(7448,12,'2012-08-11 08:00:38','2012-08-11 15:00:38','I can\'t help it. There are a few verses of Scripture that make me cry every time I read them. One of them is John 6:68.\r\n\r\nI\'ll get to the context in a moment in how it deals with following Christ, but I want to quote it now. Peter says to Christ:\r\n\r\n<em> “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\"</em> (John 6:68 ESV)\r\n\r\nToday, it seems that \"following Christ\" involves very little in many circles. Raise your hand after you\'ve said the \"sinner\'s prayer\" and you\'re in the kingdom. Follow the other kids up to the altar during a youth rally and get baptized and you are suddenly a Christ follower.\r\n\r\nI may sound sarcastic right now. I am. I was part of a Billy Graham sponsored crusade (I won\'t mention the speaker) during seminary. I was trained to be a counselor. Before the crusade began in Louisville, we were all shuffled into a room and briefed about how the Billy Graham crusade counselors were all supposed to do their part to get people down to the stage to <em>\"get saved.\"</em>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7450\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade-300x185.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>They handed out the tracts with the <em>\"Roman Road.\"</em> Don\'t know what that is? <a href=\"http://contenderministries.org/romanroad.php\">Google it</a>. It\'s a series of verses you share with someone who wants to come to Christ. Strangely, the guy leading our orientation said, <em>\"Now, I know the last verse, Revelation 3:20, about Jesus standing at the door knocking, has nothing to do with salvation. But we use it anyway.\"</em>\r\n\r\nI was a seminary student at the time. I agreed with him but wanted to say, <em>\"Well, why do you use it?\"</em>\r\n\r\nThen he said, \"<em>You counselors sit at the top of the stadium. When the invitation starts, start coming down. That will encourage other people to start coming down too who might want to make a decision for Christ.\"</em>\r\n\r\nI sat at the top. The speaker gave his best. The invitation came. I went down to counsel. What happened? The crowd that was at 1/4 the capacity they expected thought we were coming down to accept Christ. They were saying, \"God bless you son, for accepting Christ.\" It was manipulative at best. I woke up that day to the crusade system.\r\n\r\nMy heart turned to John 6. How did Jesus handle the people following Him? Well, <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/search/john+6%3A1-14/\">He had just finished feeding them an abundance of loaves and fishes. He had fed their bellies.</a> So guess what? He had a large amount of followers. Why? Because they wanted to know when they were going to get fed again.\r\n\r\nChrist had a ton of followers at that moment. What pastor in our day wouldn\'t love to have that  many people pile into their churches? Really? We\'d be having them sign visitor cards, making them comfortable and enjoy the praise band.\r\n\r\nBut Jesus did something that just about every church growth expert would throw up in their mouth at. He started getting deep in His teaching.\r\n\r\nSome of the people started grumbling because He had said, <em>\"I am the bread that came down from heaven.\"</em> He had claimed stake to His divinity. Of course, Jesus didn\'t back down from His statement. He had thousands of followers at that moment - captivated. But He went on and preached truth:\r\n\r\n<em>Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7451\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life-297x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"297\" height=\"300\" /></a>draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.</em>\r\n(John 6:43-48 ESV)\r\n\r\nOf course, a lot of people didn\'t like that. But Jesus got even harder in His teaching.\r\n\r\n<em>So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.</em> (John 6:53-57 ESV)\r\n\r\nGuess what they all did? They thought his words were too heavy. \"Eat his flesh? Drink his blood?\" Of course he meant they had to suffer like he did. Follow him exclusively. The reaction? They all left.\r\n\r\nExcept twelve men.\r\n\r\nThe thousands had departed. He watched every one of them walk off. Then he turned to the twelve and asked, <em>“Do you want to go away as well?</em>” (John 6:67 ESV)\r\n\r\nHere we come to the crux of it. There are a ton of hard sayings of Christ in Scripture. Very difficult things to fathom. We can\'t just make them into metaphors or figures of speech. He calls for total obedience. Christ, unlike the pastors of today who love to bring people in with soft words, drove people out with the reality of what it mean to follow Him.\r\n\r\nAnd there stood the simple, foot in the mouth disciple Peter. The one who by the grace of God usually had the right words to say.\r\n\r\n<em>“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt wasn\'t about getting physical needs met. It was about having the soul filled. And onward Christ trudged with His 12 toward Calvary to show us what it meant to sacrifice all. To show us what it mean to truly follow and lay it all down.\r\n\r\n_____________________________\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1343975215&amp;sr=8-2\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World</a>.\" He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','\"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System','','publish','open','open','','where-will-we-go-christ-vs-the-crusade-system','','','2012-08-03 10:26:56','2012-08-03 17:26:56','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7448',0,'post','',3),(7449,12,'2012-08-02 23:22:15','2012-08-03 06:22:15','','where shall','','inherit','open','open','','where-shall','','','2012-08-02 23:22:15','2012-08-03 06:22:15','',7448,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/where-shall.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(7450,12,'2012-08-02 23:23:32','2012-08-03 06:23:32','','crusade','','inherit','open','open','','crusade','','','2012-08-02 23:23:32','2012-08-03 06:23:32','',7448,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7451,12,'2012-08-02 23:25:15','2012-08-03 06:25:15','','bread of life','','inherit','open','open','','bread-of-life','','','2012-08-02 23:25:15','2012-08-03 06:25:15','',7448,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7452,12,'2012-08-02 23:27:32','2012-08-03 06:27:32','I can\'t help it. There are a few verses of Scripture that make me cry every time I read them. One of them is John 6:68.\n\nI\'ll get to the context in a moment in how it deals with following Christ, but I want to quote it now. Peter says to Christ:\n\n<em> “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\"</em> (John 6:68 ESV)\n\nToday, it seems that \"following Christ\" involves very little in many circles. Raise your hand after you\'ve said the \"sinner\'s prayer\" and you\'re in the kingdom. Follow the other kids up to the altar during a youth rally and get baptized and you are suddenly a Christ follower.\n\nI may sound sarcastic right now. I am. I was part of a Billy Graham sponsored crusade (I won\'t mention the speaker) during seminary. I was trained to be a counselor. Before the crusade began in Louisville, we were all shuffled into a room and briefed about how the Billy Graham crusade counselors were all supposed to do their part to get people down to the stage to <em>\"get saved.\"</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7450\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade-300x185.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>They handed out the tracts with the <em>\"Roman Road.\"</em> Don\'t know what that is? <a href=\"http://contenderministries.org/romanroad.php\">Google it</a>. It\'s a series of verses you share with someone who wants to come to Christ. Strangely, the guy leading our orientation said, <em>\"Now, I know the last verse, Revelation 3:20, about Jesus standing at the door knocking, has nothing to do with salvation. But we use it anyway.\"</em>\n\nI was a seminary student at the time. I agreed with him but wanted to say, <em>\"Well, why do you use it?\"</em>\n\nThen he said, \"<em>You counselors sit at the top of the stadium. When the invitation starts, start coming down. That will encourage other people to start coming down too who might want to make a decision for Christ.\"</em>\n\nI sat at the top. The speaker gave his best. The invitation came. I went down to counsel. What happened? The crowd that was at 1/4 the capacity they expected thought we were coming down to accept Christ. They were saying, \"God bless you son, for accepting Christ.\" It was manipulative at best. I woke up that day to the crusade system.\n\nMy heart turned to John 6. How did Jesus handle the people following Him? Well, <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/search/john+6%3A1-14/\">He had just finished feeding them an abundance of loaves and fishes. He had fed their bellies.</a> So guess what? He had a large amount of followers. Why? Because they wanted to know when they were going to get fed again.\n\nChrist had a ton of followers at that moment. What pastor in our day wouldn\'t love to have that  many people pile into their churches? Really? We\'d be having them sign visitor cards, making them comfortable and enjoy the praise band.\n\nBut Jesus did something that just about every church growth expert would throw up in their mouth at. He started getting deep in His teaching.\n\nSome of the people started grumbling because He had said, <em>\"I am the bread that came down from heaven.\"</em> He had claimed stake to His divinity. Of course, Jesus didn\'t back down from His statement. He had thousands of followers at that moment - captivated. But He went on and preached truth:\n\n<em>Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7451\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life-297x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"297\" height=\"300\" /></a>draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.</em>\n(John 6:43-48 ESV)\n\nOf course, a lot of people didn\'t like that. But Jesus got even harder in His teaching.\n\n<em>So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.</em> (John 6:53-57 ESV)\n\nGuess what they all did? They thought his words were too heavy. \"Eat his flesh? Drink his blood?\" Of course he meant they had to suffer like he did. Follow him exclusively. The reaction? They all left.\n\nExcept twelve men.\n\nThe thousands had departed. He watched every one of them walk off. Then he turned to the twelve and asked, <em>“Do you want to go away as well?</em>” (John 6:67 ESV)\n\nHere we come to the crux of it. There are a ton of hard sayings of Christ in Scripture. Very difficult things to fathom. We can\'t just make them into metaphors or figures of speech. He calls for total obedience. Christ, unlike the pastors of today who love to bring people in with soft words, drove people out with the reality of what it mean to follow Him.\n\nAnd there stood the simple, foot in the mouth disciple Peter. The one who by the grace of God usually had the right words to say.\n\n<em>“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\"</em>\n\nIt wasn\'t about getting physical needs met. It was about having the soul filled. And onward Christ trudged with His 12 toward Calvary to show us what it meant to sacrifice all. To show us what it mean to truly follow and lay it all down.\n\n_____________________________\n\nRay Carroll is author of \"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.\" He blogs regularly at www.fallenpastor.com.','\"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System','','inherit','open','open','','7448-revision','','','2012-08-02 23:27:32','2012-08-03 06:27:32','',7448,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/7448-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7453,1,'2012-08-03 10:22:01','2012-08-03 17:22:01','I can\'t help it. There are a few verses of Scripture that make me cry every time I read them. One of them is John 6:68.\n\nI\'ll get to the context in a moment in how it deals with following Christ, but I want to quote it now. Peter says to Christ:\n\n<em> “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\"</em> (John 6:68 ESV)\n\nToday, it seems that \"following Christ\" involves very little in many circles. Raise your hand after you\'ve said the \"sinner\'s prayer\" and you\'re in the kingdom. Follow the other kids up to the altar during a youth rally and get baptized and you are suddenly a Christ follower.\n\nI may sound sarcastic right now. I am. I was part of a Billy Graham sponsored crusade (I won\'t mention the speaker) during seminary. I was trained to be a counselor. Before the crusade began in Louisville, we were all shuffled into a room and briefed about how the Billy Graham crusade counselors were all supposed to do their part to get people down to the stage to <em>\"get saved.\"</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7450\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade-300x185.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>They handed out the tracts with the <em>\"Roman Road.