“But there is only one thing that has power completely, and that is love. Because when a man loves he seeks no power, therefore he has power,” Alan Paton (Cry the Beloved Country) During a recent weekend trip I had an intense discussion with an agnostic friend. Church and religion are to her one of [...]
Archive for the ‘Observation Post’ Category
Power of Love vs. Love of Power
Posted: May 16, 2011 in Observation PostTags: impact phialthropy, love, motivation, narcissism, philanthropist, power, relief, religiosity, religious activity
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TCK Takeaway: 10 Practices of Love in your Religious Activities
Posted: May 15, 2011 in Observation PostIt’s about God, not about you. It’s through experiencing the great love of God and understanding the nature of Christ’s sacrifice for us that we are taught how to love. Love God back. We are told that the greatest commandment is to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Love your [...]
TCK Takeaway: 10 Habits for Avoiding Evangelical Consumerism
Posted: February 6, 2011 in Observation PostTags: Church, consumerism, evangelical
After writing the post Consumerism for the masses; Mass for the consumer, I took some time to reflect on how one might engage in worship without succumbing to the lure of religious consumerism. As we grapple with troublesome cultural trends within our churches, the temptation may be to withdraw. However, the best way to change [...]
Art for the Consumer Masses; Mass for the Consumer
Posted: January 5, 2011 in Observation PostTags: art, Art of the steal, cathedral, commodity, consumer, glory, mass, museum, worship
“When art is not flourishing, religion languishes . . . the two often wax and wane in tandem.” Earle Jerome Coleman. There seems to me a mysterious metaphysical connection between aesthetics and religion, art and worship that I find myself hesitant to explore. Each subject on it’s own is daunting, yet I am intrigued by [...]
Evangelicalism, Power, and unTrue Truths
Posted: October 23, 2010 in Book Report, Observation PostTags: absolute truth, book, Church, crazy for God, dominionism, evangelical, Francis Schaeffer, Frank Schaeffer, fundementalism, postmodernism, power, truth
Recently, I read Crazy for God by Frank Schaeffer. It was a trippy book for me to read. Although I have heard about L’Abri most of my life, I did not anticipate how much Frank Schaeffer’s childhood resembled my own. We both were raised as MKs (Missionary Kids) immersed in the fabric of fundamentalism and [...]
American Manger Scenes
Posted: October 20, 2010 in Observation PostTags: Drive-thru nativity, evangelicalism, hegemony, Manger, power, Third Culture Kid
For several years now I’ve wrestled with my inner “evangelical”. I like the music, the coffee, the manger scenes. There’s something so American about church. It’s a great show, often quirky, but to me, always a little foreign as I watch the others swaddle up the fake baby Jesus and grab another cup of coffee. [...]
