Kaleo Institute of Cultural Studies – September Issue

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Sep 8, 2005 in Church, Culture | 0 comments

After a pleasant summer break, we’re ready to start a new year of finger-pecking articles. And here are a couple new ones and a few from Summer. Derek Webb gracefully gave us permission to reprint an excellent article, Too Close For Comfort: The Church‚Äôs Unnecessary Rejection Of Modern Faith Heroes. Make sure to give this a read. Mike Gunn, reflects during his summer months on the film-maker Spike Lee, What Would Spike Do?. Brian Thomas reviews the life of Billy Corgan in The Future Embrace.

Diversity and the Church

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Sep 5, 2005 in Church, Culture | 0 comments

This week’s Sheep & Goats will deal with diversity in the church. Here is an article of 3 pastor’s discussing the issue of ethnic diversity in the church. A quote from Mark Driscoll:

I was recently late to my cousin’s funeral because I spent the better part of an hour lost in the woods driving around. I later realized that the directions were fine, but I had typed in the wrong address. Likewise, it is important for churches to not simply have good directions, but determine the correct destination. And, regarding diversity in the church there are really only two destinations: Babel or Pentecost.

Full Article: An Army of Ones – Does diversity in the church work?

(Heads-up from Robb Stankey who loves a good hotdog.)

Pew Reservations & Other Church Satire

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Sep 3, 2005 in Culture | 0 comments

I know where I’m picking!

City / State
Church Name
Reserve Parking	Close to sanctuary Close to exit
Reserve Pew	Front Right Front Left Middle Right Middle Left Back Row Right Back Row Left Balcony Next to sound board
Seating Preference	Aisle Away from hand-raisers Away from loud singers Away from small children Anywhere but near my mother-in-law

You got to love this church humor from Lark. (saw this at Radical Congruency)

This one is also classic:

Jabez book devastates China house churches

BEIJING ‚Äî The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson, one of the best-selling non-fiction books in the past ten years, has gutted China’s house church movement, say observers.
“Chinese Christians used to sacrifice everything for Christ. Now they only want God to bless them,” says one Chinese elder who has served five prison terms for planting churches. He and others say China’s Christians have “grown soft with navel-gazing” and have lost their tolerance for persecution.
Copies of The Prayer of Jabez began circulating in China in 2001. Many Christians began “talking endlessly about God expanding their borders and keeping them free from pain,” says one Chinese pastor whose weekly prayer meeting shrunk to half its previous size.
“Instead of asking God to strengthen the Chinese church they pray for personal fulfillment. They ignore all the Bible except Jabez,” he says.

Entire article

Billy Corgan: The Future Embrace

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Aug 28, 2005 in Church, Culture | 0 comments

This past year has been a busy and creative period for the former front man of the bands Smashing Pumkins and Zwan. After releasing his first book of poetry, “Blinking with Fists,” an ongoing extremely personal online autobiography on MySpace, Billy Corgan has just unleashed his first solo record: The Future Embrace.

Although not much of a departure from later Pumpkin albums, the Future Embrace relies more on synth textures and quiet reflective melodies than on the distorted guitar driven Goth-pop Corgan is famous for. If you haven‚Äôt liked his past bands, it is highly unlikely that you will embrace (pun intended) this album. He still has the same nasally voice and clich?©d lyrics that have driven many listeners away. What has changed over the past few years is a burgeoning spirituality in Billy‚Äôs life and lyrics that reflect faith, hope and love. Although I won‚Äôt presume he is a Christian, because he has not outright confessed to be one – in recent interviews, online posts, and lyrical content, he seems to imply it.

Full Article: Billy Corgan: The Future Embrace
(Author Brian Thomas)

Americans In Search of the Spiritual

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Aug 25, 2005 in Culture | 0 comments

Good article, In Search of the Spiritual – Move over, politics. Americans are looking for personal, ecstatic experiences of God, and, according to our poll, they don’t much care what the neighbors are doing. Newsweek

Mark Driscoll mp3 where he ” really lays out where Acts 29 stands theologically and missionally.”

(thanks KaleoBill for the heads up on these two)

(Emergent) Christian Writers Needed

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Aug 17, 2005 in Church, Church Technology, Culture, Monk Dev | 27 comments

I have work for some writers who have been published on (at least) sites like Relevant, theOoze, NextWave, etc. and have a established blog presence.

Post your blog in a comment below for me to check out.