\"</em> Don\'t know what that is? <a href=\"http://contenderministries.org/romanroad.php\">Google it</a>. It\'s a series of verses you share with someone who wants to come to Christ. Strangely, the guy leading our orientation said, <em>\"Now, I know the last verse, Revelation 3:20, about Jesus standing at the door knocking, has nothing to do with salvation. But we use it anyway.\"</em>\n\nI was a seminary student at the time. I agreed with him but wanted to say, <em>\"Well, why do you use it?\"</em>\n\nThen he said, \"<em>You counselors sit at the top of the stadium. When the invitation starts, start coming down. That will encourage other people to start coming down too who might want to make a decision for Christ.\"</em>\n\nI sat at the top. The speaker gave his best. The invitation came. I went down to counsel. What happened? The crowd that was at 1/4 the capacity they expected thought we were coming down to accept Christ. They were saying, \"God bless you son, for accepting Christ.\" It was manipulative at best. I woke up that day to the crusade system.\n\nMy heart turned to John 6. How did Jesus handle the people following Him? Well, <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/search/john+6%3A1-14/\">He had just finished feeding them an abundance of loaves and fishes. He had fed their bellies.</a> So guess what? He had a large amount of followers. Why? Because they wanted to know when they were going to get fed again.\n\nChrist had a ton of followers at that moment. What pastor in our day wouldn\'t love to have that  many people pile into their churches? Really? We\'d be having them sign visitor cards, making them comfortable and enjoy the praise band.\n\nBut Jesus did something that just about every church growth expert would throw up in their mouth at. He started getting deep in His teaching.\n\nSome of the people started grumbling because He had said, <em>\"I am the bread that came down from heaven.\"</em> He had claimed stake to His divinity. Of course, Jesus didn\'t back down from His statement. He had thousands of followers at that moment - captivated. But He went on and preached truth:\n\n<em>Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7451\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life-297x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"297\" height=\"300\" /></a>draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.</em>\n(John 6:43-48 ESV)\n\nOf course, a lot of people didn\'t like that. But Jesus got even harder in His teaching.\n\n<em>So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.</em> (John 6:53-57 ESV)\n\nGuess what they all did? They thought his words were too heavy. \"Eat his flesh? Drink his blood?\" Of course he meant they had to suffer like he did. Follow him exclusively. The reaction? They all left.\n\nExcept twelve men.\n\nThe thousands had departed. He watched every one of them walk off. Then he turned to the twelve and asked, <em>“Do you want to go away as well?</em>” (John 6:67 ESV)\n\nHere we come to the crux of it. There are a ton of hard sayings of Christ in Scripture. Very difficult things to fathom. We can\'t just make them into metaphors or figures of speech. He calls for total obedience. Christ, unlike the pastors of today who love to bring people in with soft words, drove people out with the reality of what it mean to follow Him.\n\nAnd there stood the simple, foot in the mouth disciple Peter. The one who by the grace of God usually had the right words to say.\n\n<em>“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\"</em>\n\nIt wasn\'t about getting physical needs met. It was about having the soul filled. And onward Christ trudged with His 12 toward Calvary to show us what it meant to sacrifice all. To show us what it mean to truly follow and lay it all down.\n\n_____________________________\n\nRay Carroll is author of \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1343975215&amp;sr=8-2\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World</a>.\" He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','\"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System','','inherit','open','open','','7448-autosave','','','2012-08-03 10:22:01','2012-08-03 17:22:01','',7448,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/7448-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7462,1,'2012-08-03 10:24:33','2012-08-03 17:24:33','','road to sunset','','inherit','open','open','','road-to-sunset','','','2012-08-03 10:24:33','2012-08-03 17:24:33','',7448,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/road-to-sunset.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7454,1,'2012-08-02 08:17:58','2012-08-02 15:17:58','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - Jeremy Myers - Everyone is Following Jesus\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - Carol Kuniholm - Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - Leah Randall - Two Words\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - Liz Dyer - Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - Ellen Haroutunian - Follow Me\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - Leah Chang - Following Jesus Everywhere\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-3','','','2012-08-02 08:17:58','2012-08-02 15:17:58','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/7393-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7457,1,'2012-08-03 08:26:34','2012-08-03 15:26:34','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - <a href=\"http://www.tillhecomes.org/\">Jeremy Myers</a> - <a title=\"Everyone is Following Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/everyone-is-following-jesus/\">Everyone is Following Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - Carol Kuniholm - Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - Leah Randall - Two Words\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - Liz Dyer - Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - Ellen Haroutunian - Follow Me\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - Leah Chang - Following Jesus Everywhere\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-4','','','2012-08-03 08:26:34','2012-08-03 15:26:34','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/7393-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7458,1,'2012-08-03 08:34:45','2012-08-03 15:34:45','“Follower of Jesus” is the new cooler way to say “Christian”, a word loaded with centuries of baggage that no longer seems very Christian. Yet, “follower of Jesus” sounds a little smug to me. It reminds of those church-goers in ancient Corinth who weren’t in the camp of Paul or Apollos; they followed Jesus. Smug.\r\n\r\nHowever, trying to figure out just what it really means to follow Jesus is something that merits careful consideration, especially, because it so misunderstood.\r\n\r\nFollowing Jesus in his day meant just that. That’s how the cream of the crop, the young people with the most potential were educated. They followed their Rabbi for years. They lived and traveled together. The kids who were not the best and brightest, learned a trade.\r\n\r\nThere are no rules for following Jesus, you just stay with him, watch him; see what he does, how he responds; watch what he does when he is stressed.\r\n\r\nHe took his followers to the darndest places. Think about where they wound up as they followed Jesus. You might find yourself in some of the same places. You might wind up…\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>At parties with the most notorious people in town</li>\r\n	<li>At the graveside of a dear friend</li>\r\n	<li>At the public forum butting heads with powerful people (repeatedly) who can put a contract on your life if they disagree with you</li>\r\n	<li>Playing with children when you wanted to be all serious</li>\r\n	<li>Listening to what he says as people are preparing to stone a woman to death who was caught in the act of adultery</li>\r\n	<li>Trying to explain to a powerful religious man how God wants to restore his relationship with humankind</li>\r\n	<li>Hanging out with whores who are attracted to him</li>\r\n	<li>Chatting with corrupt government officials and corporate fat cats</li>\r\n	<li>Panicking in the middle of nowhere with thousands of admirers, but no food</li>\r\n	<li>Listening to great stories</li>\r\n	<li>Watching the crowds thin and some of them turn against him</li>\r\n	<li>Breaking lots of stupid rules that misrepresent God and hurt people</li>\r\n	<li>Seeing amazing things that remind you you’re walking with God</li>\r\n	<li>Talking with all kinds of people from all walks of life about this very topic, “What does it mean to follow?”</li>\r\n	<li>Running for your life as your leader is betrayed and tortured to death</li>\r\n	<li>Running to a cemetery checking out an unbelievable rumor</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThat’s where we go when we walk with Jesus. We will be a thorn in the side of some powerful people, a friend to some powerless people, someone who is fully alive in the moment that sees God everywhere, a lover of all kinds of people, who finds himself in all types of weird, new situations.\r\n\r\nJesus likes to put his followers in new, challenging situations and then, afterwards, discuss what they learned.\r\n\r\nOh, I forgot to mention that to be a good follower of Jesus you need to read your Bible more, pray more, stop looking at porn, never argue with your wife, have beautiful, completely compliant children, never miss Sunday services, tithe, take classes on how to be a better Christian, keep a beautiful lawn and home, and spend all of your free time in church activities. (Or maybe I didn’t forget to mention it.)\r\n\r\nI used to care more about that kind of religious stuff than simply following Jesus, but that stuff always seemed separate from regular life. So, now I am trying to jettison religion and merge faith and life together to live a more integrated, true, whole life.\r\n\r\nPeople have all different ways of following Jesus, but a lot of us are trying to find a stripped down, raw and real approach that makes sense.\r\n\r\nFollowing Jesus means doing the kinds of stuff he did, turning love into action.\r\n\r\nReminder to self: Watch, learn, reflect, mimic. Never let him out of my sight.','Strange Places','','inherit','open','open','','7305-revision-12','','','2012-08-03 08:34:45','2012-08-03 15:34:45','',7305,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/7305-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(7459,1,'2012-08-02 17:54:13','2012-08-03 00:54:13','<p style=\"text-align: left\" align=\"LEFT\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/3459427547_8ce9409f2b_z1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-7437\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/3459427547_8ce9409f2b_z1-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\" align=\"LEFT\">Preface: Lately, I have been contemplating who will be in the kin-dom of God. In the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Luke 14:15-24), Jesus said that those who will come into the kin-dom are the \"the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.\" After reading the rest of the kin-dom parables, and watching <em>Beasts of the Southern Wild, </em>this is the poem that sprung up within me.</p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\ngod calls the lowly, the foreigner,\r\nthe strange, widows, adulterer,\r\nthe prostitute and the middle manager\r\nworking to survive\r\n\r\nto rest\r\n\r\ngod desires the misspeller, girls playing\r\nhouse and abused mothers,\r\nbeggars, crusties, and the misunderstood\r\ntransgendered male\r\n\r\nto rejoice\r\n\r\ngod seeks the bruised cantaloupe, the rotting\r\napples, diseased celery, god seeks overwatered broccoli\r\nand beetle-bitten beans\r\n\r\nto resurrect\r\n\r\ngod sends away the rich, the wise, the schooled,\r\nthose who have cabinets full and four bank accounts,\r\nthose who house cars, who buy healthcare\r\nfor their pets, the middle class\r\n\r\nto reject\r\n\r\ngod chose what is low and despised\r\nin the world, things that are not,\r\nto reduce to\r\nno-thing things that are. 1 Corinthians 1:28\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Times New Roman\', serif\">\r\n</span></p>','Coming to terms with the kin-dom of rejects','','inherit','open','open','','7435-revision-8','','','2012-08-02 17:54:13','2012-08-03 00:54:13','',7435,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/7435-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(7461,1,'2012-08-03 10:19:32','2012-08-03 17:19:32','<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"LEFT\">Preface: Lately, I have been contemplating who will be in the kin-dom of God. In the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Luke 14:15-24), Jesus said that those who will come into the kin-dom are the \"the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.\" After reading the rest of the kin-dom parables, and watching <em>Beasts of the Southern Wild, </em>this is the poem that sprung up within me.