http://www.modernchristianity.org Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:07:49 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en These are notes from a Ken Myers lecture I recently attended. A very similar lecture is available on this page, first lecture at the top. (here is a direct link to the zipped mp3). I found it a very helpful and informative way of looking and thinking about culture. I'll start ... http://www.modernchristianity.org/2008/07/25/cultures-are-like-ecosystems/ Having just arrived in a new city, one of the first tasks at hand is finding a new body of believers to worship and fellowship with.  This can be a little intimidating, and in fact, this will be the first time that my wife and I can literally "go anywhere ... http://www.modernchristianity.org/2008/06/23/some-observations-on-visiting-new-churches/ Not sure how many people are familiar with the band Superchick.  I remember seeing them play at the Door back in the day.  Myself and many of my friends really enjoyed their debut CD, Karaoke Superstars - haven't really kept up with them since then.  Anyway, I was re-listening to ... http://www.modernchristianity.org/2008/06/19/thoughts-on-friendship-from-superchick/ Wow.  So, it's been awhile.  I've been silent the past few weeks as a result of some major life changes as well as some major laziness.  Let me shed some light on both of these. Major life changes - my wife and I have just finished moving cross-country.  I've been busy ... http://www.modernchristianity.org/2008/06/19/keep-going/ Recently my wife raised this question to me, and I thought it a good one.  We like to enjoy and appreciate the rich history and heritage of liturgy that we have as "western" Christians, but to what extent is this liturgy appropriate in non-"western" churches?  For example - the Nicene ... http://www.modernchristianity.org/2008/05/25/what-is-the-role-of-liturgy-in-non-western-churches/ I don't remember how I came across this, but a few years ago I found this (pdf) article about John Calvin's view of creation. It's a good read, here is a quote: How then did Calvin teach us to regard the world in which we live? We should be attentive spectators in ... http://www.modernchristianity.org/2008/05/23/the-universe-as-the-living-image-of-god/ From Ron Paul's The Revolution: A Manifesto: Excessive government spending has done more than just put us in debt.  Charles Murray offers us a useful thought experiment that illustrates the welfare state's enervating effects on our communities and our character.  Imagine that all the programs that constituted the federal "safety net" ... http://www.modernchristianity.org/2008/05/22/ron-paul-on-social-justice-and-welfare/ My wife and I have been recently reading together through Theirs Is The Kingdom: Celebrating the Gospel in Urban America by Robert D. Lupton.  The book is a collection of short essays reflecting on the author's experiences living in urban Atlanta.  Rather than being heavy-handed and guilt-inducing, the book strives ... http://www.modernchristianity.org/2008/05/22/robert-d-lupton-on-war-and-christianity/ We've all heard that bad company corrupts our good character - that is, the company we keep affects we who are and how we act. I think this is true, although certainly not an excuse to avoid spending time with sinners (as Jesus taught us by example). Today though, I've ... http://www.modernchristianity.org/2008/05/18/thoughts-on-culture/ The way Jesus goes about loving and saving the world are personal: nothing abstract. noting impersonal. Incarnate, flesh and blood, relational, particular, local.The ways employed by our North American culture are conspicuously impersonal: programs, organizations, techniques. general guidelines, information detached from place. In matters of ways and means, the vocabulary ... http://www.modernchristianity.org/2008/05/17/eugene-peterson-on-ways-and-means/