Does Theology Matter?

Ah, it's great to be back!

Joshua Harris has a new book out called Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters. In the book trailer below, he explains if our theology is wrong, then we'll get everything else wrong:

DugDownDeep_Carnahan.mov from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.

Harris is right about wrong theology. I hate to point fingers, but I can think of a few examples of how bad theology leads to bad stewardship.

For starters, there's the environment. Jerry Falwell Sr. once said he doesn't care about the environment because Jesus was going to destroy the world when He returns. For years many Christians have held the same belief. It's only know that Christians are beginning to realized that God called us to tend to the earth (Genesis 2:15), and so far we've done a pretty bad job of being environmental stewards.

Another good example of bad theology is the way some Christians interpret Matthew 26:11. Some Christians use this as an excuse to not do anything about poverty, but that's not what Jesus meant. I think what He meant was there is a time to go out and serve the poor, and then there's a time to spend it with Jesus. Or as Deuteronomy 15:11 puts it, "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." So the Christian life is a life of worship and stewardship.

Then there's this guy, Pastor Steve Anderson:



And let's not forget Dr. James David Manning!



Need I say more?

Now I must point out that I've noticed some Christians get so wrapped up with having the right theology that they bash anyone whose theology doesn't align 100% with theirs. For example, there are the infamous Heresy Hunters (I won't mention names because they tend to magically appear when you say their names, like Beetlejuice) who rip their clothes and yell "Blasphemy!" whenever some one does not perfectly fit into their cookie cutter definition of Christianity.

That's just an extreme example, of course. But I do think that sometimes focusing on having the right theology can easily become a litmus test on who is or isn't a real Christian. I like to think that there's room at the Lord's Table for Christians of all different denominations and interpretations to meet and fellowship. Don't get me wrong, I'm not proposing an "anything goes" approach to faith. But how can your brother learn and grow in faith if we exclude him from the table because his theology is slightly off from ours? Or what if we're the ones who have the wrong theology?

Does theology matter? How much?

Monday Morning Awesomeness: 05/31/10

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! Here's a song from my favorite new band, Sleigh Bells.

Monday Morning Awesomeness: 05/24/10

Today's Monday Morning Awesomeness is brought to you by the adorable PS22 school chorus. In this video, the kids sing Beach House's "Zebra."



Boy, if only my elementary school was this hip!

A Question Before I Go

I'd love to hear your responses.

Blogging Break

Starting next week, I'm going to take a week off from blogging. We all need a break every once in a while, don't we?

I will post a video for Monday Morning Awesomeness, and I'll try to upload a new episode of Coffee Chats (there won't be one this week because of scheduling conflicts), but that will be it.

Take care, guys!

My Secret Name

I am a recovering self-injurer.

It started when I was little with hitting myself in the head, and then I progressed to cutting in high school. I've been in and out of therapy several times to deal with this issue, but I never wanted to stop. It was the only thing keeping me sane. Then when I gave myself to God about ten years ago, my attitude about SI changed. I knew there was more to life that slicing up my skin, and that there was hope.

I wish I could say I haven't cut in ten years, but that would be a lie. During this whole recovery process I've relapsed several times. Sometimes I feel like I'll never be completely healed.

Last week Kary Oberbrunner talked about self-injury over at Throw Mountains. He has a book coming out soon called Your Secret Name where he talks about discovering who God created us to be, which is expressed through this idea of a "secret name." His website includes a free test that helps you discover what your secret name is.

According to the test, my secret name is Free.

*Record scratch*

Wait, what? Free? Me? You gotta be kidding!

But then I remember what Jesus said: "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36) So, wait, you mean I'm already free? So why do I still feel imprisoned? Is it because I keep forgetting that I'm free? Or maybe I can't believe that I'm free?

It's true that I have a hard time comprehending grace, because I always thought of atonement as something you had to do on your own. But that's not how God works. He's offering me grace for free. Well, maybe not totally free, because it cost Jesus His life. But since Jesus already did the dirty work, that means all I have to do is accept that gift of grace.

Now don't think that I'm suggesting a quick easy fix for self-injury. SI is like alcoholism or anything other addiction--recovery is one day at a time. But I do think it's time I start remembering that I am free man, even though I sometimes can't understand it.

Just So You All Know

I just deleted the "Straight Man's Burden" post.

I couldn't deal with it anymore.

I also turned off the comments.

If you want to continue yesterday's conversation with me, email me at tmamone[at]hotmail[dot]com (somehow it's safer to write out your email address like that).

Making War

When I first came across this video, I was a little uneasy. Being Mr. Nonviolence, I was like, "Say what now?" But when I pushed play, I learned that John Piper here is NOT talking about declaring war on others, but on ourselves.

Our addictions.

Our hatred toward others.

Our apathy towards injustice.

Our sinful nature.

"My greatest enemy is not Satan," Piper says. "My greatest enemy is John Piper."

Lately I've been thinking about this video and what it means. There's definitely an battle within me, but mostly I don't fight back. I just surrender and let the darkness take over. Then the darkness tortures me with guilt and shame.

I like to think of myself as a lover, not a fighter. But I think it's time to get my war on.

