Making Stuff Happen

Hat Tip: Vitamin Z

Halloween and Evangelical Definitions

Some helpful (if tongue in cheek) evangelical definitions for Halloween from  Dr. Russell Moore:

An evangelical is a fundamentalist whose kids dress up for Halloween.

A conservative evangelical is a fundamentalist whose kids dress up for the church’s “Fall Festival.”

A confessional evangelical is a fundamentalist whose kids dress up as Zwingli and Bucer for “Reformation Day.”

A revivalist evangelical is a fundamentalist whose kids dress up as demons and angels for the church’s Judgment House community evangelism outreach.

An Emerging Church evangelical is a fundamentalist who has no kids, but who dresses up for Halloween anyway.

A fundamentalist is a fundamentalist whose kids hand out gospel tracts to all those mentioned above.

Hat Tip: Forward Progress

Reformation Day

October 31st is not just "All Hallows' Eve," but also Reformation Day, the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenburg Church door, starting the Protestant Reformation. It's always good to remember what the great reformer Martin Luther actually said and stood for.  Here are his famous words before Emperor Charles and the German Diet in the City of Worms.

"Since then your serene majesty and your lordships seek a simple answer, I will give it in this manner, neither horned nor toothed: Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scripture or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. [He then added in German] Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me! Amen"

May we all stand faithful with him.

Update: Want to read the 95 Theses?  Here they are.

Big Enough

Hat Tip: The Master's Table

Trying Too Hard

From The Sacred Sandwich

Lord, Have Mercy!

No matter where you are in this world, I hope you will join with me and so many other believers in prayer for the millions of people in the eastern U.S. now suffering under the fury of Hurricane Sandy.

Kyrie Eleison - Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy!

   

More Than Just Alright

A great blog post today from my old friend Jim Wright - A Doobie Brothers' Gospel.

Jesus died on the cross because He accepted me, wholly and completely, just as I am…
So I could die to myself in order to accept Him, wholly and completely, just as He is.

By His Grace, He Bids Us Come and Die

This the true Gospel: Accepting me as I am cost Jesus His life, and accepting Him as He is costs me my life in return.

The mystery of the cross is that we die with Him to find new life in Him – but only on His terms.

But He goes on to say:

The Doobie Brothers were a 1970′s rock band (back in my day!) with a string of hits – including one called “Jesus is Just Alright.”

The main refrain in the song is “Jesus is just alright with me”, and presents Jesus as part of some mutual affirmation society.

Many today preach a Doobie Brothers’ Gospel: They seek affirmation in His grace, but not the discipline of His rule.

But does His grace really affirm us by saying we’re OK?

Boasting in Weakness

 "A question that my wife often asks me is, “what does it mean to boast in your weaknesses in this situation?” This is a helpful gospel index for me. My default state is not to boast in my weakness. Its not even to feel neutrally about it. Its to fight it, conceal it, and fear its exposure. But this shows the gospel has not gone down deep enough into my heart and subconscious. As I learn to walk with Christ as my confidence, before God and people, I can relax into my responsibilities – my job, for example, or my studies, or my marriage – and trust that whatever God has called me to, He will enable me to do, and His power will shine through my weaknesses. Its not all up to me. My part is to do my best. Christ will fill in the gaps with His presence and power. Walking in the freedom of this is so rarely my daily reality! But even just seeing my need for it is an incentive to worship and pursue it."

From Gavin Ortlund At Soliloquium

Hat Tip: Vitamin Z

Abortion Questions

The main stream media seem to delight this year in asking "gotcha questions about abortion to pro-life candidates for office.  From Trevin Wax - Here are 10 questions you never hear a pro-choice candidate asked by the media:

1. You say you support a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices in regards to abortion and contraception. Are there any restrictions you would approve of?

2. In 2010, The Economist featured a cover story on “the war on girls” and the growth of “gendercide” in the world – abortion based solely on the sex of the baby. Does this phenomenon pose a problem for you or do you believe in the absolute right of a woman to terminate a pregnancy because the unborn fetus is female?

3. In many states, a teenager can have an abortion without her parents’ consent or knowledge but cannot get an aspirin from the school nurse without parental authorization. Do you support any restrictions or parental notification regarding abortion access for minors?

4. If you do not believe that human life begins at conception, when do you believe it begins? At what stage of development should an unborn child have human rights?

5. Currently, when genetic testing reveals an unborn child has Down Syndrome, most women choose to abort. How do you answer the charge that this phenomenon resembles the “eugenics” movement a century ago – the slow, but deliberate “weeding out” of those our society would deem “unfit” to live?

6. Do you believe an employer should be forced to violate his or her religious conscience by providing access to abortifacient drugs and contraception to employees?

7. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr. has said that “abortion is the white supremacist’s best friend,” pointing to the fact that Black and Latinos represent 25% of our population but account for 59% of all abortions. How do you respond to the charge that the majority of abortion clinics are found in inner-city areas with large numbers of minorities?

8. You describe abortion as a “tragic choice.” If abortion is not morally objectionable, then why is it tragic? Does this mean there is something about abortion that is different than other standard surgical procedures?

9. Do you believe abortion should be legal once the unborn fetus is viable – able to survive outside the womb?

10. If a pregnant woman and her unborn child are murdered, do you believe the criminal should face two counts of murder and serve a harsher sentence?

 Gee, I wonder why these questions are never asked? Take three guesses.

Money Money Money

Pete Wilson on money and greed as idols (from Empty Promises):

"I've had to learn the hard way that money never wants to be just money in my life. It's always trying to position and manipulate itself into becoming something more..." (pages 95-96)

"That's a lesson I believe we all need when it comes to our money and our lives. We need to learn the joy of letting go. In fact, we probably need to learn it over and over again, to counteract the temptations of idolatry in our lives." (page 103)

"In fact, the only way I know how to fight back against allowing money to become an idol, the only way I know to break the greedy patter of get, get, get in my life, is the one that Jesus taught and modeled for us again and again.

The healthy way to handle money - and any other potential idol in our lives - is to give, give, give, trusting God to provide what we really need." (page 105)