</p>\r\n--------------------------------------------\r\n\r\ngod calls the lowly, the foreigner,\r\nthe strange, widows, adulterer,\r\nthe prostitute and the middle manager\r\nworking to survive\r\n\r\nto rest\r\n\r\ngod desires the misspeller, girls playing\r\nhouse and abused mothers,\r\nbeggars, crusties, and the misunderstood\r\ntransgendered male\r\n\r\nto rejoice\r\n\r\ngod seeks the bruised cantaloupe, the rotting\r\napples, diseased celery, god seeks overwatered broccoli\r\nand beetle-bitten beans\r\n\r\nto resurrect\r\n\r\ngod sends away the rich, the wise, the schooled,\r\nthose who have cabinets full and four bank accounts,\r\nthose who house cars, who buy healthcare\r\nfor their pets, the middle class\r\n\r\nto reject\r\n\r\ngod chose what is low and despised\r\nin the world, things that are not,\r\nto reduce to\r\nno-thing things that are. 1 Corinthians 1:28\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Times New Roman\', serif;\">\r\n</span></p>','Coming to terms with the kin-dom of rejects','','inherit','open','open','','7435-revision-10','','','2012-08-03 10:19:32','2012-08-03 17:19:32','',7435,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/7435-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(7460,1,'2012-08-03 10:18:46','2012-08-03 17:18:46','<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"LEFT\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/3459427547_8ce9409f2b_z1.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-7437\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/3459427547_8ce9409f2b_z1-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"LEFT\">Preface: Lately, I have been contemplating who will be in the kin-dom of God. In the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Luke 14:15-24), Jesus said that those who will come into the kin-dom are the \"the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.\" After reading the rest of the kin-dom parables, and watching <em>Beasts of the Southern Wild, </em>this is the poem that sprung up within me.</p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\ngod calls the lowly, the foreigner,\r\nthe strange, widows, adulterer,\r\nthe prostitute and the middle manager\r\nworking to survive\r\n\r\nto rest\r\n\r\ngod desires the misspeller, girls playing\r\nhouse and abused mothers,\r\nbeggars, crusties, and the misunderstood\r\ntransgendered male\r\n\r\nto rejoice\r\n\r\ngod seeks the bruised cantaloupe, the rotting\r\napples, diseased celery, god seeks overwatered broccoli\r\nand beetle-bitten beans\r\n\r\nto resurrect\r\n\r\ngod sends away the rich, the wise, the schooled,\r\nthose who have cabinets full and four bank accounts,\r\nthose who house cars, who buy healthcare\r\nfor their pets, the middle class\r\n\r\nto reject\r\n\r\ngod chose what is low and despised\r\nin the world, things that are not,\r\nto reduce to\r\nno-thing things that are. 1 Corinthians 1:28\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Times New Roman\', serif;\">\r\n</span></p>','Coming to terms with the kin-dom of rejects','','inherit','open','open','','7435-revision-9','','','2012-08-03 10:18:46','2012-08-03 17:18:46','',7435,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/7435-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(7463,1,'2012-08-02 23:28:11','2012-08-03 06:28:11','I can\'t help it. There are a few verses of Scripture that make me cry every time I read them. One of them is John 6:68.\r\n\r\nI\'ll get to the context in a moment in how it deals with following Christ, but I want to quote it now. Peter says to Christ:\r\n\r\n<em> “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\"</em> (John 6:68 ESV)\r\n\r\nToday, it seems that \"following Christ\" involves very little in many circles. Raise your hand after you\'ve said the \"sinner\'s prayer\" and you\'re in the kingdom. Follow the other kids up to the altar during a youth rally and get baptized and you are suddenly a Christ follower.\r\n\r\nI may sound sarcastic right now. I am. I was part of a Billy Graham sponsored crusade (I won\'t mention the speaker) during seminary. I was trained to be a counselor. Before the crusade began in Louisville, we were all shuffled into a room and briefed about how the Billy Graham crusade counselors were all supposed to do their part to get people down to the stage to <em>\"get saved.\"</em>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7450\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade-300x185.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>They handed out the tracts with the <em>\"Roman Road.\"</em> Don\'t know what that is? <a href=\"http://contenderministries.org/romanroad.php\">Google it</a>. It\'s a series of verses you share with someone who wants to come to Christ. Strangely, the guy leading our orientation said, <em>\"Now, I know the last verse, Revelation 3:20, about Jesus standing at the door knocking, has nothing to do with salvation. But we use it anyway.\"</em>\r\n\r\nI was a seminary student at the time. I agreed with him but wanted to say, <em>\"Well, why do you use it?\"</em>\r\n\r\nThen he said, \"<em>You counselors sit at the top of the stadium. When the invitation starts, start coming down. That will encourage other people to start coming down too who might want to make a decision for Christ.\"</em>\r\n\r\nI sat at the top. The speaker gave his best. The invitation came. I went down to counsel. What happened? The crowd that was at 1/4 the capacity they expected thought we were coming down to accept Christ. They were saying, \"God bless you son, for accepting Christ.\" It was manipulative at best. I woke up that day to the crusade system.\r\n\r\nMy heart turned to John 6. How did Jesus handle the people following Him? Well, <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/search/john+6%3A1-14/\">He had just finished feeding them an abundance of loaves and fishes. He had fed their bellies.</a> So guess what? He had a large amount of followers. Why? Because they wanted to know when they were going to get fed again.\r\n\r\nChrist had a ton of followers at that moment. What pastor in our day wouldn\'t love to have that  many people pile into their churches? Really? We\'d be having them sign visitor cards, making them comfortable and enjoy the praise band.\r\n\r\nBut Jesus did something that just about every church growth expert would throw up in their mouth at. He started getting deep in His teaching.\r\n\r\nSome of the people started grumbling because He had said, <em>\"I am the bread that came down from heaven.\"</em> He had claimed stake to His divinity. Of course, Jesus didn\'t back down from His statement. He had thousands of followers at that moment - captivated. But He went on and preached truth:\r\n\r\n<em>Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7451\" style=\"margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life-297x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"297\" height=\"300\" /></a>draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.</em>\r\n(John 6:43-48 ESV)\r\n\r\nOf course, a lot of people didn\'t like that. But Jesus got even harder in His teaching.\r\n\r\n<em>So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.</em> (John 6:53-57 ESV)\r\n\r\nGuess what they all did? They thought his words were too heavy. \"Eat his flesh? Drink his blood?\" Of course he meant they had to suffer like he did. Follow him exclusively. The reaction? They all left.\r\n\r\nExcept twelve men.\r\n\r\nThe thousands had departed. He watched every one of them walk off. Then he turned to the twelve and asked, <em>“Do you want to go away as well?</em>” (John 6:67 ESV)\r\n\r\nHere we come to the crux of it. There are a ton of hard sayings of Christ in Scripture. Very difficult things to fathom. We can\'t just make them into metaphors or figures of speech. He calls for total obedience. Christ, unlike the pastors of today who love to bring people in with soft words, drove people out with the reality of what it mean to follow Him.\r\n\r\nAnd there stood the simple, foot in the mouth disciple Peter. The one who by the grace of God usually had the right words to say.\r\n\r\n<em>“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt wasn\'t about getting physical needs met. It was about having the soul filled. And onward Christ trudged with His 12 toward Calvary to show us what it meant to sacrifice all. To show us what it mean to truly follow and lay it all down.\r\n\r\n_____________________________\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1343975215&amp;sr=8-2\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World</a>.\" He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','\"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System','','inherit','open','open','','7448-revision-2','','','2012-08-02 23:28:11','2012-08-03 06:28:11','',7448,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/7448-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7464,1,'2012-08-03 10:25:02','2012-08-03 17:25:02','I can\'t help it. There are a few verses of Scripture that make me cry every time I read them. One of them is John 6:68.\r\n\r\nI\'ll get to the context in a moment in how it deals with following Christ, but I want to quote it now. Peter says to Christ:\r\n\r\n<em> “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\"</em> (John 6:68 ESV)\r\n\r\nToday, it seems that \"following Christ\" involves very little in many circles. Raise your hand after you\'ve said the \"sinner\'s prayer\" and you\'re in the kingdom. Follow the other kids up to the altar during a youth rally and get baptized and you are suddenly a Christ follower.\r\n\r\nI may sound sarcastic right now. I am. I was part of a Billy Graham sponsored crusade (I won\'t mention the speaker) during seminary. I was trained to be a counselor. Before the crusade began in Louisville, we were all shuffled into a room and briefed about how the Billy Graham crusade counselors were all supposed to do their part to get people down to the stage to <em>\"get saved.\"</em>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7450\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade-300x185.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>They handed out the tracts with the <em>\"Roman Road.\"</em> Don\'t know what that is? <a href=\"http://contenderministries.org/romanroad.php\">Google it</a>. It\'s a series of verses you share with someone who wants to come to Christ. Strangely, the guy leading our orientation said, <em>\"Now, I know the last verse, Revelation 3:20, about Jesus standing at the door knocking, has nothing to do with salvation. But we use it anyway.\"</em>\r\n\r\nI was a seminary student at the time. I agreed with him but wanted to say, <em>\"Well, why do you use it?\"</em>\r\n\r\nThen he said, \"<em>You counselors sit at the top of the stadium. When the invitation starts, start coming down. That will encourage other people to start coming down too who might want to make a decision for Christ.\"</em>\r\n\r\nI sat at the top. The speaker gave his best. The invitation came. I went down to counsel. What happened? The crowd that was at 1/4 the capacity they expected thought we were coming down to accept Christ. They were saying, \"God bless you son, for accepting Christ.\" It was manipulative at best. I woke up that day to the crusade system.\r\n\r\nMy heart turned to John 6. How did Jesus handle the people following Him? Well, <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/search/john+6%3A1-14/\">He had just finished feeding them an abundance of loaves and fishes. He had fed their bellies.</a> So guess what? He had a large amount of followers. Why? Because they wanted to know when they were going to get fed again.\r\n\r\nChrist had a ton of followers at that moment. What pastor in our day wouldn\'t love to have that  many people pile into their churches? Really? We\'d be having them sign visitor cards, making them comfortable and enjoy the praise band.\r\n\r\nBut Jesus did something that just about every church growth expert would throw up in their mouth at. He started getting deep in His teaching.\r\n\r\nSome of the people started grumbling because He had said, <em>\"I am the bread that came down from heaven.\"</em> He had claimed stake to His divinity. Of course, Jesus didn\'t back down from His statement. He had thousands of followers at that moment - captivated. But He went on and preached truth:\r\n\r\n<em>Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7451\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life-297x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"297\" height=\"300\" /></a>draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.</em>\r\n(John 6:43-48 ESV)\r\n\r\nOf course, a lot of people didn\'t like that. But Jesus got even harder in His teaching.\r\n\r\n<em>So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.</em> (John 6:53-57 ESV)\r\n\r\nGuess what they all did? They thought his words were too heavy. \"Eat his flesh? Drink his blood?\" Of course he meant they had to suffer like he did. Follow him exclusively. The reaction? They all left.\r\n\r\nExcept twelve men.\r\n\r\nThe thousands had departed. He watched every one of them walk off. Then he turned to the twelve and asked, <em>“Do you want to go away as well?