Some Random Sunday Thoughts
A couple of comments from e-mail from my earlier post.
As a Canadian, I struggle understanding the cultural context that right wing conservative Christianity comes from. Their recent rage against John Ashcroft and Nickelodeon boggles my (limited?) mind. I live in Saskatchewan where the New Democratic Party have run the province for years and many of its leaders are clergy. The NDP are openly and strongly pro-choice and not only does it not bother the clergy (our Premier is a United Church Minister and the founder of the forerunner of the NDP was Tommy Douglas who was a Baptist minister), it doesn't bother many of the provinces Christians who openly support them. Lakeview Church is a Free Methodist Church but I suspect that on the lawns of our core families, there would be a lot of NDP lawn signs come election time. I think the same could be said for almost every evangelical church in Saskatchewan. For the most part, the Canadian church doesn't participate in partisan Canadian politics (the United Church of Canada was the exception in 1988 where they came out strongly against Free-Trade). The kind of debates that are happening over Nickelodeon airing a TV special doesn't happen in Canada, even in the more conservative parts of the country. I don't know why Christians are afraid of a discussion over the impact of being raised in a homosexual home. It seems to be that all sides of the discussion are poorer because of it. That being said, there are many churches across North America that are and have engaged in the debate and I think the kingdom is better for it.
I got a comment about Lakeview Church and single parents and why they are more accepting than some churches. I don't know if Lakeview is special or if like a lot (but not all) of churches, it has comes to grips with divorce and single parents and other families that are non-traditional. I think part of it is the age of leadership. Some have gone through divorce, others parents have divorced or have seen the impact of divorce. I laugh at the countless people who phone into Dr. :Laura and feel a divorce won't impact the kids or anyone else. It impacts everyone. In my earlier post, I wasn't trying to judge the church now, just the churches I was in when my parents divorced. In the early in 1980's it was still kind of rare. It was awkward in school and even minor hockey as well. Over the last 20 years, all of those institutions have understood more and have changed for the better. Churches too. Still, I don't want to diminish the incredible ministry Lakeview and other churches that intentionally show God's grace and welcome everyone, where ever they are on their spiritual journey.
One things I didn't post about the other day were some e-mail that have come in over the last several months about the lack of missions emphasis and also information about the Burnhams' The mission comments first. I tell people that I have a passion for missions and Lakeland Church is involved in a couple global missions projects. We just finished raising some money for a medical clinic in Ethiopia through the Free Methodist World Missions and are involved in things like Samairitan's Purse and other agencies that people in the church have a passion for. (people respond best to missions projects that their friends are passionate about I find). I don't post a lot about missions organizations because there are so many of them and I am just not familiar with many of them. People like Andrew Jones and Wolfgang Fernandez seem to be your best bets for good ideas and views on global missions. I am not. My website reflects what I am learning and I am ignorant in the area of missions in a postmodern world. Please e-mail me some recommended reading and some websites. I have never backed down from a chance to become less ignorant (well, okay there was that time in Chicago...)
About the Burnhams. A lot of blogs posted about it and I did not. Some people have asked why? First of all Christianity Today has an excellent weblog and ALL of my information I read on the kidnapping came from their blog. I had no more to add as Ted Olson does an excellent job and all I would be doing was offering up a weak alternative to a cause that he kept front and center for over a year. Some of the mail I got about Kierkegaard talked about me ignoring the Burnhams as an example of ignoring the plight of global Christians. I can't make that connection in my mind. It seems like people making an argument from silence. There is a lack of books about marriage and relationships in my bookstore, does that mean I don't love my wife? I don't post all things on my blog because I do have a life and a job. Other than Andrew Sullivan (who wrote a moving post today about it being his ninth anniversary of testing positive for HIV), I don't know of another professional blogger. As the publisher of jordoncooper.com (that sounds funny to me), I try to post things of interest of the occasional reader but at the same time I do have a focus (postmodern ministry and culture) on this site that I like to think that I maintain. I don't have the time or the qualifications to talk about global missions, persecution of the faith, or spend the time scanning the wire services like Ted Olson over at CT does. I'll let those more qualified than I speak on topics I know little about.
Some other thoughts from today...
When I talked of the Christian ghetto in the past, this is what I was thinking of. From the article The Rev. Jerry Falwell has a vision for his 4,300 acres here: golf courses, recreation centers and apartments, all part of a master-planned Christian community where members of his flock can live from "birth to antiquity."
ANDY CROUCH SAYS...
"...we will never change culture by withdrawing from it into private alternatives. A private interstate highway system -- say, one accessible only to cars bearing fish emblems -- would have done nothing to reshape the landscape of the United States. Any effort to engage culture must take place in the messy, unpredictable world outside church walls."
On a slightly different topic. Someone from the church in Spiritwood are building an amazing log cabin. It is 16x20 feet but it is going to be an amazing get away on some farm land outside of the town by about ten minutes. I would love to build something like it someday.
