Pity the Fool

Our first week having the group focusing on a Proverb each day went fairly well. While I was hoping for less analyzing individual verses and more personal stories from the week, each Wednesday will be what it is–and that what our first week was. Happy as I am with it, I do continue to encourage all to really take these Proverbs to heart each day, and to spend some time reflecting on how they are affecting our thoughts and actions each day. I can’t wait to see what God is doing in everyone’s lives next week.

This week we’ll be looking at what the book of Proverbs has to say about the unwise…or shall we say “fools.” When the Bible refers to one as being a “fool,” remember, it does not mean one with an intellectual deficiency; the fool does not lack mental powers so much as he/she misuses them. The fool casts off a fear of God and thinks and acts as if he/she could safely disregard the principles of God’s wisdom. In other words, a fool acts without God’s counsel.

Here are the Proverbs:

• Thursday: 12:15
• Friday: 18:13
• Saturday: 12:23
• Sunday: 17:24
• Monday: 29:11
• Tuesday: 27:22
• Wednesday: 17:12

Hopefully this Wednesday we can focus more on how God has shaped our week, and less on strictly analyzing the texts. Either way, we’re sure to have great beer and a good time.

Cheers!

A Seven Day Challenge to All

I’ve been really struggling with where to take Theology on Tap. I mean, we’ve had some fun chats about a few topics; we’ve flailed against others which went well over our heads. We’ve picked several New Testament books and read through them, picking up some interesting insights along the way.

But the thing that keeps nagging me is how I’d always envisioned Theology on Tap as more than simply a place to discuss the theoretical implications of various theological topics. I’ve always wanted TOT to be a place where lives are changed for the better–on a much smaller scale than that achieved through a “traditional” church.

Speaking theoretically about the Bible has slowly become uninteresting to me. I am in a place in my life right now where the thing I want most is to learn how to apply the Bible to my life. What I really want is to live a life where I’m continually learning to live for God more fully.

I don’t want TOT to be the place that causes this change; I want it to be the place where it’s celebrated and shared. It should be the place where–through sharing my experiences with others–my thoughts about my journey are refined and challenged. It is a place where others come to celebrate and share their own experiences to a similar end.

On that note, I am changing the format for Theology on Tap for the next several months at the least. I do not know where this is going, but I feel it is a positive change. Here it is:

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Proverbs

Yeah, that’s right: Proverbs. This might be the most densely packed volume in the entire Bible. It’s packed with proverbs (obviously) which are basically very brief, concise statements of wisdom which can have a diverse number of applications. They were mostly written by King Solomon. King Solomon, in 1 Kings 3:11-13, is described as being granted wisdom beyond what anyone had had before or would have again. So it seems to me that when Solomon considered something important enough to write down, we should really stop and listen.

Another thing I find really interesting is the idea of “wisdom.” Where intelligence might be wrapped in with knowledge–knowing about something, it strikes me that “wisdom” is something entirely different. Wisdom is really wrapped up in doing things. So a proverb filled with wisdom is intended to be followed through actions; it is not designed to remain an abstract idea. This sounds perfect!

So here is what I propose: I will post 7 proverbs for each week–one for each day of the week. Each day we will all spend our entire day–from the morning Corn Flakes to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon–pondering over a single proverb. Every moment of the day we pray on/meditate/think/muse/chant/sing/basket weave (never mind that last one) the same proverb all day long. Then the next day we begin on the next one. On Wednesday, once we arrive at TOT, we will each have 7 proverbs to share and discuss.

• How was it focusing on such a short statement all day long?
• Did God speak to you during any of these days?
• Did God’s wisdom change you or affect your actions or thoughts throughout the week?
• …and so on.

We will have transformed Theology on Tap from a place to have a lighthearted discussion of the Bible to a place where we earnestly seek God’s wisdom; we come to the Pub to share successes, failures, frustrations, and to be a real community bonded equally by our love of God’s wisdom, and our love of a frosty pint or three.

I will select proverbs based on a theme–and luckily the book is organized for just such a study. The first seven days will revolve around:

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Wisdom

Whether it’s showing the value of wisdom, the security found in wisdom, the rewards of wisdom, the way of wisdom, or how God relates to wisdom, the first nine chapters of Proverbs are particularly concerned with wisdom. Focusing on only a single proverb each day means there is a great deal of wisdom we’re skipping right over. I just feel that we will get more out of focusing on God’s wisdom deeply than we will on breezing through a larger collection of sayings more shallowly. Having said that, there is nothing stopping anyone from digging much further into this book.

• Wednesday: Proverbs 3:5-8
• Thursday: Proverbs 3:27-28
• Friday: Proverbs 4:24
• Saturday 4:25-27
• Sunday: Proverbs 6:16-19
• Monday: Proverbs 8: 17-21
• Proverbs 8:22-31
• Proverbs 9:7-9

I look forward to hearing how God spoke to us differently through his words of wisdom.