</em>” (John 6:67 ESV)\r\n\r\nHere we come to the crux of it. There are a ton of hard sayings of Christ in Scripture. Very difficult things to fathom. We can\'t just make them into metaphors or figures of speech. He calls for total obedience. Christ, unlike the pastors of today who love to bring people in with soft words, drove people out with the reality of what it mean to follow Him.\r\n\r\nAnd there stood the simple, foot in the mouth disciple Peter. The one who by the grace of God usually had the right words to say.\r\n\r\n<em>“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt wasn\'t about getting physical needs met. It was about having the soul filled. And onward Christ trudged with His 12 toward Calvary to show us what it meant to sacrifice all. To show us what it mean to truly follow and lay it all down.\r\n\r\n_____________________________\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1343975215&amp;sr=8-2\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World</a>.\" He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','\"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System','','inherit','open','open','','7448-revision-3','','','2012-08-03 10:25:02','2012-08-03 17:25:02','',7448,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/7448-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7465,1,'2012-08-03 08:36:09','2012-08-03 15:36:09','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - <a href=\"http://www.tillhecomes.org/\">Jeremy Myers</a> - <a title=\"Everyone is Following Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/everyone-is-following-jesus/\">Everyone is Following Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - Carol Kuniholm - Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - Leah Randall - Two Words\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - Liz Dyer - Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - Ellen Haroutunian - Follow Me\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - Leah Chang - Following Jesus Everywhere\r\n\r\nAugust 10th - Glenn Hager - Strange Places\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-5','','','2012-08-03 08:36:09','2012-08-03 15:36:09','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/7393-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7466,1,'2012-08-03 10:25:19','2012-08-03 17:25:19','I can\'t help it. There are a few verses of Scripture that make me cry every time I read them. One of them is John 6:68.\r\n\r\nI\'ll get to the context in a moment in how it deals with following Christ, but I want to quote it now. Peter says to Christ:\r\n\r\n<em> “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\"</em> (John 6:68 ESV)\r\n\r\nToday, it seems that \"following Christ\" involves very little in many circles. Raise your hand after you\'ve said the \"sinner\'s prayer\" and you\'re in the kingdom. Follow the other kids up to the altar during a youth rally and get baptized and you are suddenly a Christ follower.\r\n\r\nI may sound sarcastic right now. I am. I was part of a Billy Graham sponsored crusade (I won\'t mention the speaker) during seminary. I was trained to be a counselor. Before the crusade began in Louisville, we were all shuffled into a room and briefed about how the Billy Graham crusade counselors were all supposed to do their part to get people down to the stage to <em>\"get saved.\"</em>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7450\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crusade-300x185.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" /></a>They handed out the tracts with the <em>\"Roman Road.\"</em> Don\'t know what that is? <a href=\"http://contenderministries.org/romanroad.php\">Google it</a>. It\'s a series of verses you share with someone who wants to come to Christ. Strangely, the guy leading our orientation said, <em>\"Now, I know the last verse, Revelation 3:20, about Jesus standing at the door knocking, has nothing to do with salvation. But we use it anyway.\"</em>\r\n\r\nI was a seminary student at the time. I agreed with him but wanted to say, <em>\"Well, why do you use it?\"</em>\r\n\r\nThen he said, \"<em>You counselors sit at the top of the stadium. When the invitation starts, start coming down. That will encourage other people to start coming down too who might want to make a decision for Christ.\"</em>\r\n\r\nI sat at the top. The speaker gave his best. The invitation came. I went down to counsel. What happened? The crowd that was at 1/4 the capacity they expected thought we were coming down to accept Christ. They were saying, \"God bless you son, for accepting Christ.\" It was manipulative at best. I woke up that day to the crusade system.\r\n\r\nMy heart turned to John 6. How did Jesus handle the people following Him? Well, <a href=\"http://www.esvbible.org/search/john+6%3A1-14/\">He had just finished feeding them an abundance of loaves and fishes. He had fed their bellies.</a> So guess what? He had a large amount of followers. Why? Because they wanted to know when they were going to get fed again.\r\n\r\nChrist had a ton of followers at that moment. What pastor in our day wouldn\'t love to have that  many people pile into their churches? Really? We\'d be having them sign visitor cards, making them comfortable and enjoy the praise band.\r\n\r\nBut Jesus did something that just about every church growth expert would throw up in their mouth at. He started getting deep in His teaching.\r\n\r\nSome of the people started grumbling because He had said, <em>\"I am the bread that came down from heaven.\"</em> He had claimed stake to His divinity. Of course, Jesus didn\'t back down from His statement. He had thousands of followers at that moment - captivated. But He went on and preached truth:\r\n\r\n<em>Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7451\" style=\"margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px;\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/bread-of-life-297x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"297\" height=\"300\" /></a>draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.</em>\r\n(John 6:43-48 ESV)\r\n\r\nOf course, a lot of people didn\'t like that. But Jesus got even harder in His teaching.\r\n\r\n<em>So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.</em> (John 6:53-57 ESV)\r\n\r\nGuess what they all did? They thought his words were too heavy. \"Eat his flesh? Drink his blood?\" Of course he meant they had to suffer like he did. Follow him exclusively. The reaction? They all left.\r\n\r\nExcept twelve men.\r\n\r\nThe thousands had departed. He watched every one of them walk off. Then he turned to the twelve and asked, <em>“Do you want to go away as well?</em>” (John 6:67 ESV)\r\n\r\nHere we come to the crux of it. There are a ton of hard sayings of Christ in Scripture. Very difficult things to fathom. We can\'t just make them into metaphors or figures of speech. He calls for total obedience. Christ, unlike the pastors of today who love to bring people in with soft words, drove people out with the reality of what it mean to follow Him.\r\n\r\nAnd there stood the simple, foot in the mouth disciple Peter. The one who by the grace of God usually had the right words to say.\r\n\r\n<em>“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\"</em>\r\n\r\nIt wasn\'t about getting physical needs met. It was about having the soul filled. And onward Christ trudged with His 12 toward Calvary to show us what it meant to sacrifice all. To show us what it mean to truly follow and lay it all down.\r\n\r\n_____________________________\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1343975215&amp;sr=8-2\">Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World</a>.\" He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','\"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System','','inherit','open','open','','7448-revision-4','','','2012-08-03 10:25:19','2012-08-03 17:25:19','',7448,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/7448-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7467,85,'2012-08-12 08:00:28','2012-08-12 15:00:28','I have a bird called Apollo. He is yellow like the sun and just as obnoxious at 5 in the morning. He used to have a sister named Artemis. She was white, and the instigator of all shouting matches at bed time and pre-dawn. She died several months ago. She had a quiet burial. By that I mean I walked to the park by myself and threw her into the lake to be devoured by the gar. (I said nice things, and it really wasn\'t so much a throw as a gentle toss.) I have, since that time, been looking for a new home for Apollo. It doesn\'t seem fair to have him all caged up, by himself most of the time, with only me to talk to and the cat to taunt him.\r\nI posted him on Craig\'s list and on facebook. I\'ve talked to animal lovers of all kinds and I am running out of options. I decided to set him free.\r\n\r\nNow just get off your animal lovers pedestal for a minute while I explain. I set his cage out side. I put plenty of food and water in his dish and just let him get used to being out there with out me, and handling the heat. Yesterday I opened his cage door.\r\nHe is still sitting there. As far away from the open door as possible and trembling like there is a lion at the exit waiting to devour him.\r\n\r\nAll this time I\'ve been feeling guilty that he has wings, and no bird friends, and filtered sunlight and treated air.\r\n\r\nAnd now if you know any thing about me, I\'m am forced here to make a philosophical comment about freedom.\r\n\r\nFor the love of God and freedom, what are we still doing here?!?!?!?!?!\r\n\r\nI have been listening to preachers and reading books lately on the subject of freedom. As far as I can tell, God has, for his own good pleasure, set me free from the need to be my own savior, and set me free from the vicious cycle of having to satisfy my own base desires, feeling useless because of it and then sinking lower into my own flesh. I have over the last few weeks been overwhelmed by the unending grace of God.\r\n\r\nIt looks like this.\r\n\r\nI grew up knowing that God loved me and wanted good things for me. My faith was housed in a church with plenty of scripture lessons and people who would encourage me (food and water.) Somewhere along the line, I noticed that I had a will, and dreams and ambitions (wings.) It was the unfortunate mistake of misinterpreted scripture that clipped my wings and demanded that I submit to the church building and not the word of God (a cage.) I grew used to it. My big glass view of the world through my safe little window was enough for me. I don\'t mind the cool air in summer time and the safety from the elements in the winter. I may not ever know what my wings are for or what it feels like to ride the wind, but at least I know where to find my dinner. I might imagine what the trees feel like or what the rain sounds like but my understanding of these things is at best, filtered.\r\n\r\nI\'m I getting a little vague? To isolate oneself from the world, is to think only of oneself. My comfort my safety, my food, my job, my family, my things. You may think you are abstaining from sin, really you are ignoring the whole broken beauty and healing pain that defines what it is to be human. Living in your cage is like a numbing agent, you are safe from harm, but you are also safe from joy.\r\nEventually I came to despise my cage. As I should. Restlessness, a feeling that something was truly missing or wrong came to argue with me in the middle of my nights. What am I living for? Only to follow rules and never step out of bounds? What kind of God is this? So I hated my faith and my life.\r\n\r\nYou have to understand that God does not interfere with the human free will. The cage door is ALWAYS open. So I flew. And I found that in the world there is no more freedom than in the cage. An over abundance of ways to satisfy your basest desires only creates an animosity to your own self. Too much food = obesity, too much wine = the illusion of joy, dissolved with two tablets of aspirin in the morning. Too much sex = disease, emptiness, loneliness. Too much freedom = chaos, lack of direction, aimlessness. And in the same way you hate a sterilized faith, you will hate the saturated indulgence of the self.\r\n\r\nIt was never my intention to just get Apollo out of his cage and then not continue to provide for him. I didn\'t expect him to just fly away and never come back. He is too dependent on me. His food and water, the safety of his familiar bed will always be there for him, but there is a whole world that he is missing out on because he is afraid. Now it would be a sad use of Apollos freedom if he left the cage and went and terrorized other birds or caused car accidents because he is so bright and he thinks that\'s funny. Freedom is not to say that we ought to do what ever we want. Freedom should be used for the glory of the good God who gave it to us. Caring for one another, bearing one another\'s burdens, shouldering our load and accomplishing the purpose we were placed on this earth for. Not hiding away and keeping meticulous lists of things we have not done as though that will make God happy that he gave us a will. It\'s like Apollo sitting in his cage being pleased that he has never used his wings.