Buyer Beware!

There’s all kinds of crazy crap out there on the internet these days. Egads! In one recent blog post, Bob Cargill suggested that people should disagree agreeably and possibly even share a beer afterwards! More than that, he claims it’s happening! I’m not sure how trustworthy such a fellow could possibly be. In another blog, [...]

Posted in: Academia, Church, Culture, Humor, blogging by J. R. Daniel Kirk No Comments

House Church as Microcosm

Spurred by my friend, John Armstrong (his thoughts, his questions) I have been offering some ruminations on house church over the past few days (part 1, part 2, part 3). We attend a house church in San Francisco, something that we backed into rather than pursued from any idea that house church “gets it right.” [...]

Posted in: Church, Culture by J. R. Daniel Kirk No Comments ,

Craigslist Sex Ads Pulled

An article from the Associated Press indicates that Craigslist has recently taken down its “Adult Services” Ads. This is a very big deal. Unfortunately, it’s not a big deal for the reasons being given about why it had to be done and why they did, in fact, do it. The reason it’s really a big [...]

Posted in: Culture by J. R. Daniel Kirk 2 Comments , ,

[House] Church Challenges

John Armstrong invites what he calls “the home church movement” to reflect on a few of its potential pitfalls. The first question is whether or not the home church movement can thrive if there is not more emphasis on preaching and teaching the word. Instruction is important, but here are a few thoughts in response. [...]

Posted in: Church, Culture by J. R. Daniel Kirk 4 Comments

House Church, Take 2

I want to clear up a few things about my own participation in a house church. First, I’m not doing it because I love that small group experience. Honestly, the “small group experience” has posed the greatest difficulty for me in this setting. I tend to prefer to sing songs with a hundred or two [...]

Posted in: Church, Culture by J. R. Daniel Kirk 6 Comments , ,

Reflecting on House Church

My friend (and not just on Facebook!) John Armstrong has posted a couple of thoughts about “the home church movement”, the first listing some of its draw and the second outlining some of his concerns. Since I attend a house church, I thought I’d weigh in on his thoughts with some of my own thrown [...]

Posted in: Church, Culture by J. R. Daniel Kirk 19 Comments ,

Biblical Roots of Beck’s Civil Religion

As I’ve caught various whiffs of Glenn Beck’s calls to America to turn back to God, I’ve simultaneously felt the biblical currents that enliven such a dream. Thought it is sometimes hard to see, and requires a little bit of reconstruction, Beck’s vision of a Christian nation is a thoroughly biblical idea. We catch sight [...]

Hope for Now

A couple of questions for my Christian readers: Have you ever taken comfort in the fact that you are justified in Christ, and therefore assured of your standing before God? Have you ever prayed for God’s kingdom to come and God’s will to be done on earth? Have you ever pointed to someone spiritual growth [...]

Response to Emerging Church: Sanity Is Possible

I was heartened to day to read the Church of the Nazarene’s statement on Emerging/Emergent churches. This is one of the most balanced responses I have seen, and coming from a somewhat conservative ecclesiastical body I am even more impressed with its balance and winsomeness. The statement acknowledges those among the church’s number who are [...]

Posted in: Church, Culture by J. R. Daniel Kirk 4 Comments , ,

Serenity: Love, Belief, and a World Without Sin

If you’ve missed the series Firefly, you may go to Hulu right now and start catching up. It was canceled after one season but managed to produce not only a huge cult following but also a feature film entitled Serenity. Following up on the series, and assuming for the most part that you know the [...]

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