I shared this video with my dear friend Johnny Laird on Twitter yesterday and thought it was well worth sharing here on the blog as well.
“I’m a Christian, so I do think he’s wrong… but I do love the challenge.”
Some great points from Dr. West.
“There is a difference between rational certainty and blessed assurance… blessed assurance is making a leap of faith, stepping out on nothing and landing on something.”
Continue reading Cornel West on the Late Late Show
This is a stinger…
“How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell someone about that.â€
Of course the title here makes it sound as if its us vs them. Why do we do that?
HT HolyCow
Reading a great article on U2’s new album and Bono’s activism and all things in between ::
He says that a lot of people he most admires are non-believers. Bill Gates. Warren Buffett. “People who are prepared to spend their entire life’s fortune trying to make the lives of people they don’t know a lot better. These people are more Christian than the Christians. Zealotry and certainty are worrying for me. Love keeps religion from zealotry.”
SOH So without love, it becomes another kind of fixed ideology?
Bono “Yeah, that’s right! Anyway, there’s loads of pops in there about zealotry, religious and otherwise, and you’re the only person who’s picked up on this in the lyrics. I mean, ‘Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady.’ Come on?”
SOH That’s a pop at the militant atheists.
Bono “And at myself. I mean, I have a bit of it, myself. I have a bit of the helping God across the road like a little old lady.”….z
“You know, it’s like that thing that people said about U2, that most bands start off writing about girls and end up writing about God, but we started off writing about God and ended up writing about girls. But we found the God in the girls, that would be my retort.”
U2’s new album drops March 2 (3rd in the US). You can pre-order all five versions here.
(embedded video)
There are those that think we must bring about “justice” and punish those who “do us wrong.”
There are those that think we must “stand up for ourselves” and fight to rid the world of our “enemies.”
Perhaps, if we step back we’ll realize our enemies are men like us.
LOVE WINS! In every country, every language and yes – every religion.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28-30
HT to Headphonaught
What a great image of God and Jesus.
“Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
I remember in elementary school I was in the band. I played snare drum simply because I couldn’t play a wind or brass instrument thanks to my orthodontist work. When I first started out, I had to force the rhythm at times. I had to work on getting it right. But as I became familiar with the song and the drum, it became easier. Suddenly it wasn’t forced. It was natural.
The same happened when I took piano lessons. The more I did it, the less forced it was. The more natural it became. Now years later, it’s a real effort for me to sit and read music. There are a few songs that still come naturally to me – but don’t ask me to read the music for it – I’ll be lost in an instant. It’s because I’m out of practice and now what may have been unforced rhythm takes a lot of effort.
Throughout life I see this pattern over and over again.
Imagine grace becoming such a thing we’re so used to giving and receiving that it just comes natural. It’s just a natural rhythm of life. It isn’t a pain to give when asked. It isn’t a forced effort to smile at someone we’re not particularly found of. It isn’t unusual to accept the unacceptable or the unloved.
When grace becomes an unforced rhythm of life – suddenly we love those who least expect it and love those who lease deserve it.
Imagine what would happen if grace became an unforced rhythm of life just as music was to Evan in the movie August Rush? What if it just flowed from us each and every day?
Tall Skinny Kiwi shared his top 5 emergent books for American readers back in June on his blog (just saw the post :-().
Here’s his top 5 (plus a few others) ::
1. Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures, by Ryan Bolger and Eddie Gibbs.
2. The New Conspirators, Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time, by Tom Sine.
3. The Emerging Church, by Dan Kimball.
4. The Church on the Other Side, by Brian McLaren.
Runners-up for 5th:
The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier, by Tony Jones.
Revolution, by George Barna.
The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claibourne.
The Great Emergence, by Phyllis Tickle.
The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community.
Also: Rising From the Ashes: Rethinking Church, by Becky Garrison.
Worth a mention: It might be almost 40 years old but “The Emerging Church” by Bruce Larson and Ralph Osborne (1970).
—
To be honest, as someone who was called an “emergent sympathizer” today I haven’t read any of these books — yet. I actually ordered two of them earlier today and hope to read them soon – that is if a couple others I’m expecting don’t reach my mail box first.
The books I’ve read and recommend as part of the “emergent movement” and or just faith in general are (in no particular order):
Everything Must Change by Brian McLaren. Probably one of the first “real emergent” books I read and one that had a great impact on my thinking and understanding.
Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne. Another great book that talks more about the history of kings, empires and the role of God-followers along the way.
A Christianity Worth Believing by Doug Pagitt. This book has left me asking a lot of questions. It’s not one I’ve recommended to a lot of people just for that reason but I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
A Peculiar People by Rodney Clapp. I don’t know that Rodney Clapp considers himself emergent by any means but his ideas really came to life after reading many of these other books before hand.
btw – if Mr. Tall Skinny Kiwi happens upon this blog post – we’d love to have you join us for an episode of the something beautiful podcast. tell us when and we’ll take care of the rest. 🙂
related ::
tall skinny kiwi ::emerging church: top 5 books for american reporters
something beautiful podcast