\r\n\r\nIt is only a small piece of Gods love for the whole world that he provides for our needs and wants us to take pleasure in the world that he gave us. It is a huge piece of Gods love that he saved us from the need to be our own god, or to keep to a list of laws.\r\nThe cage door is wide open, the invitation is given. Shall we fly?','Setting Apollo Free','','publish','open','open','','setting-apollo-free','','','2012-08-03 18:34:51','2012-08-04 01:34:51','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7467',0,'post','',3),(7468,85,'2012-08-03 17:19:34','2012-08-04 00:19:34','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','7467-revision','','','2012-08-03 17:19:34','2012-08-04 00:19:34','',7467,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/7467-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7470,1,'2012-08-03 18:31:56','2012-08-04 01:31:56','I have a bird called Apollo. He is yellow like the sun and just as obnoxious at 5 in the morning. He used to have a sister named Artemis. She was white, and the instigator of all shouting matches at bed time and pre-dawn. She died several months ago. She had a quiet burial. By that I mean I walked to the park by myself and threw her into the lake to be devoured by the gar. (I said nice things, and it really wasn\'t so much a throw as a gentle toss.) I have, since that time, been looking for a new home for Apollo. It doesn\'t seem fair to have him all caged up, by himself most of the time, with only me to talk to and the cat to taunt him.\nI posted him on Craig\'s list and on facebook. I\'ve talked to animal lovers of all kinds and I am running out of options. I decided to set him free.\n\nNow just get off your animal lovers pedestal for a minute while I explain. I set his cage out side. I put plenty of food and water in his dish and just let him get used to being out there with out me, and handling the heat. Yesterday I opened his cage door.\nHe is still sitting there. As far away from the open door as possible and trembling like there is a lion at the exit waiting to devour him.\n\nAll this time I\'ve been feeling guilty that he has wings, and no bird friends, and filtered sunlight and treated air.\n\nAnd now if you know any thing about me, I\'m am forced here to make a philosophical comment about freedom.\n\nFor the love of God and freedom, what are we still doing here?!?!?!?!?!\n\nI have been listening to preachers and reading books lately on the subject of freedom. As far as I can tell, God has, for his own good pleasure, set me free from the need to be my own savior, and set me free from the vicious cycle of having to satisfy my own base desires, feeling useless because of it and then sinking lower into my own flesh. I have over the last few weeks been overwhelmed by the unending grace of God.\n\nIt looks like this.\n\nI grew up knowing that God loved me and wanted good things for me. My faith was housed in a church with plenty of scripture lessons and people who would encourage me (food and water.) Somewhere along the line, I noticed that I had a will, and dreams and ambitions (wings.) It was the unfortunate mistake of misinterpreted scripture that clipped my wings and demanded that I submit to the church building and not the word of God (a cage.) I grew used to it. My big glass view of the world through my safe little window was enough for me. I don\'t mind the cool air in summer time and the safety from the elements in the winter. I may not ever know what my wings are for or what it feels like to ride the wind, but at least I know where to find my dinner. I might imagine what the trees feel like or what the rain sounds like but my understanding of these things is at best, filtered.\n\nI\'m I getting a little vague? To isolate oneself from the world, is to think only of oneself. My comfort my safety, my food, my job, my family, my things. You may think you are abstaining from sin, really you are ignoring the whole broken beauty and healing pain that defines what it is to be human. Living in your cage is like a numbing agent, you are safe from harm, but you are also safe from joy.\nEventually I came to despise my cage. As I should. Restlessness, a feeling that something was truly missing or wrong came to argue with me in the middle of my nights. What am I living for? Only to follow rules and never step out of bounds? What kind of God is this? So I hated my faith and my life.\n\nYou have to understand that God does not interfere with the human free will. The cage door is ALWAYS open. So I flew. And I found that in the world there is no more freedom than in the cage. An over abundance of ways to satisfy your basest desires only creates an animosity to your own self. Too much food = obesity, too much wine = the illusion of joy, dissolved with two tablets of aspirin in the morning. Too much sex = disease, emptiness, loneliness. Too much freedom = chaos, lack of direction, aimlessness. And in the same way you hate a sterilized faith, you will hate the saturated indulgence of the self.\n\nIt was never my intention to just get Apollo out of his cage and then not continue to provide for him. I didn\'t expect him to just fly away and never come back. He is too dependent on me. His food and water, the safety of his familiar bed will always be there for him, but there is a whole world that he is missing out on because he is afraid. Now it would be a sad use of Apollos freedom if he left the cage and went and terrorized other birds or caused car accidents because he is so bright and he thinks that\'s funny. Freedom is not to say that we ought to do what ever we want. Freedom should be used for the glory of the good God who gave it to us. Caring for one another, bearing one another\'s burdens, shouldering our load and accomplishing the purpose we were placed on this earth for. Not hiding away and keeping meticulous lists of things we have not done as though that will make God happy that he gave us a will. It\'s like Apollo sitting in his cage being pleased that he has never used his wings.\n\nIt is only a small piece of Gods love for the whole world that he provides for our needs and wants us to take pleasure in the world that he gave us. It is a huge piece of Gods love that he saved us from the need to be our own god, or to keep to a list of laws.\nThe cage door is wide open, the invitation is given. Shall we fly?','Setting Apollo Free','','inherit','open','open','','7467-autosave','','','2012-08-03 18:31:56','2012-08-04 01:31:56','',7467,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/7467-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7471,1,'2012-08-03 18:30:18','2012-08-04 01:30:18','','yellow bird','','inherit','open','open','','yellow-bird','','','2012-08-03 18:30:18','2012-08-04 01:30:18','',7467,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/yellow-bird.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7472,1,'2012-08-03 17:21:16','2012-08-04 00:21:16','I have a bird called Apollo. He is yellow like the sun and just as obnoxious at 5 in the morning. He used to have a sister named Artemis. She was white, and the instigator of all shouting matches at bed time and pre-dawn. She died several months ago. She had a quiet burial. By that I mean I walked to the park by myself and threw her into the lake to be devoured by the gar. (I said nice things, and it really wasn\'t so much a throw as a gentle toss.) I have, since that time, been looking for a new home for Apollo. It doesn\'t seem fair to have him all caged up, by himself most of the time, with only me to talk to and the cat to taunt him. \r\nI posted him on Craig\'s list and on facebook. I\'ve talked to animal lovers of all kinds and I am running out of options. I decided to set him free. \r\nNow just get off your animal lovers pedestal for a minute while I explain. I set his cage out side. I put plenty of food and water in his dish and just let him get used to being out there with out me, and handling the heat. Yesterday I opened his cage door.\r\nHe is still sitting there. As far away from the open door as possible and trembling like there is a lion at the exit waiting to devour him.\r\nAll this time I\'ve been feeling guilty that he has wings, and no bird friends, and filtered sunlight and treated air. \r\nAnd now if you know any thing about me, I\'m am forced here to make a philosophical comment about freedom. \r\nFor the love of God and freedom, what are we still doing here?!?!?!?!?! \r\nI have been listening to preachers and reading books lately on the subject of freedom. As far as I can tell, God has, for his own good pleasure, set me free from the need to be my own savior, and set me free from the vicious cycle of having to satisfy my own base desires, feeling useless because of it and then sinking lower into my own flesh. I have over the last few weeks been overwhelmed by the unending grace of God. \r\nIt looks like this. \r\nI grew up knowing that God loved me and wanted good things for me. My faith was housed in a church with plenty of scripture lessons and people who would encourage me (food and water.) Somewhere along the line, I noticed that I had a will, and dreams and ambitions (wings.) It was the unfortunate mistake of misinterpreted scripture that clipped my wings and demanded that I submit to the church building and not the word of God (a cage.) I grew used to it. My big glass view of the world through my safe little window was enough for me. I don\'t mind the cool air in summer time and the safety from the elements in the winter. I may not ever know what my wings are for or what it feels like to ride the wind, but at least I know where to find my dinner. I might imagine what the trees feel like or what the rain sounds like but my understanding of these things is at best, filtered. \r\nI\'m I getting a little vague? To isolate oneself from the world, is to think only of oneself. My comfort my safety, my food, my job, my family, my things. You may think you are abstaining from sin, really you are ignoring the whole broken beauty and healing pain that defines what it is to be human. Living in your cage is like a numbing agent, you are safe from harm, but you are also safe from joy. \r\nEventually I came to despise my cage. As I should. Restlessness, a feeling that something was truly missing or wrong came to argue with me in the middle of my nights. What am I living for? Only to follow rules and never step out of bounds? What kind of God is this? So I hated my faith and my life. \r\nYou have to understand that God does not interfere with the human free will. The cage door is ALWAYS open. So I flew. And I found that in the world there is no more freedom than in the cage. An over abundance of ways to satisfy your basest desires only creates an animosity to your own self. Too much food = obesity, too much wine = the illusion of joy, dissolved with two tablets of aspirin in the morning. Too much sex = disease, emptiness, loneliness. Too much freedom = chaos, lack of direction, aimlessness. And in the same way you hate a sterilized faith, you will hate the saturated indulgence of the self. \r\nIt was never my intention to just get Apollo out of his cage and then not continue to provide for him. I didn\'t expect him to just fly away and never come back. He is too dependent on me. His food and water, the safety of his familiar bed will always be there for him, but there is a whole world that he is missing out on because he is afraid. Now it would be a sad use of Apollos freedom if he left the cage and went and terrorized other birds or caused car accidents because he is so bright and he thinks that\'s funny. Freedom is not to say that we ought to do what ever we want. Freedom should be used for the glory of the good God who gave it to us. Caring for one another, bearing one anothers burdens, shouldering our load and accomplishing the purpose we were placed on this earth for. Not hiding away and keeping meticulous lists of things we have not done as though that will make God happy that he gave us a will. It\'s like Apollo sitting in his cage being pleased that he has never used his wings.\r\nIt is only a small piece of Gods love for the whole world that he provides for our needs and wants us to take pleasure in the world that he gave us. It is a huge piece of Gods love that he saved us from the need to be our own god, or to keep to a list of laws. \r\nThe cage door is wide open, the invitation is given. Shall we fly? ','Setting Apollo Free','','inherit','open','open','','7467-revision-2','','','2012-08-03 17:21:16','2012-08-04 00:21:16','',7467,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/7467-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7473,1,'2012-08-03 18:30:50','2012-08-04 01:30:50','I have a bird called Apollo. He is yellow like the sun and just as obnoxious at 5 in the morning. He used to have a sister named Artemis. She was white, and the instigator of all shouting matches at bed time and pre-dawn. She died several months ago. She had a quiet burial. By that I mean I walked to the park by myself and threw her into the lake to be devoured by the gar. (I said nice things, and it really wasn\'t so much a throw as a gentle toss.) I have, since that time, been looking for a new home for Apollo. It doesn\'t seem fair to have him all caged up, by himself most of the time, with only me to talk to and the cat to taunt him.