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I’m very fortunate to live in one of the poorest areas of the country. It’s unlikely that there will be much panic here in southeastern Kentucky if we have a depression.

Adult unemployment in our area has been over 50% for the entire 16 years we’ve lived here. Large numbers of my neighbors receive various kinds of government assistance with food, utilities and medical care. Most of us are driving cars that are well past ten years old and a 150,000 miles. We don’t have too many people depending on a stock portfolio in order to fund their house at the lake.

In some ways, my corner of southeastern Kentucky has been in an economic depression since the 1930’s, if not earlier. When we drive to the suburbs of Lexington or the prosperous outskirts of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, it’s another world. I’m uncomfortable. Our world hasn’t seen economic prosperity in the memories of several generations. Continue Reading »

One gets the impression that, in some churches, a stay at home dad runs the risk of being taken out in the back yard and “dealt with” by “the dudes.”

Since the issue came up here at IM, I thought I’d send along some of what others have to say.

In this video, Grace and Mark Driscoll speak to the issue of Stay At Home Dads. They’re unanimously not in favor.

Jared Wilson writes a two-part exegetical/practical look at the issue: Is It A Sin To Be A Stay At Home Dad?

Jared has been one of those SAHDs for quite a while. He’s also a pastor/church planter/author/blogger and honorary member of the BHT.

Here’s part 1 and part 2.

Make up your own mind. I’m not here to tell you what to think. For my money, believing the Bible is laying down that level of prohibitions on family options goes right past me. And if a church sees it as a matter of church discipline if a guy and his Dr. wife decide he’s going to stay at home? Huh? Income generation according to gender? Todd Palin…..call for you on line 3.

…and the resulting train wreck is there for you to read in the comments thread. Arminian Today Blog placed the ESV Study Bible video on their site and gave a plug for the Bible. Sounds safe…right?

What follows is a study in why I’m not a Calvinist anymore, and it should be funny…but it’s hard to laugh after a while. These are real people. Their mother must be so proud.

You can call it “cage phase” or “personality disorder,” but there’s something at work here that you see in a lot of theology loving believers. It’s called “totally missing the point of human conversation.”

And just in case, Charles, I won’t be posting your comments here

I’m doing an interview in a few days and will be asked some questions about how I view the past and future of my own denomination. Some of these thoughts came to mind as I prepared.

Psalm 77

1 I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints.
Psa. 77:4    You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
the years long ago.
6 I said,* “Let me remember my song in the night;
let me meditate in my heart.â€
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?â€
Psa. 77:10    Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
to the years of the right hand of the Most High.â€*
Psa. 77:11    I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Continue Reading »

NOTE: I’ve had comment moderation off for most of the last 24 hours. Good job everyone. It’s now back on. Perhaps, by taking it on and off randomly, I can get the desired quality of posts without as much time investment on my part.

I just received yet another clip of someone’s pastor basically preaching as a comedian. Major points are made with comedy. Application, introduction….all full of comedy. Delivery….the whole package looks pretty much like Jeff Foxworthy or Brian Regan.

Desired audience reaction? Exactly. People love it.

So what do you think: Has the influence of stand up comedy on contemporary preaching been good, bad or mixed?

Does the viewpoint of the comedian have something preaching has needed all along, like Shakespeare’s use of “The Fool” to make deadly serious points, or is this evidence that Macarthur and company are right- preaching today is a joke? Literally.

It’s Open Mic Night here at IM. Support your answer with some kind of intelligible reasoning.

It’s always sad to lose regular commenters, but the last post seems to have cost me a couple. Can’t say that I’m surprised.

If you read Internet Monk regularly, you probably have those days you want to tell me to get over it, to shut up already, to take a happy pill, to find something constructive to say or similar sentiments.

Just in case you think I’ve totally lost sight of reality, I’m very aware of the many good things going on in evangelicalism, particularly in individual local churches and ministries that are determined to make the most of a new post-evangelical day. I’m on their side, even when we don’t entirely agree. That’s why I’m in Driscoll’s corner, even when I would probably be beaten up by his “dudes” for about half of what I believe. I’m still in there with many of the emergent/missional brethren. I’m cheering for them. Continue Reading »

If you are one of those people who monitor this blog for material to get me in trouble, go get a legal pad and two good pens.

