Christmas Pageant Disaster and Mars Hill Snow Days: Lessons for the Megachurches

Lazurus here. The last four days in the tomb were no fun. Thanks to Jesus for getting me out.

Two items of interest regarding unusual situations in large churches caught my attention yesterday.

First, a Cincinnati church was putting on a Christmas pageant when a woman …

iMonk 101: Dan Edelen and A Gospel That Speaks To Failure

I'm too sick to write anything, but I looked back in the archives and found this Riff on an outstanding post by Dan Edelen that fits in nicely with "Ted the Loser."

I noted that I was talking about the effects of a major economic downturn on evangelicalism in this …

Rotten Sick

I'm rotten sick. I'll check back in tomorrow, but I'm pretty miserable.

Pray for David Wayne, the Jollyblogger, who has colon cancer.

Advent With Ted the Loser

UPDATE: My apologies for what the discussion thread turned into on this post. Some things are just very hard to moderate because they aren't nasty and they are tangentially on topic. Then you get to the point you realize the whole thread has been hijacked by points of …

Brandon Milan- I Think My Wife's A Calvinist

Open Mic At the iMonk Cafe: Christians and Technology

D.A. Carson has a wonderfully thoughtful and well-written editorial in this month's Themelios web magazine. It's not particularly long and it will be a provocative way to think about this week's open mic question, so go read it and come back.

The Question is: How would …

The Unlikely Command of Holy Joy

In my twice weekly study of Nehemiah, we're still in chapter 8, and today we observed that the reading of the book of the law caused a strong emotional reaction among those who heard it read and explained.

That reaction was grief and weeping.

Neh. 8:9

The Liturgical Gangstas 3: The Authority/Dissent Issue

Welcome to IM's popular new feature, "The Liturgical Gangstas," a panel discussion among different liturgical traditions represented in the Internet Monk audience.

Who are the Gangstas?

Father Ernesto Obregon is an Eastern Orthodox priest.

Rev. Peter Vance Matthews is …

Christmas Giveaway at Eclectic Christian

Michael Bell at Eclectic Christian is having a Christmas giveaway. Stop over and enter. You'll see why.

"Additional Doctrines," Baptist Style

In debates and discussions here at Internet Monk.com, a reader is likely to read that Catholics have "added doctrines" to Christianity. My reaction is not so much to challenge the statement- I believe it is a universal fact in Christian history- but to raise the issue …

The Spencer Family Christmas Newsletter

For those of you who take an interest in our lives and pray for us, and for those of you who really, really don't have much of a life, I'm posting the Spencer Family Christmas Newsletter.

If you read this site, you won't learn much you don't know, but maybe someone out …

While We're Talking About Interpreting the Bible

Oh. We're not talking about interpreting the Bible? Well....I am, so deal.

I usually just don't say anything when I hear Biblical interpretation leave the road and head for the ditches. But doggone it, there's some fairly basic stuff here that could be very helpful to …

An Ideal Evangelicalism?

Somewhere in the previous orgy of comments I've had this week, someone asked me to write about "What do you see as the ideal evangelicalism?"

There is no ideal evangelicalism and there's not going to be. It's certainly not going to be ideal if I am the architect. So …

Father Cantalamessa's Second Sunday in Advent Sermon (Read it)

If I didn't need written permission, I'd reprint this entire sermon here on the site because I want it in the archives. But I'll be a good blogger and link it to its home at Zenit, the Catholic News Service. You can get it in various formats there.

A more Christocentric …

Internet Monk Radio Podcast #121

Media ignorance of the Bible. The "Incomplete" Merton. Aren't Evangelicals All About "Self-Feeding?" (I think this was one of my best podcasts.)

Our sponsors are: New Reformation Press. Order your copy of the Treasury of Daily Prayer from NRP. And do it soon.

Zaccheus …

Recommendation and Review: NLT Bible Study Guides, , Chronological Bible and "Live" Teen Bible (and a bit of venting about special packaging of the Bible for teenagers)

I've reviewed and endorsed the New Living Translation Study Bible, and I continue to use it with real appreciation. I've been a fan of the NLT ever since Noel Heikkinen convinced me to give the second revision of the translation a more serious look. I now use it a great …

Recommendation and Review: Faith and Culture Devotional by Kelly Monroe Kullberg and Lael Arrington

Yes, end of the year is book review time. I have several headed your way before December ends.

I generally do not review books that I don't like. If I don't like them, I won't have much to say about them. If I like them, I'll say so and tell you why.

My problem is what …

Stop. Look. Worship in Awe.

The Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar. Words fail completely.

Open Thread Discussion: Group Punishment/Blessing in the Bible

In my Bible classes, I often will come up with a topic that relates to what we've been studying, and I'll ask the students to prepare to debate either side of a proposition related to what we've learned.

I thought this week's topic would make for an interesting topic of …

When the "Reached" are "Unreached"

UPDATE: I had to close out the discussion when the two infallible versions of Christianity started talking to each other. Since I can't buy either one of them, I got annoyed.