A number of people involved with Emergent were interviewed recently for a two-part special on PBS entitled “The Emerging Church. More information and a link below:

Washington, D.C., June 27, 2005 - RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY, the award-winning newsmagazine program hosted by Bob Abernethy and produced by Thirteen/WNET, will present a special series on a new movement in Protestant Christianity — “The Emerging Church” — to be included in programs distributed Friday July 8 and July 15 to PBS stations nationwide at 5 p.m. ET (check local listings)

In this two-part report, correspondent Kim Lawton examines how some evangelical and mainline Protestants are rethinking Christianity for a new generation. In conversations conducted largely through “blogs,” leaders of the emerging church movement argue that old models and categories are no longer effective. They are developing new theologies and new forms of worship, often blending elements from different traditions — and eras — of Christianity. Some are generating controversy for urging a radical re-examination of conventional understandings of the faith.

Full Release: RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY EXPLORES THE EMERGING CHURCH MOVEMENT

Last week I spent 4 days in Portland. I enjoyed a morning with Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) discussing some of the projects he is working on. Exciting stuff will be coming from him (in the form of books, the Burnside Collective and even radio?…)

I met with Rick McKinley at a pub and I am really excited about McKinley’s next book unfortunately he may push back it’s release 6-months. The book will bring a lot of the work he has done on the Kingdom of God and how that pratically applies to a local church and their ministry. Imago Dei is doing so many ‘Kingdom’ minded things that other churches need to take a look at and learn from. [The more I think about the emergent movement the more I hope churches emerge toward a Kingdom view (versus programatic/fiefdom) of church.]

We’ll it didn’t take long, the Pope cleared any confusion with recent announcements:

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, in his first clear pronouncement on gay marriages since his election, on Monday condemned same-sex unions as fake and expressions of “anarchic freedom” that threatened the future of the family.

The Pope, who was elected in April, also condemned divorce, artificial birth control, trial marriages and free-style unions, saying all of these practices were dangerous for the family.

Check out the Sin City conversation at the Ooze.

Here is one person’s reason we should watch movies like Sin City:

The issue is that sticking your nose up at the movie, condemining it, and declaring your insulation within a smug Christian subculture, perhaps you should use it as a tool to understand what the lost (I hate that term) around you are talking about and misconceptions about life and spirituality that they have. Use it as a talking point to move someone toward the Kingdom of God.

A poster poses this question: Where do (we) draw the line between spiritual protection and interacting in this fallen world?

Check out some pictures from our baptism and bbq last Sunday. A great day for us. Gallery >

Kaleo’s very own Bezalel has released their first cd. They’ve gotten a great response. Check out the cd at www.cdbaby.com/bezalel. Vote for them at www.musolist.com/bezalel/, they currently are in the Top 5. They even got picked up by Tower Records.

Mixing eclectic influences from Bach to the Beatles, Dylan to Death Cab, and a little Rolling Stones and Radiohead thrown in for good measure, Bezalel is creating beautiful ambient indie-folk-pop songs filled with tension and truth. Brian, Chris, Dustin, and Mike met at Kaleo Church in San Diego, CA where they just sortta organically formed a band to lead the congregation in song. One thing led to another and they recorded “Fidelity on High” in Brian’s studio, which will be released in April. This album could be defined as one of the most adventurous worship albums ever recorded. Not your typical CCM Nashville crap, if you know what we mean. That’s about all we have to say about that.

We are really proud of this new cd as a reflection on the community we are creating here in San Diego.

Have you seen a large church that does a good job of not segregating the family into compartments based on age, gender and sin groups? What does that look like? How can a large church still be a place that is united as a Family of God?

It seems as I visit ‘mega-churches’ they all are program-run and divide the people of God into small groups based on these classifications. I would love to hear if people have seen a large church do this well.

Added new sessions for people download at reformission.com.

A good article and converstation at Next Wave, Just who is emergent, anyway? by Bob Hyatt. I’ve always considered emergent the methods of expressions (worship, style, tastes, mission, etc.) while postmodern churches are changing the principals (theology, truth, interpretation). As a correlation many in the emergent movement also are postmodern.

Interesting conversation on our church forum on this issue: How should we as Christians react to the Terri Schiavo case?

“I do not know when it will come, but, like all else, this moment too I place into the hands of the Mother of My Master: Totus Tuus. In the same maternal hands I place All those with whom my life and vocation are bound. Into these Hands I leave above all the Church, and also my Nation and all humanity. I thank everyone.”