Back in the Golden Age of this blog, I wrote quite a bit about my own Christian experience. Those “confessional” pieces made at least half of this blog’s reputation and most of its good friends.

Reality ensued, and about fifty posts disappeared permanently, with another 20 going into retirement. I broke the news that the authentic voice of Michael Spencer- broken, questioning, wondering, doubting, ranting- was going to have to be substantially muted.

I’ve not been happy with this turn of events, particularly on weekends like the one just completed. My mind and heart are full of things worth saying to those of you who come back here looking to know you’re not alone. But I’ll have to disappoint, at least for now.

But not entirely. Continue Reading »

Going back to December of 2007, here’s a post that begins with some provocative words from C.S. Lewis and then continues into a discussion of what’s happening when we claim to be Christians, or “real” Christians and all of that.

The Problem With Real Christians.

At the heart of so much that we say and do is the assumption that we are what the Bible describes when it talks about a person who is united to Jesus Christ. But when I examine the Bible closely and my life honestly, I have to admit that I need to be more humble about what I’m claiming.

This may be one thing that the world is right about: we are very confident that we’re Christians, and perhaps we should be more confident that we’d like to be.

READ: The Problem With Real Christians.

Podcast 48 The simplest objections.

Bumper Music by Greenroom, “Spy Beats.”

The podcast web site is Coffee Cup Apologetics.

 

 Coffee Cup Apologetics 48 [12:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1133)

As usual, thanks to all of you who have been using the Amazon Wish List to support me here at IM. Thank you!

If the menu item in Lexington’s best Mexican Restaurant (Jalapenos) says “Diablo,” don’t get involved unless you are serious.

Kevin Kelly is a founder of Wired Magazine, a Christian, and a guy with a wonderful talk on the “Next 5,000 Days of the Web.”

My wife is the kind of person who still stands in front of a Macdonald’s menu, trying to decide what to order. So when she goes to pick out new glasses, bring a tent and pack a lunch. Continue Reading »

Thoughts on blog “identity” syndrome; Three current movies; Some FAQ.

New Reformation Press. Great t-shirts!

Music by Rhodes, Sun Like Blood and Randy Stonehill.

 

 Internet Monk Radio 114 [33:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1081)

I enjoyed worship at St. Peter’s Church in Lexington, and a lunch visit today with the abbot himself, my friend Alan Creech.

I have too many religious channels on my Dish tv. Any time of the day or night, I can get at least 6 preachers.

Some of these television preachers are Word-Faith, prosperity gospel charlatans and phonies. They should be arrested, locked up and the key thrown away.

But several of these preachers are actually trying to teach something. They talk about the Bible, prophecy, revelations, hidden meanings, lots of numerology, angels, voices, visions, trances and the anointing. Always the anointing.

I don’t know exactly what to call these people. Most of them seem to be totally unaware of the Gospel. They rarely talk about Jesus. Their message usually amounts to “It’s the last generation outpouring” or “You’re on the verge of a breakthrough” or “We need to elect a Republican.” Continue Reading »

Read Scot Mcknight’s post, “Why I Am Not Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox.” A model of ecumenical integrity, but an impassioned evangelical. A great post. Honest and not without some controversy, but there is no one more about the task Robert Webber left us than Scot.

Normally when I do a “Riff,” I have something to say.

Here’s what I want to say: Thank you, Scot. I have hundreds of emails from Catholics and a few from Orthodox urging me to join their churches. I have far, far fewer from fellow evangelicals encouraging me to believe I am right exactly where God wants me. So I have to write the encouragements to myself, and disguise them as posts for the audience. Continue Reading »

In his talk before the Desiring God conference, Dr. D. A. Carson mentioned Five Trends In The Church Today. Read the summary before reading my response. I don’t know if the talk itself is out there, but from the summary posted at Acts 29, I found a lot to agree with. (Which I usually do with D.A. Carson. He’s the most consistently “New Covenant†theologian and teacher I’ve encountered.)

Trend 1: It is important to observe contradictory trends.

Carson pointed out the increase in Biblical knowledge among churches that are seeing fewer and fewer conversions.

The same point could be made about those parts of the Christian world that are seeing large numbers of conversions. Biblical knowledge is decreasing in those communities. Continue Reading »