I was reminded of this word earlier today that a friend and I coined back in 2008…
heritickle adv. pronounced: hair-i-tick-al meaning: 1. an idea that goes against traditional doctrine or beliefs but sounds so good to the ears and soul. example: “Brian preached a heritickle sermon yesterday morning.” 2. a doctrinal idea or theology that makes you laugh out loud.
May often be confused with heretical, heretic or heresy.
What have you heard or read recently that was heritickle?
This weekend, Twitter and the blogosphere were a flutter over the idea that a Christian pastor might lean towards universalism. GASP!
You can read more here, here, here, here, here and here.
All these folks getting their debate on — over a book that hasn’t even been released yet — and one in which the vast majority of commentators haven’t even read.
Continue reading No compromise (Rob Bell, hell, faith & theology)
Mark Batterson (see something beautiful 1.15) took a quick trip to Germany last week with a group of other pastors and leaders, including Chris Seay of Houston.
He was able to stand at the place where Martin Luther posted his 95 Thesis nearly 500 years ago on Reformation Day (last Friday). Very cool.
He posted a short followup on Sunday:
Here’s the table where Martin Luther had his infamous table talks. I got in trouble for taking a flash photograph. Oops! Pretty amazing to think that much of our theological thinking today can be traced back to some of the theological conversations around this table. Luther’s five solas and 95 Theses and Augsburg Confession reshaped 16th century theology. But his table talks were the bread and butter of a simple parish priest that was trying to be true to Scripture and true to God.
I really like Batterson’s comments here. Imagine, theology that shaped our view of God and religion discussed around a simple table by folks trying to be true to Scripture and true to God. Not one individual but a community of believers, sitting around a table, probably enjoying a meal and drinks and discussing the activity of God within their world.
What theology will be discussed and shaped around your dining room table this week or in your living room?
Can theology still be shaped and molded for our day and time – or has it been set in stone now that Martin Luther and his peers have said all that they could say?
Thought this was super interesting…
The discussion around the table turns to looking at how some various doctrines are becoming more and more attracted to emergent thoughts and ideas (approx 14:30 min into the podcast).
“In the last year I’ve had meetings with three different kinds of Presbyterians who have all said… ‘that’s really Presbyterianism. It’s really good to hear this.’ And the Methodists say, ‘that’s totally Methodist theology that you’re talking about.’ The Episcopalians say, ‘that’s Anglicanism this emergent thing…’ With the Mennonites, ‘that’s what Mennonites say.'” … “I got a call from a Greek Orthodox church who said ‘I’m coming through Minneapolis and I’ve read the Emergent Manifesto of hope and I feel like I’ve found a long last brother. Can we get together?’ There’s something about this thing that all these traditions are saying, ‘That’s us in our best days!'”
There continues to be the fear that people are suddenly losing sight of Christ and Scripture in the emergent/emerging churches and new forms of expressing Christianity. I continue to see this broad paintbrush splattering paint everywhere trying to give some kind of recognition to something people don’t understand. It’s as if they don’t understand a new expression of faith so they assume it must all be heresy and evil (which by definition, heresy is: theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Roman Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. By extension, heresy is an opinion or doctrine in philosophy, politics, science, art, etc., at variance with those generally accepted as authoritative so couldn’t any form of protestantism be considered heretics? Also isn’t theology simply man’s study of, or best guess at knowing a God whom we can never totally understand, know or comprehend?).
Anyways, Brian’s been reading Un-Christian and shared some new thoughts today:
Barna research ministries has revealed 4 mega-themes that are impacting culture today. One of the 4 is what they refer to as “nouveau Christianity” – the idea that a new form of Christian faith is taking shape in our day. Here are their research results:
The research discovered that people are reframing not just faith in general, but Christianity in particular. While slightly fewer adults – and many fewer teens – are identifying themselves as Christians these days, the image of the Christian faith has taken a beating. This battered image is the result of a combination of factors:
- harsh media criticism
- “unchristian” behavior by church people
- bad personal experiences with churches
- ineffective Christian leadership amid social crises
- and the like
The result is that those who choose to remain Christian – however they define it – are also reformulating the popular notion of what “Christian” and the Christian life mean. Some of those changes are producing favorable outcomes, while others are less appealing.
For instance, a generational analysis of the Barna data showed that spiritual practices among those who claim to be Christians are shifting dramatically. New practices are in vogue:
- embracing racial diversity and tolerance within congregations
- pursuing spiritual diversity in conversations and relationships
- valuing interpersonal connections above spiritual education
- blending all forms of the arts and novel forms of instruction into religious events
- and accepting divergent forms of spiritual community (e.g., house churches, intentional communities, marketplace ministries)
Traditional ventures such as integrating discipline and regimen in personal faith development are becoming less popular. Repeating the same weekly routines in religious events is increasingly deemed anachronistic, stifling and irrelevant. Rigidity of belief – which includes the notion that there are absolute moral and spiritual truths – perceived by a large (and growing) share of young people to be evidence of closed-mindedness.
The result is a nouveau form and structure for the Christian faith that will have broad-based consequences on the practice of Christianity for years to come.
I know there are many today who are concerned with this “nouveau” development in Christianity. I am not frightened by this changes but instead embrace them for they are the bridges of grace to a generation that needs to know Christ. None of them deny doctrine, the deity of Christ, the Scriptures, or the essential footings of the faith. They represent method changes and reflect the needs and longings of a generation. As “encounter” we stand in the gap of heaven and a generation to bring them to the reality of the cross. What a time to be alive!
