Lesson 2 Paradox, Mysteries and Contradictions

Lesson 1 Divine Revelation - General Revelation

Enclave Theology

Via Mike Bird:

By ‘enclave’ theology, I mean a theology based narrowly in a single tradition that seeks not to learn from other traditions and to enrich them, but instead to topple and defeat them, or at least to withstand them. Enclave theology is polemical theology even when it assumes an irenic facade. Its limited agenda makes it difficult for it to take other traditions seriously and deal with them fairly. Whether openly or secretly, it is not really interested in dialogue but in rectitude and hegemony…Because of its temptation to misrepresent or devalue traditions with which it disagrees, such theology is finally divisive and futile … Enclave theology makes itself look good, at least in its own eyes, by making others look bad. George Hunsinger (“The Eucharist and Ecumenism”, p. 1)

Sadly, I encounter these type of people way too often.

African Christians don't read African authors - The same goes for Latin Americans.

This blog is written by a Latin American, so many things will have to do with how I see the world from a Latin American perspective.

Christianity Today has published an article that mentions how Africans are reading more christian American authors rather than authors from their own continent, that also write christian books. The article gives many reasons why authors from Africa don't feel compelled to write, but it also reflects the interest within the African community about prosperity gospel, and also about how much they know about the American type of Christianity, and how little they know about their own.

In Latin American, we suffer a similar thing. The prosperity Gospel teachers chew books out of the printer regularly. There's also a growing section of Christianity that are reading faithful Christian writers from the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe. This is good, but they don't go beyond that. Some, only read Reformed flavoured literature, and at times, only XVI century writers, that don't relate to the practical pastoral issues being faced in the continent.

This article, along with that particular whole issue of Christianity Today, opens us to the world of how diverse Christianity can be. It's not a sin to be different, if we are still faithful to the word of God.

Are you a fan, or are you a fan?

At Church, we are doing the course "Are you a fan or a follower?"

Thom Rainer, some time ago, talked about this issue, but with inverted roles. This is what Rainer says:

A college football fan loves to win. The typical church member never wins someone to Christ.

A college football fan gets excited if a game goes into overtime. A church member gets mad if the pastor preaches one minute past the allocated time.

A college football fan is loyal to his or her team no matter what. A church member stops attending if things are not going well.

A college football fan is easily recognized by his or her sportswear, bumper stickers, and team flags. Many church members cannot even be recognized as Christians by people with whom they associate.

A college football fan pays huge dollars for tickets, travel, and refreshments for games. A church member may or may not give to his or her church.

A college football fan reads about his or her football team every day. A church member rarely reads the Bible once in the course of a week.

A college football fan attends the game no matter how bad the weather is. A church member stays home if there is a 20 percent chance of rain.

A college football fan invites others to watch the game every week. A church member rarely invites someone to church.

A college football fan is known for his or her passion for the football team. A church member is rarely known for his or her passion for the gospel.

A college football fan will adjust gladly to changes in kickoff time. A church member gets mad if his or her service time is changed by just a few minutes.

A college football fan is loyal even if he or she never gets to meet the coach. A church member gets mad if the pastor does not visit for every possible occasion.

N. T. Wright and the Faithfulness of God

Two blood moons down. We can celebrate...with a shirt

Where Did Rapture Theology Come From? Ben Witherington III

4 Blood Moons Half Price

It is interesting that today, when the second out of 4 blood moons has arrived, the book by John Hagee has been reduced half price!!!

Wait till next year, and nothing happens, still we will we see nothing happening. I would like to know beforehand what excuse they will come up with.

If you follow Hagee and the lot, you lost it!!

Ten objections to the study of Theology - 5

Daily Dose of Greek - Learn Biblical Greek for Free

Regaining Meaningful Church Membership - Mark Dever

Ten objections to the study of Theology - 4

Ten objections to the study of Theology - 3

Ten Objections to study Theology - 2

Ten Objections to study Theology - 1

3 Reasons Church Choirs Are Dying - The question is why??

Over at Charisma Magazine, there's an article dealing with the disappearance of choirs around Evangelical churches.

The article gives 3 reasons:
1. People are reluctant to perform.
2. People move.
3. Money problems force people to change their address or work hours.

Read the whole article here. It may affect you or your church.

Short Review of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

The Journal of New Testament Studies has made some of its articles for free for a limited time

This is a good opportunity to get hold of of scholarly articles. This offer will not last for ever, but will end at the end of the year.

