Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Today in Hebrews: Hebrews 7

Today's vodcast was on Hebrews 7--Christ's Melchizedekian Priesthood

Here is the link: http://indwes.acrobat.com/p67468362/

By the way, I guess Cedarville University had some debacle over a guy named Shane Claiborne. I'm taking that he must be emergent. I don't know anything about the guy, but Scot McKnight gives first details at

http://www.jesuscreed.org/?p=3471

Also see Mike Cline's thoughts here: http://reclinerramblings.blogspot.com/2008/02/cedarville-university-cancels-shane.html

I guess the guy was scheduled to speak but then had to be cancelled because of outcry from bloggers in the area. Some of these emergents no doubt need some steering and correction.

But ask me who more has the heart of Christ? Is it people like the guy in the video who in the name of the King James insists on standing up when he urinates? Or is it a group that believes that mercy triumphs over justice (James 2:13), that God wants everyone to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4), and that, oh yeah, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son (need I give the reference).

Hands down, it's the latter.

By the way, here is a clip of the guy. Ironically, it was posted on a blog to show how evil he is. I have to wonder what's going on in the heart of someone who has such a violent reaction to this guy. You may not agree with everything he says, but how can you doubt that his heart is more right than wrong?

It is easy to run over people like this Shane--he might even offer you his left cheek after you have struck the first blow on his right.

12 comments:

Mike Cline said...

Thanks, I got inside info from an administrator formerly from IWU. Much of what I wrote was his take on the situation (with my bias throw in of course).

Anonymous said...

Ken
You blame the facsist/fundamentalism in The Wesleyan Church on Calvinists? Hold on guy, if my memory serves me well because I was there, the Holiness Movement did not need the Calvinist in that regard. The Wesleyans were the masters of legalism, fundamentalism and intolerance. I can remember my days at "Marion College" being warned not to read Calvinists, liberals, Charismatics or any other literature that did not follow the cool aide drinker dogma of The Wesleyan Church. So you Wesleyans have evolved beyond the fascist fundamentalism of your past and now are alarmed at seeing some remnant of it creeping back into your reinvented neo-holiness movement? I don't think it ever left and blaming it on the Calvinists, shame on you. It has probably been there all along, you just didn't notice it from your ivory tower:)

Ken Schenck said...

It is not Calvinism itself that I am denouncing here (e.g., none of my rhetoric here would apply to Calvin College or Wheaton). It is the versions of it that I associate with people like the guy in the video I posted last week.

I am willing to submit to you if you convince me I'm wrong on any issue. But I associate this particular movement with "haters of truth" who are not interested in submitting to truth at all but in making others submit to their highly dubious "truths." These groups have invented a movement that doesn't even exist in any meaningful sense and dubbed it "the new age movement," a movement that is an invented enemy into which they throw anything they don't like.

I'm sorry for any wrong the "Weslo-fascists" of the past might have done you.

Mike Cline said...

The whole thing just seems so immature to me, but because I am not as well reasoned or mature as yourself, I got sucked into the bait. I think what bothers me is that I see this people on a weekly basis. I go to the Emergent Cohort here in the Twin Cities and hear how these people lose sleep over these "Appraising" ministries. I'm friends with a new monastic leader (mark van steenwyk) who has had to respond to these critiques this week. I'm in class as I type this with Dr. Chris Armstrong, whose article for Christianity Today was chopped up in bits and pieces for Silva's benefit. These are people who love Jesus, serve the Church (sometimes for hardly any profit), and yet still get attacked.

The reality is that Silva believes the current Church could benefit from more division. Which is a fine opinion, but in my take, a wrong one.

Ken Schenck said...

Au contraire, I was very impressed with your civility and tone--I'm the hot head today. I thought to myself--Mike's sure showing good leadership on this issue. He's really mature in this discussion!

Then I thought, well, he's probably posting too much on Scot's blog. And then McKnight asked you to take it somewhere else :-)

Anonymous said...

Ken
I would associate the video of the wacko you posted last week an example of a fundamentalist Independent Baptist or a Wesleyan Methodist of the past. As far as truth wars go in the church, I think church history will show that these battles have waged for centuries and no doubt will for centuries to come. To think that post-modernism will cure this battle for who is right or wrong is wishful thinking. I suspect before you retire, post moderns will be battling each other as to whose relative truth is most orthodox.

Ken Schenck said...

I'm sure glad you said Wesleyan Methodist instead of we old fashioned but warm hearted Pilgrims... :-)

Mike Cline said...

Yeah I saw that coming. I just knew that more people would read it on Jesus Creed than my own blog. :) A bit selfish of me perhaps.

Ken Schenck said...

I decided to edit out my overreaction.

::athada:: said...

I know it is dangerous to glorify the saints, but I can say from reading about and visiting Shane's community that I have never met anyone who takes Christian discipleship more seriously and holistically. Whether it is peacemaking in Iraq (& in front of Lockheed-Martin), sewing their own clothes, working for the good of their neighborhood, or welcoming in addicts and prostitutes, these guys are the real deal.

I don't see any major blemishes in Shane's theology and we all certainly have minor ones, at the very least. By their fruit, you will recognize them. All the haters need to look at their checkbooks, their neighborhoods, their visions of community, and their commitments to radical discipleship long and hard. It's harder to shout accusations with a lump in your throat.

Perhaps that's why the attack was launched with blogs :)

Scott D. Hendricks said...

"all the small things . . ."

How true.

Phil Strahm said...

His book "Irresistible Revolution" is a good and thought provoking read.

His new book is titled "Jesus For President."

http://www.jesusforpresident.org/

He has an interesting "tour" coming up and will be in Indy on June 24th. Just check out the website.