(Totus Tuus means totally yours)

Further reflections on my visit to Mass. The Mass I attended was the Divine Mercy Mass where congregants can receive Plenary Indulgence for sins already forgiven. (Definition: By an Indulgence is meant the remission of the temporal punishment due to us on accont of our sins.) I asked a congregant, if these sins are already forgiven why do people need an indulgence? He didn’t have an answer. Here is what must be done:

This list is a convenient compilation of all the ways to obtain a plenary indulgence. Note that in addition to the described work, obtaining a plenary indulgence also has the following conditions (see Norms which are summarized below):

* Sacramental confession. A single sacramental confession suffices for gaining several plenary indulgences; but Communion must be received and prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff must be recited for the gaining of each plenary indulgence.
* Eucharistic Communion.
* Prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff. The condition of praying for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff is fully satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary; nevertheless, each one is free to recite any other prayer according to his piety and devotion.
* It is further required that all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent. If the latter disposition is in any way less than perfect or if the prescribed three conditions are not fulfilled, the indulgence will be partial only, saving the provisions given in Norms 34 and 35.
Source

I’ve got to admit this is pretty crazy to me.

This week I attended a Catholic Mass. Outside of the Mass, a man, named Tom Elwood, held a sign that read, God Kills, Repent on one side and Jesus Caused 9/11 on the other. As people drove to Mass, he yelled at them telling most of them they were going to burn in hell. After the service, I walked over to hear his shtick. “This Church has departed from truth and now are an apostasy. The entire denomination from the Pope to the youngest member, if they stay Catholic will die and go to hell. The Catholic Church has completely departed from the Christian faith and is a wicked tradition,” said Elwood. “If you are Catholic you are going to burn in hell.”

While I was there, two guys walked over to confront Elwood. As they requested he leave, Elwood shouted louder. “You are going to burn in the lake of fire if you don’t leave the Catholic Church.” One of the men became very angry and told him he wasn’t wanted there and told him to leave. After they walked away, Elwood said, “See how he got irate, it is because he hates God and God hates him.”

A black woman walked by and tried to grab the sign from Elwood. Elwood told the woman she was a sinner who was going to burn in hell. The woman yelled, “I’ll break you.” She picked up an item on the ground to throw it at Elwood. A person in a car told the woman it was not worth it to do this, so she put down the item and walked away.

After the commotion, Elwood handed me a pamphlet put out by a true church (www.atruechurch.info). On the back of the pamphlet, a list of false teachers were listed, such as Charles Spurgeon, Chuck Smith, Miles McPherson, Billy Graham, John MacArthur and dozens more.

I asked Elwood, if all these people were false teachers of the Christian faith, how can we know what is the true way to practice faith. “We can know, because the Bible is true. In 1st Corinthians chapter 2 verse 16, we are told (Christians will) have the mind of Christ.” I asked Elwood did he believe Jesus Christ was omniscient. Elwood said yes. I asked, if Christ mind was omniscient are you omniscient? Elwood said no. How can you have the literal mind of Christ then? Elwood got angry at me and told me I was going to burn in hell, he took his sign apart and walked to his car to leave.

I guess the body of God has to have an asshole to function…

Our church is prayerfully considering relocating to San Diego State University. There is a room available to launch that seats 200. Our community are many in their early-to-late twenties and we have a passion for training people up in a holistic worldview. It seems like a college campus is the modern areopagus to do this.

We met with an Intervarsity staff member who said that a Comparative Religions class, one of the selected requirements for students, is taught by a Christian-basher. I guess she has taken a particular liking to presenting (questionable/theory) as objective facts to present why Christianity is nothing but myth and hocus-pocus. It’s amazing how they will not tolerate a Christian professor from saying anything but an anti-theist has an open license to say whatever.

I just ask you keep these decisions in prayer, as of yet we haven’t made the decision.

Our view of Easter is often clouded behind traditions of men and religious terms. The message of the risen King who came to defeat sin, Satan, and death is lost in the cultural tide of our day. As a gathering of worshippers who seek to understand and embody this history changing and life altering news, our greatest desire is to come together with our family and friends to celebrate and hear this incredible story. We also realize that none of us have all the answers, but we can come to the ancient Scriptures and learn from them the truth about Jesus and the Easter message. Come and listen as we sift through the historical facts and myths surrounding this controversial event.

Easter Sunday in San Diego | March 27th @ 11:30am Directions