So, go to the address by clicking here.

This is the first article I've got from the website, and it's extremely important and interesting. Click to find out what it is here.

The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship

One of my very dear and honored person, Jim West, despises Pentecostals. He, like McArthur, throws everybody under the bus, and calls Pentecostals "Pentabablists".

Well, there's a lot of scholarship going on in the Pentecostal Camp, and it has answered its critics. What I don't like is that people like McArthur and West (wow, the two of them beside each other in a sentence!!) mark Pentecostals by the fringe groups and radicals that take all the TV time.

Well, for this end, I offer them, and you, this web, that will provide those in the Pentecostal camp with a lot of academic info.

The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship, which you can find here.

You will find a number of other volumes that are useful for the understanding of Pentecostalism, its practices and beliefs.

The book you see in this entry, is the book specifically written to John McArthur's wrongly intended conference "Strange Fire". This is the scholarly answer, to the lack of scholarship that was so evident in that conference. That conference has had a total contrary effect, Pentecostal have banded together, and responded in a very solid way.

Please, take your time to look at this important web.

Hill Song and U2 - Is there a connection?

I was just talking to my daughter yesterday about the new U2 Album, Songs of Innocence, while we were on the car, listening to it.

Nathalie made a very interesting observation. She said, "they sound like the Christian songs that we sing at church". Yes, at our church, we sing HillSong songs.

Today, I find that there's already an article written about my daughter's observation. Get Religion reports:

The sound has evolved over the decades, but is now sometimes compared to U2’s. Tom Wagner, an ethnomusicologist at the University of Edinburgh, said Hillsong’s music was characterised by rich orchestration, but simple harmonies, and was often regarded by listeners as “spiritually anointed.”

“They’re very good at writing songs that are catchy,” Mr. Wagner said. “They know what works.”

The concern is that they are packing their services just to serve a youth culture, and not the whole church over all, which is in tune with today's culture of consumerism, which targets the young, and does not pay much attention to the rest of the community.

Ed Stetzer and Albert Mohler also have a go at HillSong:

But its critics, and there are many, deride Hillsong as hipster Christianity, suggesting that its theology is thin, its enthusiasm for celebrities (Justin Bieber is among its fans) unbecoming, its politics (opposition to abortion and a murky position on homosexuality) opaque.

“It’s a prosperity movement for the millennials, in which the polyester and middle-class associations of Oral Roberts have given way to ripped jeans and sophisticated rock music,” said R. Albert Mohler Jr., the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. “What has made Hillsong distinctive is a minimization of the actual content of the Gospel, and a far more diffuse presentation of spirituality.”

I am bit surprised that after Victoria Osteen's debacle, I have noticed that more scrutiny is given to prosperity Gospel preachers. Hopefully, these Prosperity-Thin Gospel proponents will lend an ear and change their ways, and make Jesus the center of their Gospel.

In the meantime, I am enjoying U2's latest album.

A New Keyboard key some should introduce

Goodbye iPod, your 13 yrs on Earth were appreciated!!!

The Washington Post reminds us today that the iPod as we knew it, is no more.

It came in with a simple promise, a hefty price tag and a man with something white sticking in his ears bopping around his apartment. Soon, it would transform music as we know it, inspire a business model built around pocket change and turn a struggling computer maker into the most valuable company in the world.

Yet the death Tuesday of the iconic iPod just before its 13th birthday went unacknowledged by that company and by a Silicon Valley crowd that wildly applauded the unveiling of a new phone and a smartwatch — products that stood on the slim, metal shoulders of its predecessor. Instead of an announcement, there was only the sad implication of a redirected online page, sending visitors not to information about the iPod Classic but rather to Apple’s home page.

I verified this, and it's true. Not even here in the Australian store, you can find an iPod.

For the divise that took Apple out of dire straits, this is a very unceremoniously farewell.

Well, long live the iPod, the gadget that got me hooked to everything Apple, as it was meant to do.

Is Jesus a Copycat Savior? - J. Warner Wallace

Should I resurrect this blog?

I haven't posted here for a very long time, and now I noticed that it had a bit of an impact.

I am blogging consistently at luisjovel.com, but some don't like the English and Spanish mix, and this blog was always in English.

Oh, what do to do? The dilema I am currently facing!