\r\nI posted him on Craig\'s list and on facebook. I\'ve talked to animal lovers of all kinds and I am running out of options. I decided to set him free.\r\n\r\nNow just get off your animal lovers pedestal for a minute while I explain. I set his cage out side. I put plenty of food and water in his dish and just let him get used to being out there with out me, and handling the heat. Yesterday I opened his cage door.\r\nHe is still sitting there. As far away from the open door as possible and trembling like there is a lion at the exit waiting to devour him.\r\n\r\nAll this time I\'ve been feeling guilty that he has wings, and no bird friends, and filtered sunlight and treated air.\r\n\r\nAnd now if you know any thing about me, I\'m am forced here to make a philosophical comment about freedom.\r\n\r\nFor the love of God and freedom, what are we still doing here?!?!?!?!?!\r\n\r\nI have been listening to preachers and reading books lately on the subject of freedom. As far as I can tell, God has, for his own good pleasure, set me free from the need to be my own savior, and set me free from the vicious cycle of having to satisfy my own base desires, feeling useless because of it and then sinking lower into my own flesh. I have over the last few weeks been overwhelmed by the unending grace of God.\r\n\r\nIt looks like this.\r\n\r\nI grew up knowing that God loved me and wanted good things for me. My faith was housed in a church with plenty of scripture lessons and people who would encourage me (food and water.) Somewhere along the line, I noticed that I had a will, and dreams and ambitions (wings.) It was the unfortunate mistake of misinterpreted scripture that clipped my wings and demanded that I submit to the church building and not the word of God (a cage.) I grew used to it. My big glass view of the world through my safe little window was enough for me. I don\'t mind the cool air in summer time and the safety from the elements in the winter. I may not ever know what my wings are for or what it feels like to ride the wind, but at least I know where to find my dinner. I might imagine what the trees feel like or what the rain sounds like but my understanding of these things is at best, filtered.\r\n\r\nI\'m I getting a little vague? To isolate oneself from the world, is to think only of oneself. My comfort my safety, my food, my job, my family, my things. You may think you are abstaining from sin, really you are ignoring the whole broken beauty and healing pain that defines what it is to be human. Living in your cage is like a numbing agent, you are safe from harm, but you are also safe from joy.\r\nEventually I came to despise my cage. As I should. Restlessness, a feeling that something was truly missing or wrong came to argue with me in the middle of my nights. What am I living for? Only to follow rules and never step out of bounds? What kind of God is this? So I hated my faith and my life.\r\n\r\nYou have to understand that God does not interfere with the human free will. The cage door is ALWAYS open. So I flew. And I found that in the world there is no more freedom than in the cage. An over abundance of ways to satisfy your basest desires only creates an animosity to your own self. Too much food = obesity, too much wine = the illusion of joy, dissolved with two tablets of aspirin in the morning. Too much sex = disease, emptiness, loneliness. Too much freedom = chaos, lack of direction, aimlessness. And in the same way you hate a sterilized faith, you will hate the saturated indulgence of the self.\r\n\r\nIt was never my intention to just get Apollo out of his cage and then not continue to provide for him. I didn\'t expect him to just fly away and never come back. He is too dependent on me. His food and water, the safety of his familiar bed will always be there for him, but there is a whole world that he is missing out on because he is afraid. Now it would be a sad use of Apollos freedom if he left the cage and went and terrorized other birds or caused car accidents because he is so bright and he thinks that\'s funny. Freedom is not to say that we ought to do what ever we want. Freedom should be used for the glory of the good God who gave it to us. Caring for one another, bearing one another\'s burdens, shouldering our load and accomplishing the purpose we were placed on this earth for. Not hiding away and keeping meticulous lists of things we have not done as though that will make God happy that he gave us a will. It\'s like Apollo sitting in his cage being pleased that he has never used his wings.\r\n\r\nIt is only a small piece of Gods love for the whole world that he provides for our needs and wants us to take pleasure in the world that he gave us. It is a huge piece of Gods love that he saved us from the need to be our own god, or to keep to a list of laws.\r\nThe cage door is wide open, the invitation is given. Shall we fly?','Setting Apollo Free','','inherit','open','open','','7467-revision-3','','','2012-08-03 18:30:50','2012-08-04 01:30:50','',7467,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/7467-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7590,1,'2012-08-19 17:58:32','2012-08-20 00:58:32','<em>Today\'s post is co-authored by <a title=\"Bright Pink Razais\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/03/09/bright-pink-razais/\">Robynn Bliss</a> and <a title=\"About\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Marilyn Gardner</a>. Fast friends despite age differences (Marilyn is older!) they share many commonalities that include growing up in the Muslim world. Our hope, and indeed prayer, is that this post will build bridges and get people thinking. Thanks for reading!</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-13990\" src=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg?w=225\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>July 20th began the Holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. This month long period of fasting ends on Saturday, August 18 with celebration and a feast. Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is marked by fasting daily from sun up to sun down. As Christians raised in Pakistan our memories of Ramadan days are as strong as our memories of the Call to Prayer waking us at dawn.\n\nAs we think about Ramadan our minds and hearts remember what we have learned about our own faith from our Muslim friends.\n\n1. At an early age we learned that God is not North American. He spans nation and ocean, culture and ethnicity. To bind him to one nation is idolatry. To attach Him to one country elevates our own perceptions of that country. Secretly believing that God is North American justifies our private beliefs that we are superior. It\'s not true.\n\n2. We learned that Christians are not the only ones with deep faith. Indeed the Muslims that we were surrounded by were zealous of keeping to the tenants of their faith. They were sincere. They were devoted.\n\n3.We learned that worship has little to do with pews or worship bands; versions of scripture or language. Worship has everything to do with the heart.\n<div>\n\n4. We learned that as women with white skin we had arrogant tendencies, as though we had  birthrights. When our behavior reflected that it was ugly.\n\n</div>\n5. We learned that caring for women and children, the poor and the broken was never to be separated from the love of God and his call to holiness. We learned that the invitation of the Father that extends to the those in the \"highways and byways\" included the beggar woman, the street children, the dismembered, the leper.\n\n6. We learned that the mud huts and dusty streets of Pakistan were far closer to the streets walked by Jesus than the clean suburbs and white steeples that we encountered every four years in the United States. Our Jesus was brown and slightly sweaty with dusty calloused feet; he wasn\'t pink and pressed and clean. Blue eyes he did not have.\n\n7. We learned that Christian community comes in all denominations and many interpretations, that sprinkling and dunking could be argued with equal passion but would ultimately not change our need for a Saviour. We learned that the strong cultural value of individualism in the west could make it harder to selflessly love. When Jesus reiterated that the greatest commandment was loving God and the second greatest was loving each other he meant it. Love is the language of the community. Any other dialect is suspect.\n\n8. We learned that the word \"Allah\" is the Arabic word for God and, while one can argue character qualities of God, to be afraid of that word was not wise. Fear rarely motivates faith and holy conversation.\n\n9. We learned that people are not the enemy. And costumes, like book covers, are not to be judged.\n\n10. We learned that bridge-building often means drinking 25 cups of tea and serving 100. Hospitality fleshes out acceptance and leads to friendship and deep loyalty. Those are strong bridges built of steel and concrete.\n\n11. We learned that Muslims make the best of friends; that to share our hearts with them grew our understanding and faith. We were shown kindness, generosity and acceptance. We grew to understand their love for a good joke;their loyalty, their devotion.  We learned that once you have a Muslim friend, you always have a friend.  They will grieve your losses as if they were their own. They will enter your celebrations with abandon!\n\n12.  We learned that being invited to break the fast was a gift, not something to refuse because of difference in belief, but something to enter with joy and prayer - prayer for our friends and prayer for their land. A land we called home.\n\nAnd as we close this post we offer you a taste through words of breaking the fast. It is going from the simplicity of daily life and the discipline of fasting to the joyous contrast of colour, noise and taste of celebrations! It is deep-fried sweet sticky gulab jamin. It is colour infused sweet rice with chunks of fresh coconut and plump raisins; plain rice suddenly dressed up with fatty morsels of meat and sticks of cinnamon. Bread normally made on a flat dry pan-fried in oil and served with sweet oily cream of wheat cereal. Muslims knew how to celebrate. Christians in Pakistan learned that from their neighbors.\n\n<em>And we learned by heart </em><em>through the richness of our lives, watching all unfold at weddings, at Eid celebrations, and at the breaking of the fast. </em>\n<h6 class=\"zemanta-related-title\" style=\"font-size: 1em;\">Related articles</h6>\n<ul class=\"zemanta-article-ul\">\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/ramadan-top-ten_n_1676639.html\" target=\"_blank\">Ramadan 2012: History, Dates, Greeting And Rules Of The Muslim Fast</a> (huffingtonpost.com)</li>\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a title=\"A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/08/01/a-look-at-ramadan-from-an-outsider/\" target=\"_blank\">A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider</a></li>\n</ul>\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/?px\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none; float: right;\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=607555fa-0e3b-4f03-b2f9-ff9a43f842f0\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>','What Growing Up in a Muslim Country Taught Us About Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7555-autosave','','','2012-08-19 17:58:32','2012-08-20 00:58:32','',7555,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/19/7555-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7605,1,'2012-08-20 08:17:07','2012-08-20 15:17:07','<strong>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God Workshop </strong>will be offered online September 10 – October 12, 2012.  This course is about the spiritual practice of discussing everything with God, risking honesty to gain intimacy through loving, trusting conversations.  It’s wrestling through anger, faith, pain, hope about every aspect of our lives.  No topic, language, or feeling is unholy.  It will cover how to know you’re hearing from God and explores a variety of ways to pray. This course is an opportunity to discover for yourself the redemptive freedom that comes from being totally honest with yourself and the One who loves you best.  As you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to experience confidence in speaking freely with God in ways that are uniquely yours.\r\n\r\nThe instructor, Joy Wilson, is the author of <em>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God</em> (Civitas Press, 2011).  Prior to starting the workshop, participants need to order the book from Amazon.com.  The five-week online class is self-paced so you can participate at any time during the week.  It includes readings in the textbook, prayer practice exercises, and online interactions with other students.\r\n\r\nThe cost of the course is $69.  