, if the committee's job is to figure out "what the congregation is looking for," you're in deep do-do. The Scriptures tell us clearly, by text and type, what we are to look for. No template, no job description, no paradigm of man will get a church what it needs ... maybe what it "wants" but he'll not be what it needs!

If the biblical reigns had been tighter in our churches, regardless of denomination, I believe , we'd not have the women/homosexuals problem in the pulpit we have now!


CHEAT SEEKING MISSILES
Cheat Seeking Missiles: It's Just My Bloody Job
Cheat Seeking Missiles has a startling look at a single Iraqi fanatic ...
Hussein Fahmi, a 28-year-old al-Qaida in Iraq operative arrested over two months ago in western Baghdad, has confessed to carrying out 116 beheadings in the name of the Religion of Peace.
If you don't go there and see the graphics you'll miss the message in Laer's post.



COFFEE SWIRLS

I'm not an adherent or an opponent of the Emerging Church Movement but I'm definitely not a supporter. I'm opposed to the programs of man on biblical principle ... if it's not in the Scriptures, I ain't listening.

Doug McHone of Coffee Swirls is evidently not very fond of the movement either. Doug's been at the Shepherding Conference at John MacArthur's Grace Community Church this week and posted his critique of the movement. I found it logical and well reasoned but, again, I'm not that knowledgeable to go too deeply into the debate.

Pro or con, this is a worthwhile entry in the debate. He summarizes his opinion with these three criticisms:
EMC - It just ain't right!
Top concerns about ECM
  1. It fosters a contempt for authority. The church is not supposed to be a place where everyone has a voice. It is to be a place of authority.
  2. It breeds doubt about the clarity of scripture. There are aspects of scripture that require thought, but the salvific portions of the Bible are incredibly clear. ECM will deny that God has spoken in such a way that we can understand Him.
  3. It confuses the mission of the church. The missional emphasis is one that tries to adapt the church to the culture and not to call men and women to repentance. It tries to convert the church and not the sinner.
How can you be missional if you are not working toward the mission of the church?
Read more >>>


SOMEWHERE IN SOUTH AMERICA
Kevin, a missionary Somewhere in South America, reminds Americans we have forgotten our freedoms and privileges and have become ignorant in our apathy.
We have become ignorant and complacent regarding our freedom in America. It's time for Christians to go into the enemy's camp and take back what he has stolen. Good education is only the tip of the iceberg; it's only one symptom of a far greater need.
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