Tag: Christianity

Christian Living

Infamous Christianity

Chris

I hinted at this post at the end of “famous” Christianity, but haven’t had a chance to get to it because of some changes around here. Another reason is that I’ve had so many other thoughts floating around my head that these were lost in the shuffle.

So far we’ve talked about three other pitfalls of Western Christianity: Mindless, Lonely, and Famous Christianity. You could say that the previous posts primarily affect those of us who are part of the Church, participating in Christian circles. For example, “mindlessness” hurts the individual. The desire to be famous impacts an individual church. Infamous Christianity starts within us, but its impact is felt more outside of the Church.

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Christian Living

Famous Christianity

Chris

In this stage of life and ministry, I find myself pondering nuts and bolts Christianity, as well as the purpose and mission of the local church. Many talk about the approaching demise of what is often called “institutional” or “formal” church, being for the most part that gathering on Sunday mornings or through the week where Christians come together for corporate worship, prayer and teaching.

These ponderings have launched us into this series of posts. They have taken shape as pitfalls of our Western, post-modern understanding and practice of Christianity.

Thanks to a combination of the Declaration of Independence (the right to life, liberty and happiness ~ misquoted on purpose) and the spread of democratic ideals, the American Dream has reached the four corners of the earth. It has also infiltrated our understanding of spirituality and church life.

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Christian Living

Lonely Christianity

Chris

According to Adherents.com, Christianity is the largest world religion with two billion adherents (defined as “all members, including full members, their children and the estimated number of other regular participants who are not considered as communicant, confirmed or full members”). According to ReligiousTolerance.org, about 75% of American adults identify themselves under the title Christian.

It’s safe to say there is no shortage of “Christians” in our lives. In many towns and cities, to open the Yellow Pages and look under churches, you’ll find not just a small handful, but pages of listings. And yet, when things happen in our lives, where do we turn?

In most cases, we pull away from everyone. We try to figure things out, working with all our might to fight through some of the most difficult times in our lives. But is that the answer God prescribed for us?

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Christian Living

Mindless Christianity

Chris

The stuff that makes us up as human beings boils down to three parts: spirit, soul/mind, and body. In the Christian world, you don’t have to go very far to find some rules about how we use our body. Don’t go here, don’t eat or drink this, don’t listen to that, don’t say this. . . There is also a lot of talk about what it means to be have our spirit in tune with God. There are teachings (and debate) about what it means to be Spirit-filled, to be lead by the Spirit, to move in the Spirit.

But what about the mind? What role does it play in the Christian life? Are we living a mindless Christianity?

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Ministry

“Hip 2B Holy” on Global TV

Chris

I’ve seen it now four times. Today our church leadership used it to kick off our monthly CAST Meeting. Many don’t even know what it is. Did you see it?

This past Monday night Global TV (a network here in Canada) broadcast a documentary on evangelical Christianity in Canada. Through the magic of PVR/DVR, I was able to go to bed at a decent time and still catch this message that is helping to shape the view of evangelicalism for the masses in Canada.

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Christian Living

“obsessinated”

Chris

My youngest daughter loves water. It seems we cannot find a way to get her to stop playing with it.

Why is it a problem? Well, for starters, it’s not like she go out and jump in a swimming pool just yet. Instead, she likes to fill up little buckets and cups of water and leave them all over the upstairs floor. In one of our bathrooms the cold water is disconnected, but that doesn’t stop her from filling it up and giving her Barbie dolls a “bath.” It is only by God’s grace that she hasn’t been burned.

While we brainstormed out loud, my wife invented a new word: obsessinated. Though she quickly tried to correct herself, I thought it was a word full of implications.

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