For additional information, go to the following link:  <a href=\"http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer\">http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer</a> .  Class size is limited, so register early.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God Workshop','','inherit','open','open','','7546-revision-4','','','2012-08-20 08:17:07','2012-08-20 15:17:07','',7546,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/20/7546-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7478,1,'2012-08-03 10:25:47','2012-08-03 17:25:47','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - <a href=\"http://www.tillhecomes.org/\">Jeremy Myers</a> - <a title=\"Everyone is Following Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/everyone-is-following-jesus/\">Everyone is Following Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - Carol Kuniholm - Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - Leah Randall - Two Words\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - Liz Dyer - Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - Ellen Haroutunian - Follow Me\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - Leah Chang - Following Jesus Everywhere\r\n\r\nAugust 10th - Glenn Hager - Strange Places\r\n\r\nAugust 11th - Ray Carroll - \"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-6','','','2012-08-03 10:25:47','2012-08-03 17:25:47','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/7393-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7479,0,'2012-08-06 14:00:04','2012-08-06 21:00:04','Theology, Film, Culture.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Nicholas Ahern\nAUTHOR EMAIL: ahernnick@hotmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://splitframeofreference.blogspot.com/\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 68.183.78.159\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Nicholas Ahern\n    [Email] =&gt; ahernnick@hotmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://splitframeofreference.blogspot.com/\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Theology, Film, Culture.\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Nicholas Ahern\n)\n','Nicholas Ahern - 2012-08-06 14:00:04','','publish','open','open','','b40371970bc30c9215f97cd466fa1a76','','','2012-08-06 14:00:04','2012-08-06 21:00:04','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=7479',0,'feedback','',0),(7553,1,'2012-08-13 09:12:54','2012-08-13 16:12:54','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - <a href=\"http://www.tillhecomes.org/\">Jeremy Myers</a> - <a title=\"Everyone is Following Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/everyone-is-following-jesus/\">Everyone is Following Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - <a href=\"http://wordshalfheard.blogspot.com/\">Carol Kuniholm</a> - <a title=\"Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/04/which-way-am-i-called-to-follow/\">Which Way Am I Called to Follow?</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - <a href=\"http://protestantheretic.wordpress.com/\">Leah Randall</a> - <a title=\"Two Words\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/06/two-words-2/\">Two Words</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - <a href=\"http://gracerules.wordpress.com/\">Liz Dyer</a> - <a title=\"Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/07/give-up-your-good-christian-life-and-follow-jesus/\">Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - <a href=\"http://ellenharoutunian.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ellen Haroutunian</a> - <a title=\"Follow Me\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/follow-me/\">Follow Me</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - <a href=\"http://www.desertspiritsfire.com/\">Leah Chang</a> - <a title=\"Following Jesus Everywhere\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/09/following-jesus-everywhere/\">Following Jesus Everywhere</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 10th - <a href=\"http://www.glennhager.com/\">Glenn Hager</a> - <a title=\"Strange Places\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/strange-places/\">Strange Places</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 11th - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"“Where Will We Go?” Christ vs. The Crusade System\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/11/where-will-we-go-christ-vs-the-crusade-system/\">\"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 13th - <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/sarita.brown1\" target=\"_blank\">Sarita Baker Brown</a> - <a title=\"Why I Am Leaving Christianity\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/13/why-i-am-leaving-christianity/\">Why I Am Leaving Christianity</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 14th - Jennifer Luitweiler - U2 and the Call to Follow\r\n\r\nAugust 15th - Kathy Escobar - What It Means to Follow\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-14','','','2012-08-13 09:12:54','2012-08-13 16:12:54','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/13/7393-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(7481,0,'2012-08-07 05:51:45','2012-08-07 12:51:45','Religion.  My blog focuses on my spiritual journey, and how I have been transforming from an evangelical Christian to an agnostic.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Heretic Husband\nAUTHOR EMAIL: heretichusband@gmail.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.heretichusband.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 216.57.132.113\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Heretic Husband\n    [Email] =&gt; heretichusband@gmail.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; www.heretichusband.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Religion.  My blog focuses on my spiritual journey, and how I have been transforming from an evangelical Christian to an agnostic.\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; heretichusband\n)\n','Heretic Husband - 2012-08-07 05:51:45','','publish','open','open','','5839d14a2a7946662c8b0b8fdaab354f','','','2012-08-07 05:51:45','2012-08-07 12:51:45','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=7481',0,'feedback','',0),(7485,1,'2012-08-06 09:38:10','2012-08-06 16:38:10','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - <a href=\"http://www.tillhecomes.org/\">Jeremy Myers</a> - <a title=\"Everyone is Following Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/everyone-is-following-jesus/\">Everyone is Following Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - <a href=\"http://wordshalfheard.blogspot.com/\">Carol Kuniholm</a> - <a title=\"Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/04/which-way-am-i-called-to-follow/\">Which Way Am I Called to Follow?</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - <a href=\"http://protestantheretic.wordpress.com/\">Leah Randall</a> - <a title=\"Two Words\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/06/two-words-2/\">Two Words</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - Liz Dyer - Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - Ellen Haroutunian - Follow Me\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - Leah Chang - Following Jesus Everywhere\r\n\r\nAugust 10th - Glenn Hager - Strange Places\r\n\r\nAugust 11th - Ray Carroll - \"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-7','','','2012-08-06 09:38:10','2012-08-06 16:38:10','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/06/7393-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(7486,1,'2012-08-08 08:18:37','2012-08-08 15:18:37','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - <a href=\"http://www.tillhecomes.org/\">Jeremy Myers</a> - <a title=\"Everyone is Following Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/everyone-is-following-jesus/\">Everyone is Following Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - <a href=\"http://wordshalfheard.blogspot.com/\">Carol Kuniholm</a> - <a title=\"Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/04/which-way-am-i-called-to-follow/\">Which Way Am I Called to Follow?</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - <a href=\"http://protestantheretic.wordpress.com/\">Leah Randall</a> - <a title=\"Two Words\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/06/two-words-2/\">Two Words</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - Liz Dyer - <a title=\"Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/07/give-up-your-good-christian-life-and-follow-jesus/\">Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - Ellen Haroutunian - <a title=\"Follow Me\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/follow-me/\">Follow Me</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - Leah Chang - Following Jesus Everywhere\r\n\r\nAugust 10th - Glenn Hager - Strange Places\r\n\r\nAugust 11th - Ray Carroll - \"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-8','','','2012-08-08 08:18:37','2012-08-08 15:18:37','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/7393-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(7489,193,'2012-08-13 08:00:07','2012-08-13 15:00:07','For reasons I will never quite understand my Internet connection will not let me access my notes.. so here is my contribution to this months synchroblog about Following Jesus.\r\n\r\nWith apologies to those who are not normally involved in this part of my life.. you might as well know now.\r\nThis months blog is about following Jesus.\r\nEven after I write it , I have to take a deep breath after that sentence.\r\n\r\nMy friend Jacob Pordiosero once painted a painting of an abandoned boat by a shoreline of the Sea of Galilee ( well I imagined it was the sea of Galilee but it might have been Lake Tahoe) and underneath, he painted on the frame:\r\n\'...Dejandolo Todo, Le Seguieron...\' LC V:xI\r\n\r\nWhich translated is\r\nLeaving everything, They followed him.\r\n\r\nThis is a very romantic idea. When I was a child I imagined --with the help of the missionaries that come to my church -- that I would one day leave my home and family and go to the deepest jungles of somewhere and bring peace and solace and salvation to the ignorant masses. Its unfortunate that the people receiving this solace were often portrayed this way, but that is how it was. We were being merciful beggars who found where the bread was, we were sharing it with our less fortunate brothers. Forget that it was Wonder Bread and they ate Tortillas....\r\n\r\nThen later on in high school I was prompted to give up sex and partying for Jesus, even though I had never really sexed or partied in my tired little adolescent life, we were full of promises to stay chaste and stay sober and stay out of trouble for the Kingdom.\r\nOf course this meant we were never in contact in any meaningful way with our peers and often the butt of jokes that had much more to do with our naivete than our moral stances.. We were simplistic about our view of the world because the world we inhabited was simplistic. We didn\'t get hooked on drugs but we didn\'t get hooked on life either. We were hooked on fear.\r\n\r\nWhen I started to gain an education and explore the deeper sides of my own intellectual and emotional and spiritual self, I was told that I was guilty of the sin of pride.. that I was too dependent on my intellect and that my questions were evidence of my lack of faith. Any variance from the doctrine of my conservative evangelical church was subject to ridicule.\r\n\r\nI really did experience this... once I wrote an essay on Ephesians when I was about 15, an article really and it was freshly my own interpretation and feeling about the book. I was hauled into the associate pastors office where he smirkingly asked where in the world I had received my theological education and why did I think I knew more about the Scripture than well trained theologians whose views I had just questioned... He blamed my grandfather who was a lovely wild preacher of heretical love and grace... but truth was it was my very own.\r\n\r\nOnly after I went to a Jesuit theology college in London and studied Urs Van Balthasar( and the mystical writings of his confessee Adrienne Von Spier) did I learn that I was not alone in my mystical interpretations of God or of the Ephesians!!\r\n\r\nI am a liberal and I care about the poor ( I actually am one these days but that\'s another story) I support and love my gay friends, I am conscientious about where I spend my dollars, I have lived a long time volunteering or working with marginal groups of people ( all of whom I felt more at home with than the people I am supposed to be a part of.. )\r\n\r\nI became Catholic, I joined a house church, I was Unitarian for a while. And all the while I kept thinking, what on earth does any of this have to do with following Jesus.\r\n\r\nAnd what exactly is he asking me to leave?\r\n\r\nThis week after hearing of the attack on the Sikh temple in Milwaukee, I think I have my answer. I am being asked, by Jesus, to leave Christianity.