To all of Those Curious

This just in: I am not a heretic...yeah!
I was actually kind of nervous, answering these questions kind of freaked me out. But it looks like my theological training prepared me well, and my seminary professors would be proud.

Are you a heretic?

You scored as a Chalcedon compliant

You are Chalcedon compliant. Congratulations, you're not a heretic. You believe that Jesus is truly God and truly man and like us in every respect, apart from sin. Officially approved in 451.

Chalcedon compliant 100%

Sadly for years I thought that there would be a test just like this at the gates to heaven. I felt that these were the type of questions that I needed to be prepared to answer. Don't get me wrong, they are great things to know, especially when questioning teachings, and exploring what others believe about Jesus, the only problem is that most of them are answering questions that were extremely relevant in 400 Ad and much less so today, (especially with the given language). But, take a stab, and take the test to see if you are a heretic or not.
If in fact you are labeled a heretic and you want to know why, it probably has to do more with your understanding of terms and language, than with actual belief.

What is the Kingdom of God (Quiz)

So, after all of this teaching on the Kingdom of God, where do you find yourself? Do you believe that the Kingdom of God is an inner spiritual experience, a counter-system, or maybe Earthly Utopia? Here's a quiz to see where you really stand.

Here's how I scored.
"You scored as Kingdom as a Christianised Society, Christians shouldn't withdraw from the world, but by being present in it they can transform it. The kingdom is not only spiritual, but social, political, and cultural.

Ken Silva Mentioned by Andrew Jones

If neither of these names mean anything to you, no need to follow the link, unless you are pondering the identity of the whore of Babylon, and the benefits of ecumenicism.

Blog changes

Today, "Community" has a real web page! It's own. Check it out, you may even find a link to your own blog site.

Recap from Sunday's service

Who is OVCC


Letter from the Elders

Notice a Trend?

Another Great Resource

Here is another, "What the Heck is Up with All of This Emergent Church Stuff?" resource.
I've told by many that this article that has been extremely helpful.

It is an LA Times Article depicting the "rift" between Chuck Smith Sr, (founder of Calvary Chapel) and his son, Chuck Smith Jr..
In summary, Chuck Smith Jr. was asked to remove the maranatha dove, and the calvary chapel name from his church because some of his teachings were found to differ from that of his fathers.

Most telling however, is the way that Chuck Sr. closes the interview:
He shrugs off the controversy as the result of critics who "get on and blog their ignorance," adding: "If you don't march to their drumbeat, they begin to pick at you, and once you put on that hypercritical mode, you can find plenty of things to criticize."

Reminded of the memo he issued cracking down on his son's views, the father replies, calmly and amiably, that he and his son are just aiming for different audiences, and he doesn't want to alienate the one he has. He says their relationship is stronger than ever, even deepened by the controversy.

"I don't feel that he's an apostate at all. If he would begin to question that Jesus is the son of God, then I would be concerned."

Hopefully this article helps shed some more light.

What is the Emerging Church

A lot people seem to be asking this question, and I hear of a lot of people going to a lot of different sources to find the answer. I couldn't get the original link to the article to work, but here is a shorter version by the same author.


Hope this helps.

Family Meetings (Edited)

Edited previous post.
As I re-read, I found that it was possible to read that I was attacking some. The question below is the intent of my previous post, and is more direct and to the point.

Can you imagine having a family dinner, that fails to ever address any one individual directly? Or a dinner in which no names are ever used? It would be so odd to be sitting around a table, listening to others talk about each other, referencing actions and questions of others, without ever using personal pronouns.

If you've ever spent time with me in Aces, Crossroads, or Community, I imagine that you were fairly comfortable having someone personally addressed in service. How many times have we openly talked about Brian's weekend excursions or jail time? We pray for Jake before he goes to court, and I do whatever is necessary to avoid praying for, "the anonymous one who is undergoing struggles."

I'm curious as to what other's thoughts are regarding being personal in church. Does it make the experience more like a real family gathering or less? Does it strip away the religiosity or add to it?