How do I do this? I think the first step is actually another form of surrendering . . . but this time it's surrendering to Jesus. I'm not strong enough to fight my sin on my own. I need to let the Holy Spirit do the fighting for me.

How do you make war?

Monday Morning Awesomeness: 05/17/10

In honor of the late, great Ronnie James Dio, here is "Rainbow in the Dark."

What is the Word of God?

*UPDATE 7/27/11: Looking back on this, I'm not so sure about the creation part. Don't get me wrong; I still believe that "the heavens declare the glory of God." Just not sure if I would categorize it as being a part of "the Word of God."

* * *

A few weeks ago I said that in order for the Emergent Church to prevail, the number one thing it needs to do is rely on the Word of God. When most people say "the Word of God," the usually refer to just the Bible. Yet throughout the Bible I see four ways God's Word is expressed:

1. Scripture. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16) This is God's Word captured in print for all to use. We need to explore the Bible from all angles in order to get a clear understanding of God's will.

2. Creation. "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1) Just like a poem reveals something about the poet, or a painting reflects the painter, nature reflects God. By His Word all things have they're being. In order to know the Creator, we must observe His creation.

3. Spirit. "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you." (John 16:13-14) According to the Nicene Creed, the Holy Spirit spoke by the prophets of old, and He still speaks to us today.

4. Jesus. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." (John 1:14) Jesus is God's ultimate revelation about Himself. To know God is to know Jesus, and vice-versa. We need to consider His actions and words, and how that applies to our lives.

And as you can see, all four ways are connected. We read the Bible, we let the Holy Spirit explain it to us, we look for real-life examples in nature, and in the end it all points back to Jesus.

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for revealing Yourself through Your Word, in all its forms.

On Past Regrets and Irresitible Grace

Lately I've been thinking about a certain situation I was in about six or seven years go. I can't go into details, but I will say this--I said some things, and a friendship was ruined for good. After it happened I spent about a good year or so plagued with guilt until finally things settled down. Yet every now and then I get this terrible feeling that one day some one is going to accuse me of being a liar.

Can you tell it's hard for me to let go of stuff?

Sometimes I get this weird idea that God will eventually lose His patience dealing with a guy like me. Yet as a friend of mine recently told me, there's always room for repentance. If Jesus told Peter to forgive people not seven times, but seventy-seven times, maybe God is always willing to forgive me, no matter how many times I have to repent.

This is why I think the Calvinists were right about the whole Irresistible Grace thing, because no matter how many times I try to run away from God (both deliberately and unconsciously), I always come back to Him. I come back like the prodigal son with my head hanging low, no longer worthy to be called a son. And yet, for some reason, I'm always welcomed back home.

Have you ever thought God lost patience with you?

By the Way . . .

If you've noticed I haven't posted any new Coffee Chats episodes on this blog, it's because Coffee Chats now has it's own website: www.coffeechatspodcast.com.

So don't worry, folks; my podcasting days are far from over.

Monday Morning Awesomeness: 05/10/10

I used to go to a megachurch with a production team (oh, excuse me, "ministry"), so this video hits close to home.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Learning From Others

As regular readers know, I never understood why a lot of Christians believe that their denomination and their theology is the only correct theology/denomination, and everyone else isn't a real Christian. The more I study different theologies and denominations, the more I see truth in them all. In fact, they've all taught me different things about my faith.

From the Lutheran Church, I learned the structured mysticism of the liturgy.

From the Mennonite Church, I learned about being a peacemaker.

From the Quakers, I learned about being still and listening for that still small voice.

From the Calvinists (yes, you read right), I learned how God's grace prevails over my depravity.

I wonder what we could all learn from each other if we just listened.

Monday Morning Awesomeness: 05/03/10

Last week my friends Renee Johnson and Sarah Cunningham teamed up with Kary Oberbrunner, Jesse Rice, and Shawn Wood to launch Throw Mountains, a "pro-church speaking tour for 20/30 somethings and the churches who love them." Below is the trailer.

Travis' Travelin' Mix

Like with so many restless youth, Jack Kerouac's On the Road changed my life forever. As soon as I finished reading it I wanted to hop in an old Sedan and drive across America, looking for whatever life had to offer. "One day," I kept telling myself, "one day."

Well it's been about 13 years now, and I still haven't gone on that big American road trip yet. But I did make a compile a cool mix of songs for the road!

1. "Roadrunner" by The Modern Lovers
2. "Nothing Left to Lose" by Mat Kearney
3. "Car Song" by Woody Guthrie
4. "Me and the Boys" by NRBQ
5. "The Weight" by The Band
6. "Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard" by Paul Simon
7. "One of These Things First" by Nick Drake
8. "Portland, Oregon" by Loretta Lynn and Jack White
9. "Muzzle of Bees" by Wilco
10. "Brackett, WI" by Bon Iver
11. "Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens
12. "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" by Bob Dylan
13. "Caroline in My Mind" by James Taylor
14. "Everybody Knows" by Ryan Adams
15. "Porch Songs" by Chris Pureka
16. "Homeward Bound" by Simon and Garfunkle
17. "This Land is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie
18. "Tennessee" by Mindy Smith
19. "I and Love and You" by the Avett Brothers
20. "Long Ride Home" by Patty Griffin