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“Anything that one imagines of God apart from Christ is only useless thinking and vain idolatry.”- Martin Luther

It’s been a very interesting day. I can’t tell you much about it, but I can tell you something.

When a discussion starts about God, the Christian is not faced with the same choices as other people.

Most people can go wherever they want in the discussion. They can talk about “God as I understand him” or “my higher power” or “my church says that God….” and so on. Really, the choices are practically infinite. Continue Reading »

Tonight’s “Open Mic” question is a simple one. If you don’t get it, I’m not going to help you.

Catholics, I thought about this just being about your team, but that wouldn’t be fair.

OK. Here it is. Tonight’s iMonk Cafe Open Mic Question:

“Why are apologists….you know…..why are they the way they are?”

Some help is available here.

Philippians 3:17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite (belly), they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

Let me describe the essence of Christmas holidays in our house:

“It was there, so I ate it.” (Or in the case of egg nog, “It was there, so I drank it….and bought more….and drank it.”) Continue Reading »

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Galatians 3:10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

I’ve taught an adult Bible study here on our campus for the last 15 years. Right now we’re in the middle of Galatians, chapter 3.

I can’t read this paragraph without thinking about the “seeker sensitive” decision to attempt to create interest in Jesus through various kinds of felt needs. Continue Reading »

Our wayback machine today takes us to the first year of Internet Monk.com, where you’ll find a lengthy essay called “Those Magnificent Young Men and Their Pastoring Machines.” (Excuse the spelling errors. No proofreading in the old days.) It’s my original rant about what was happening to the practice of the pastorate at the time. I could have hardly imagined where we’d be today. (Warning: this was written almost 8 years ago, when I was a self-identified Calvinist in the ranks of the SBC. I am NOT a Calvinist today, but little has changed in my view of what it means to be a pastor.) Continue Reading »

Reading all these spiritual resolutions all day has made me feel so ashamed of myself. I need to set better goals.

So I may be a little late, but here they are: The Internet Monk’s 2009 Resolutions. (In your face, Jonathan Edwards.) I hope they inspire you.

1. I really need to stop stubbing my toe on the kitchen chairs. Anyone have any ideas? Continue Reading »

My wife, Denise, is a great writer. Her blog isn’t updated as often as this one, but when it is, it’s worth it.

If you are a lover of animals, then get a kleenex and read her latest narrative.

If you folks will encourage Denise, maybe we can get her to write more. I’d especially like to get her poems up here more often.

Read: It’s OK To Pretend

You also want to check out a series of posts on the spiritual journey of frequent IM commenter Chaplain Mike. You’ll find those posts at his blog.

I generally enjoy the Kindlings Muse podcast from Dick Staub, but the episode I listened to today was especially good. It was a full introduction to the life and thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and martyr. This presentation was done by the outstanding Presbyterian preacher and author, Earl Palmer. (What a great blessing Earl Palmer has been to my life. Get all his books that you can still find.)

Bonhoeffer has been an influence on my life since high school. His Letters and Papers from Prison was the only theological book my parents ever bought for me: Christmas 1976. His provocative and elegant writing give a beautiful witness to a man who developed a wonderful theological mind, was not afraid to move forward to the unknown in his journey with God and taught all Christians of our time to be faithful to Jesus in the midst of the claims of the “powers” of this world, even unto death. Continue Reading »

UPDATE: Here’s my review of Crazy For God.

I’ve been reading quite a few novels and autobiographies. Some of you need to shut off the theology and read something else. Maybe read Calvin’s Institutes for a year or something.

That was joke. Anyway…

I just finished Frank Schaeffer’s Calvin Becker Trilogy. (I talked about them a bit on the last podcast.) This includes Portofino, Zermatt, and Saving Grandma. All are available cheaply in used copies.

I won’t rehash the books for you beyond this: Schaeffer turned his adolescent life into three novels about a teenager boy being brought up by Presbyterian missionaries in Switzerland. The whole family is there, and so are all the typical issues of a 13, 14 and 15 year old boy. If you are looking for a mixture of absurdity, comedy and honesty about growing up fundamentalist, these are your books. Calvin Becker is as good a narrator as Huck Finn. If you’re an evangelical with roots in the last 40 years of evangelicalism, you are going to laugh, cry, get angry, throw the books, be amazed, pray, applaud and generally have a good time. Continue Reading »

Well 2008, here we are. The dance is almost over and it’s very nearly time for you to go.

