I don’t know what reasons #1 and #2 are, but I know this one ranks way up there. As Frank Viola pointed out in Reimagining Church, there is one source that for sure impedes God’s purposes in Christ – human traditions. One tradition that has a stranglehold in most of what calls itself “church” is the notion that the buck stops with “the pastor.” This so-called “office” is, as was unfolded in chapter five of Pagan Christianity, the biggest “obstacle to every-member functioning.” As this all works … [Read more...]

FRAGILE mark i always assumed you were strong impregnable thinking you stood like granite in the swirling storms then you told me on the phone In 1985 that you were crushed doubting hurting dismayed it took me a few days to really believe that you were fragile too but as time elapsed i began to see that my wife and daughters and son are fragile like vases that can slip off the shelf and shatter we’re all like flowers whose delicate petals can be torn off with … [Read more...]

PAY UP -- OR NO SACRAMENTS FOR YOU! Constantine is still alive and well on planet earth. Here's a blatant example of how carnal things get in religion when State & Church are joined together. It also illustrates graphically what religion is all about -- fear and control. The "laity" are told by those in power -- if you don't cough up your tithe, the vital religious rituals we provide for you (wherein salvation is found) will be withheld. Basically, it's "pay up or perish." These kind of … [Read more...]

In August 2011 I did a blog on “When Are We Going to Wake Up to Reality? The Nightmare of the Pastoral Institution.” Welcome to Part Two! First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, had 15,000 people come to its weekend services, and claimed 40,000 members. This growth had come primarily as a result of the pastor’s leadership and charisma over the past eleven years. But just like that, the pastor is dismissed, and now the deacons are crawling into bed tonight with sweat rolling down their … [Read more...]

  The NIV translates Eph. 2:10 as, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This translation can easily lead to misunderstanding. The text does not appear to say anything about works “to do.” Let’s look at Paul’s flow of thought. In verse 6, he points out that we have been co-resurrected with Christ and co-seated in the heavenlies with Him. These glorious realities result in God’s excelling riches of grace … [Read more...]

                In 2011, I was substitute teaching in a high school English class. That day, the lesson plan for one class called for a section of Act 2 of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible to be read aloud. This is a fictionalized historical play that takes place in late 17th century Salem, Massachusetts, concerning the infamous Witch Trials. Tucked away in the dialogue are some very striking points concerning the outworkings of … [Read more...]