–Cheers

The human connection

I recently had the opportunity to be involved in the TEDxRedding event this last Saturday. For those unfamiliar with TED, it is essentially a coming-together of people sharing ideas worth spreading. There are literally 1,000s of videos on the website; check it out at TED.com. The reason I bring this up is that I was impressed with how the entire event was ultimately not simply about the specific ideas being shared on the actual day as it was with connecting people to others and forming relationships. To truly change the future, says TED, requires people to connect their ideas together and to work together to enact change.

I immediately thought of Christianity. One of my big desires for Theology on Tap is to connect Christians from a variety of areas together. It’s not so much about learning new ideas all of the time as it is about connecting our existing ideas to others’ ideas.  As I mulled on this over the weekend, my pastor conveniently decided to preach on redefining the relationships in one’s life to reflect our relationship with Christ. It’s fun when things work out like that. The passage he focused on was a classic: Ephesians 5:21-6:9.

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands

21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.* 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.

31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”* 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Chapter 6

Children and Parents

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord,* for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”*

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

Slaves and Masters

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

My thought I’d like to focus on with this passage of scripture is to look specifically at each person’s different relationships, or at least the ones s/he is comfortable talking about. Let’s eschew the general and get specific. What does it look like for me to h

ave my marriage characterized by my relationship with Christ? How about my relationship with my son? How about my relationship with my boss/co-workers? (Clearly the slave/master is analogous to a work-environment today for our purposes here). Paul wrote this expecting people to really think hard about the relationships in their lives. I don’t know how much preparation ahead of time can be made for this one other than to form a mental inventory of important relationships (and maybe “unimportant” as well) and come prepared to really examine how we can improve these relationships.

See you Wednesday! Cheers!

A church with women pastors is a church with no pastor

…or so the quote goes. This is a very contentious issue in the modern church.

Before you say, “no one will change their mind–what’s the point in discussing this one” I must beg your attention. First of all, the point of theological discourse–at least at Theology on Tap–is not to persuade so much as to understand fully. By fully, I mean to appreciate a melange of perspectives which can hone and strengthen our connection to God. At best, hearing a new perspective can change my own–at its worst it helps fuel my desire to enter a conversation with God (though prayer and through studying His Word) to refine my original opinion with increased clarity and perspective.

Second of all, I feel this issue is quite pertinent in the larger scope of relevancy and method for the modern church. How much of the church’s view of women is truly part of God’s message and plan and how much of it is simply an established man-made method? Of course, how one reads the Bible will profoundly impact how one approaches this issue, but I feel it is still extremely important. It’s like the canaries used in gold-mining back in the day.

You see, they would use canaries in coal mines to detect dangerous gases. The birds would die far before the men would feel the ill effects of the odorless gasses. The birds weren’t there as pets–they were there to serve a larger purpose.

In the same way I see this issue of women in ministry as not simply being a single issue one can side with…one issue on a long list of contentious topics. To me, how one approaches an issue such as this is a practical demonstration of one’s ability or lack of ability to differential the difference between focusing one’s life on the “Message” of the Gospel verses the “method” one might use to deliver said message. Why is the church shrinking so rapidly? Because of its inability to be relevant to contemporary culture. Is the message irrelevant? No! Are our methods irrelevant? I think so.

However, since I know the crowd I usually get (and I love you all!) and I know you will mostly be largely sympathetic to the ladies’ plight in ministry, I cam coming prepared to act as devil’s advocate; I will come ready to throw every verse and every argument in favor of God’s planned design for ministry00a plan which does not permit women to serve as pastor.

Why will I do this? My desire is that you leave with a honed and clarified perspective.

Here is some research I challenge you to peruse before Wednesday night:

• 1 Timothy 3:1-7
• Titus 1:5-9
• 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
• 1 Timothy 2:11-15
• Romans 5:12-14
• Romans 16:1-7
• 1 Corinthians 11:11-12
• Acts 2:17-19
• Galatians 3:28
• Nazarene view of women in Ministry
• An open letter to John MacArthur
• John MacArthur’s Sermon Series on this Topic
• A sort of “Wikipedia” approach to the issue

See you Wednesday, Pint in hand!

–Cheers!

Last week’s topic still a “go”

Last week something really neat happened. Despite us having a predetermined weekly topic, various people showed up with items they really wanted to discuss right on the fly. I’ve always envisioned Theology on Tap has having an organic sensibility, and scrapping plans to meet the immediate needs of the group simply seemed like the right thing to do. So we had a great (couple of) discussions, but didn’t get to the topic from last week.

Barring something similar happening again (which would be rad) we’ll pick up with last week’s topic–scope out the last blog post if you need a refresher.

Cheers!

Your Life Shouldn’t Be About Helping/Serving Others

Did that get your attention? Good. That is a statement I would have disagreed with a month ago. I now agree with it completely. Of course, I only agree due to a nitpicky bit of semantics, but I don’t want to jump to the punchline here–there’s a great conversation here with tremendous room for good points on both sides.