As a Canadian, I struggle understanding the cultural context that right wing conservative Christianity comes from. Their recent rage against John Ashcroft and Nickelodeon boggles my (limited?) mind. I live in Saskatchewan where the New Democratic Party have run the province for years and many of its leaders are clergy. The NDP are openly and strongly pro-choice and not only does it not bother the clergy (our Premier is a United Church Minister and the founder of the forerunner of the NDP was Tommy Douglas who was a Baptist minister), it doesn't bother many of the provinces Christians who openly support them. Lakeview Church is a Free Methodist Church but I suspect that on the lawns of our core families, there would be a lot of NDP lawn signs come election time. I think the same could be said for almost every evangelical church in Saskatchewan. For the most part, the Canadian church doesn't participate in partisan Canadian politics (the United Church of Canada was the exception in 1988 where they came out strongly against Free-Trade). The kind of debates that are happening over Nickelodeon airing a TV special doesn't happen in Canada, even in the more conservative parts of the country. I don't know why Christians are afraid of a discussion over the impact of being raised in a homosexual home. It seems to be that all sides of the discussion are poorer because of it. That being said, there are many churches across North America that are and have engaged in the debate and I think the kingdom is better for it.
I got a comment about Lakeview Church and single parents and why they are more accepting than some churches. I don't know if Lakeview is special or if like a lot (but not all) of churches, it has comes to grips with divorce and single parents and other families that are non-traditional. I think part of it is the age of leadership. Some have gone through divorce, others parents have divorced or have seen the impact of divorce. I laugh at the countless people who phone into Dr. :Laura and feel a divorce won't impact the kids or anyone else. It impacts everyone. In my earlier post, I wasn't trying to judge the church now, just the churches I was in when my parents divorced. In the early in 1980's it was still kind of rare. It was awkward in school and even minor hockey as well. Over the last 20 years, all of those institutions have understood more and have changed for the better. Churches too. Still, I don't want to diminish the incredible ministry Lakeview and other churches that intentionally show God's grace and welcome everyone, where ever they are on their spiritual journey.
One things I didn't post about the other day were some e-mail that have come in over the last several months about the lack of missions emphasis and also information about the Burnhams' The mission comments first. I tell people that I have a passion for missions and Lakeland Church is involved in a couple global missions projects. We just finished raising some money for a medical clinic in Ethiopia through the Free Methodist World Missions and are involved in things like Samairitan's Purse and other agencies that people in the church have a passion for. (people respond best to missions projects that their friends are passionate about I find). I don't post a lot about missions organizations because there are so many of them and I am just not familiar with many of them. People like Andrew Jones and Wolfgang Fernandez seem to be your best bets for good ideas and views on global missions. I am not. My website reflects what I am learning and I am ignorant in the area of missions in a postmodern world. Please e-mail me some recommended reading and some websites. I have never backed down from a chance to become less ignorant (well, okay there was that time in Chicago...)
About the Burnhams. A lot of blogs posted about it and I did not. Some people have asked why? First of all Christianity Today has an excellent weblog and ALL of my information I read on the kidnapping came from their blog. I had no more to add as Ted Olson does an excellent job and all I would be doing was offering up a weak alternative to a cause that he kept front and center for over a year. Some of the mail I got about Kierkegaard talked about me ignoring the Burnhams as an example of ignoring the plight of global Christians. I can't make that connection in my mind. It seems like people making an argument from silence. There is a lack of books about marriage and relationships in my bookstore, does that mean I don't love my wife? I don't post all things on my blog because I do have a life and a job. Other than Andrew Sullivan (who wrote a moving post today about it being his ninth anniversary of testing positive for HIV), I don't know of another professional blogger. As the publisher of jordoncooper.com (that sounds funny to me), I try to post things of interest of the occasional reader but at the same time I do have a focus (postmodern ministry and culture) on this site that I like to think that I maintain. I don't have the time or the qualifications to talk about global missions, persecution of the faith, or spend the time scanning the wire services like Ted Olson over at CT does. I'll let those more qualified than I speak on topics I know little about.
Some other thoughts from today...
When I talked of the Christian ghetto in the past, this is what I was thinking of. From the article The Rev. Jerry Falwell has a vision for his 4,300 acres here: golf courses, recreation centers and apartments, all part of a master-planned Christian community where members of his flock can live from "birth to antiquity."
ANDY CROUCH SAYS...
"...we will never change culture by withdrawing from it into private alternatives. A private interstate highway system -- say, one accessible only to cars bearing fish emblems -- would have done nothing to reshape the landscape of the United States. Any effort to engage culture must take place in the messy, unpredictable world outside church walls."
On a slightly different topic. Someone from the church in Spiritwood are building an amazing log cabin. It is 16x20 feet but it is going to be an amazing get away on some farm land outside of the town by about ten minutes. I would love to build something like it someday.
Labels: Blogger, blogging, Free Methodist, hockey, Lakeland Church, Lakeview Church, politics
9:13 PM ::
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