We’ve been together for 12 months now, and there’s something I want to say before we go our separate ways. Something special, just for you.

2008…..I know you’re just a way of marking time, and I know there’s nothing all that personal between us. You didn’t know what the year was going to be like. It was as big a surprise to you as it was to me. The writing from day to day wasn’t there when we first met. It unfolded, a day at a time, for you just like it did for me.

But there is something I want to say, and I’m searching for the right words. Continue Reading »

Crayon & pencil drawing by Sr. Grace Remington, OCSO.
Copyright 2005, Sisters of the Mississippi Abbey Continue Reading »

Dedicated to all of you on the same journey. Keep faith and keep going. You’re not alone.

It’s time for one of your favorite programs here at Internet Monk.com: “Secret, Terrible, Unspoken Thoughts…REVEALED!”

Today’s secret thought was uttered by a commenter in a recent discussion thread, but it’s the kind of terrible thought that lurks in the minds of many of you reading this post. What terrible, shameful, embarrassing secret thought am I referring to?

Frankly, I’m to the point where there isn’t that much a pastor/teacher is going to be able to say that I haven’t heard 100 times already.

I know, I know. Shameful. Can you believe there are people like that out there? Someone call the watchbloggers.

Well…..I’ve thought about his kind of statement a lot. I preach about 10-12 times a month, and have preached as often as 20 times a month at my current ministry. I’ve listened to thousands of hours of sermons on tape, mp3, cd. I’ve read sermons- thousands of them. I’m on both sides of the comment, both criminal and consumer. Continue Reading »

I wrote this piece in July of ‘07. It garnered 70 comments and some grousy updates on my part. (You can read the original here.)

I’m reprinting the post with a clear comment thread because I feel the sentiment I expressed in this piece is even more true now than ever: there are thousands of evangelicals who would give a serious look at mainline churches, traditional worship and the riches of Protestant heritage IF some good brothers and sisters could recognize our journey and meet us somewhere halfway along the path.

It seems that at the moment there is the most interest in the broader, deeper more serious heritage of Protestantism and a growing discontent with worshiptainment, there is a strong prejudice against evangelicals within those communities that could reach out to them. Evangelicalism needs what Protestantism has always done right…..at least in those places where they still remember what was right all along.

Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, Anglicans…. Continue Reading »

New Year. Review of the Becker Trilogy.

NOTE: Some may have downloaded a shortened version. Cut out at 16. You missed 4 minutes.

Our sponsors are: New Reformation Press. Order your copy of the Treasury of Daily Prayer from NRP. And do it soon.

Zaccheus Press- Fine Catholic Books, including Priestblock 25487.

Lawrence Feingold’s Lectures. I recommend those in sections 3 (esp on the four Marks of the church) and 1.

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 Internet Monk Radio 122 [20:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1335)

UPDATE: A story at Baptist Press spreads similar Christmas cheer.

If anyone knows Michael Horton’s email, send this one to him please. He’ll appreciate it.

There are two kinds of evangelicals who read the Internet Monk web site. The first, like myself, find it increasingly hard to identify with evangelicalism. The metaphor of “the evangelical wilderness” is one they find apropos. Like myself, they look around evangelicalism and see a landscape being devoured like a scene out of The Langoliers. Like myself, they find shelter in what other traditions haven’t yet thrown out and look hopefully towards a new generation of evangelicals to discern better than their elders what has been lost and what is wrong.

The second group of evangelical reader is happily, confidently, certainly evangelical and stands in some version of frustrated amazement at what is written and said here week after week. These are evangelicals for whom their pastors’ explanations from the Bible answer all questions, for whom evangelical leadership speaks a sure word and for whom the good always outweighs the bad in the family. They are cheerful Freds to my mumbling, unconverted Scrooge. Continue Reading »