Let me set it up for you:

Mission vs. Evangelism

In the last decade or more the term “missional” has become a huge buzzword in the church. What’s interesting is how it is used differently depending on who you talk to. The best short version I can give here is that a missional church is all about doing good works in their community. These are the churches who run soup kitchens, clothe the poor, put on community events, etc. At their very least, a missional church reaches out into the community with fun community-centered activities with “no strings attached.” The love of Christ is demonstrated to the world. This idea is also closely related to the famous quote (attributed to–probably falsely–to Saint Francis of Assisi):

“Preach the Gospel–and when necessary use words.”

As great as this may sound, there are those who take issue with this approach–myself included. This leads me to the ultimate question for Wednesday that I see having a thousand answers:

Can one preach the gospel without using words?

Before you discount this as a nitpicky issue of little importance, I implore you to reconsider. Is there anything more important to discuss than the proper way to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ? If one does indeed call oneself a follower of Christ the Great Commission commands Christ’s followers to share the Gospel with the world. I think there are few things more important than discussing the practical ramifications of this command. How exactly does one share the Gospel with the people in one’s life?

My grappling with this issue was initially spurred by a post made by my friend (and pastor) Stu. His blog post about mission vs. evangelism can be found here: Disciples Church.

If you would like to understand what a missional church is better than my brief description, head here:

• Christian Post
• Baptist Bulletin
• Mission Church Network

…and if you just want to cut to the punchline:

• Church Leaders

See you Wednesday–pints in hand!

Why Can’t Christians Play Nice?

Next Meeting is Wednesday, December 28th

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I recently had a conversation with a friend (who happens to be a pastor) which left me feeling very turned-about. It revolved around a recent YouTube video posted by Bethel Church about God’s Glory Cloud appearing in front of their stage during a worship service. Here’s the video if you haven’t seen it–the cloud finally appears around 6:30, but the whole video is worth watching to keep it in perspective:

My friend (the pastor) posted a link to this video on Facebook with what I felt was a very derogatory comment. Regardless of my personal feelings for Bethel’s post, I didn’t feel his derogatory comments were very…well, Christian, in heart and attitude. We went back and forth about this for a bit. In the end he ended up removing the comments even though he did feel like he had a right to voice his disagreement with their teaching. He then asked me a very good question:

“How can I voice my criticism without attacking?”

I admitted I didn’t have a very good answer.

Very often we find ourselves in disagreement with others. Sometimes these disagreements seem trivial and we shrug them off–one’s view of eschatology might fall in this category for many people. Other times these disagreements can seem insurmountable to the point where we question the other person’s integrity and character; we even question whether this person is indeed a Christian. Topics like homosexuality, politics, or even whether a literal/figurative interpretation of the Bible is appropriate often fall under this latter category.

Clearly someone is right and someone is wrong (heck, I always think I’m right). As a Christian, we feel convicted of what God has told us. So what do we do when others disagree? How can I voice my criticism and disagreement without attacking them?

I’m not convinced a “agree to disagree” is even a valid answer–at least not fully. It fails to take real emotions into account. What about when I feel another person is leading people astray from the true path of God? How do I simply agree to disagree? I can’t! So how do I voice my criticism?

I found a few interesting articles; some I agree with–some I do not. Peruse if you wish, or not. Either way, come ready to give me some wisdom in this; I definitely need it.

1. Relevant Magazine
2. Gospel Coalition (great video conversation about how to handle this situation–well worth watching)

Next Meeting is Wednesday, December 28th

(we are skipping a week due to my staff party–see you all then!)

Reclaiming the Holiday Season

Amidst the backdrop of frenetic shopping, I have enjoyed previewing this week’s reading, Mark 11-12. We are going through Mark because we agreed at Pubchurch that all Christians–no matter the background–agree Jesus is the center of everything we should be living for. Although this may have been the impetus for this study, I am finding the life of Jesus particularly poignant right now against the pre-holiday shopping atmosphere around me.

I see our continued jaunt through Mark has having two possible approaches to discussions. On the one hand, we can go through the chapters and discuss what we see. On the other hand, we can also discuss how the Gospel of Mark as we have understood it to this point applies to this Advent season of the year.

I look forward to that frosty pint (or two) with everyone Wednesday night!

Mark 9-10 Reminder!

Just a quick reminder we’ll be talking about Mark 9-10 today at Theology on Tap. While we’re going through story which is so very straightforward is a great time to bring a buddy/neighbor/co-worker to T.O.T.! See you tonight at 7!

Read Mark 9-10 Here

Get Behind Me, Satan

Man, can you imagine being right next to Jesus and then having him reprimand you, calling you Satan? Peter was a cool dude, in the end, but he suffers a painful rebuke in this week’s reading. His crime? He doesn’t like what Jesus is teaching–he doesn’t feel Jesus’s message about his impending death and resurrection is the right way to go. Obviously Jesus didn’t take kindly to Peter thinking he could mold Jesus into his own image of what he thought Jesus should be.

Yep, we’re reading Mark Chapters 7-8 this week. This is only my favorite part, but there’s much more to this week’s chapters than this short story. Come Wednesday with your thoughts, ideas, questions, and…um…taste buds! Cheers!

Mark Ch. 7-8