\r\nI can no longer stay here, in the safe places in the garden of surety, in the hall of the righteous in the gun slinging mosque burning symbol of the West.I can no longer use the name without being ashamed of it I can no longer read the excuses and the self justifications of my liberal brethren and sistern about how this happened because of \'them\' ( meaning the right wing fundamentalist nut cases. surely not US. Its nothing to do with us with our smugness or our self righteousness or our safe commentary from behind the bunker of Christ Insanity)\r\n\r\nAnd while I know that not all Christians think this or support this or want this, I also know that no one will believe that we side with the attacked and the oppressed and the persecuted unless we leave our bunkers and go hang out and find out what it means to truly be marginalised and hated for what you believe..\r\n\r\nI long ago left the organised Church, thinking that would suffice but I can see that it will not.\r\nI need to become Sufi or Sikh or Muslim. I need to hang out with the people who are being targeted in Christ\'s name so that I can take my place with them on the firing line, to be sullied, to be castigated, to be misunderstood, to be attacked and dragged from their places of worship and their homes to watch their mothers, sisters, fathers brothers gunned down in their very act of loving God...yes, this is the call of every true believer.\r\n\r\nI want to go where they go and live where they live and let their people be my people and their god my god.\r\n\r\nI want to leave Everything, and Follow Him who I love. Who is there with us in the blood and the tears and the hate and the spitting on and the tearing apart of and the hate and the hate. answering with love.\r\n\r\nAnswering with grace, answering with the answer which is\r\nwe are all part of each other and there is no separation, so let us be separated from that which preaches separation. Let us be intolerant of intolerance.\r\n\r\nBlessed be the name of Allah.\r\n\r\nIf they hate you , know that they hated me first, He said.\r\nI want to be hated for his name sake while breathing out prayers of forgiveness and grace.\r\n\r\nBlessed be the name of Allah.','Why I Am Leaving Christianity','','publish','open','open','','why-i-am-leaving-christianity','','','2012-08-08 20:19:43','2012-08-09 03:19:43','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7489',0,'post','',10),(7490,193,'2012-08-08 10:16:13','2012-08-08 17:16:13','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','7489-revision','','','2012-08-08 10:16:13','2012-08-08 17:16:13','',7489,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/7489-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7492,1,'2012-08-09 08:13:32','2012-08-09 15:13:32','For reasons I will never quite understand my Internet connection will not let me access my notes.. so here is my contribution to this months synchroblog about Following Jesus.\n\nWith apologies to those who are not normally involved in this part of my life.. you might as well know now.\nThis months blog is about following Jesus.\nEven after I write it , I have to take a deep breath after that sentence.\n\nMy friend Jacob Pordiosero once painted a painting of an abandoned boat by a shoreline of the Sea of Galilee ( well I imagined it was the sea of Galilee but it might have been Lake Tahoe) and underneath, he painted on the frame:\n\'...Dejandolo Todo, Le Seguieron...\' LC V:xI\n\nWhich translated is\nLeaving everything, They followed him.\n\nThis is a very romantic idea. When I was a child I imagined --with the help of the missionaries that come to my church -- that I would one day leave my home and family and go to the deepest jungles of somewhere and bring peace and solace and salvation to the ignorant masses. Its unfortunate that the people receiving this solace were often portrayed this way, but that is how it was. We were being merciful beggars who found where the bread was, we were sharing it with our less fortunate brothers. Forget that it was Wonder Bread and they ate Tortillas....\n\nThen later on in high school I was prompted to give up sex and partying for Jesus, even though I had never really sexed or partied in my tired little adolescent life, we were full of promises to stay chaste and stay sober and stay out of trouble for the Kingdom.\nOf course this meant we were never in contact in any meaningful way with our peers and often the butt of jokes that had much more to do with our naivete than our moral stances.. We were simplistic about our view of the world because the world we inhabited was simplistic. We didn\'t get hooked on drugs but we didn\'t get hooked on life either. We were hooked on fear.\n\nWhen I started to gain an education and explore the deeper sides of my own intellectual and emotional and spiritual self, I was told that I was guilty of the sin of pride.. that I was too dependent on my intellect and that my questions were evidence of my lack of faith. Any variance from the doctrine of my conservative evangelical church was subject to ridicule.\n\nI really did experience this... once I wrote an essay on Ephesians when I was about 15, an article really and it was freshly my own interpretation and feeling about the book. I was hauled into the associate pastors office where he smirkingly asked where in the world I had received my theological education and why did I think I knew more about the Scripture than well trained theologians whose views I had just questioned... He blamed my grandfather who was a lovely wild preacher of heretical love and grace... but truth was it was my very own.\n\nOnly after I went to a Jesuit theology college in London and studied Urs Van Balthasar( and the mystical writings of his confessee Adrienne Von Spier) did I learn that I was not alone in my mystical interpretations of God or of the Ephesians!!\n\nI am a liberal and I care about the poor ( I actually am one these days but that\'s another story) I support and love my gay friends, I am conscientious about where I spend my dollars, I have lived a long time volunteering or working with marginal groups of people ( all of whom I felt more at home with than the people I am supposed to be a part of.. )\n\nI became Catholic, I joined a house church, I was Unitarian for a while. And all the while I kept thinking, what on earth does any of this have to do with following Jesus.\n\nAnd what exactly is he asking me to leave?\n\nThis week after hearing of the attack on the Sikh temple in Milwaukee, I think I have my answer. I am being asked, by Jesus, to leave Christianity.\nI can no longer stay here, in the safe places in the garden of surety, in the hall of the righteous in the gun slinging mosque burning symbol of the West.I can no longer use the name without being ashamed of it I can no longer read the excuses and the self justifications of my liberal brethren and sistern about how this happened because of \'them\' ( meaning the right wing fundamentalist nut cases. surely not US. Its nothing to do with us with our smugness or our self righteousness or our safe commentary from behind the bunker of Christ Insanity)\n\nAnd while I know that not all Christians think this or support this or want this, I also know that no one will believe that we side with the attacked and the oppressed and the persecuted unless we leave our bunkers and go hang out and find out what it means to truly be marginalised and hated for what you believe..\n\nI long ago left the organised Church, thinking that would suffice but I can see that it will not.\nI need to become Sufi or Sikh or Muslim. I need to hang out with the people who are being targeted in Christ\'s name so that I can take my place with them on the firing line, to be sullied, to be castigated, to be misunderstood, to be attacked and dragged from their places of worship and their homes to watch their mothers, sisters, fathers brothers gunned down in their very act of loving God...yes, this is the call of every true believer.\n\nI want to go where they go and live where they live and let their people be my people and their god my god.\n\nI want to leave Everything, and Follow Him who I love. Who is there with us in the blood and the tears and the hate and the spitting on and the tearing apart of and the hate and the hate. answering with love.\n\nAnswering with grace, answering with the answer which is\nwe are all part of each other and there is no separation, so let us be separated from that which preaches separation. Let us be intolerant of intolerance.\n\nBlessed be the name of Allah.\n\nIf they hate you , know that they hated me first, He said.\nI want to be hated for his name sake while breathing out prayers of forgiveness and grace.\n\nBlessed be the name of Allah.','Why I Am Leaving Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7489-autosave','','','2012-08-09 08:13:32','2012-08-09 15:13:32','',7489,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/7489-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7493,1,'2012-08-08 20:18:35','2012-08-09 03:18:35','','emergency exit','','inherit','open','open','','emergency-exit','','','2012-08-08 20:18:35','2012-08-09 03:18:35','',7489,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/emergency-exit.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7494,1,'2012-08-08 10:27:34','2012-08-08 17:27:34','For reasons I will never quite understand my Internet connection will not let me access my notes.. so here is my contribution to this months synchroblog about Following Jesus.\r\n\r\nWith apologies to those who are not normally involved in this part of my life.. you might as well know now.\r\nThis months blog is about following Jesus. \r\nEven after I write it , I have to take a deep breath after that sentence.\r\n\r\nMy friend Jacob Pordiosero once painted a painting of an abandoned boat by a shoreline of the Sea of Galilee ( well I imagined it was the sea of Galilee but it might have been Lake Tahoe) and underneath, he painted on the frame:\r\n\'...Dejandolo Todo, Le Seguieron...\' LC V:xI\r\n\r\nWhich translated is \r\nLeaving everything, They followed him.\r\n\r\nThis is a very romantic idea. When I was a child I imagined --with the help of the missionaries that come to my church -- that I would one day leave my home and family and go to the deepest jungles of somewhere and bring peace and solace and salvation to the ignorant masses. Its unfortunate that the people receiving this solace were often portrayed this way, but that is how it was. We were being merciful beggars who found where the bread was, we were sharing it with our less fortunate brothers. Forget that it was Wonder Bread and they ate Tortillas.... \r\n\r\nThen later on in high school I was prompted to give up sex and partying for Jesus, even though I had never really sexed or partied in my tired little adolescent life, we were full of promises to stay chaste and stay sober and stay out of trouble for the Kingdom. \r\nOf course this meant we were never in contact in any meaningful way with our peers and often the butt of jokes that had much more to do with our naivete than our moral stances.. We were simplistic about our view of the world because the world we inhabited was simplistic. We didn\'t get hooked on drugs but we didn\'t get hooked on life either. We were hooked on fear. \r\n\r\nWhen I started to gain an education and explore the deeper sides of my own intellectual and emotional and spiritual self, I was told that I was guilty of the sin of pride.. that I was too dependent on my intellect and that my questions were evidence of my lack of faith. Any variance from the doctrine of my conservative evangelical church was subject to ridicule.\r\n\r\nI really did experience this... once I wrote an essay on Ephesians when I was about 15, an article really and it was freshly my own interpretation and feeling about the book. I was hauled into the associate pastors office where he smirkingly asked where in the world I had received my theological education and why did I think I knew more about the Scripture than well trained theologians whose views I had just questioned... He blamed my grandfather who was a lovely wild preacher of heretical love and grace... but truth was it was my very own.\r\n\r\nOnly after I went to a Jesuit theology college in London and studied Urs Van Balthasar( and the mystical writings of his confessee Adrienne Von Spier) did I learn that I was not alone in my mystical interpretations of God or of the Ephesians!! \r\n\r\nI am a liberal and I care about the poor ( I actually am one these days but that\'s another story) I support and love my gay friends, I am conscientious about where I spend my dollars, I have lived a long time volunteering or working with marginal groups of people ( all of whom I felt more at home with than the people I am supposed to be a part of.. ) \r\n\r\nI became Catholic, I joined a house church, I was Unitarian for a while. And all the while I kept thinking, what on earth does any of this have to do with following Jesus. \r\n\r\nAnd what exactly is he asking me to leave?\r\n\r\nThis week after hearing of the attack on the Sikh temple in Milwaukee, I think I have my answer. I am being asked, by Jesus, to leave Christianity.\r\nI can no longer stay here, in the safe places in the garden of surety, in the hall of the righteous in the gun slinging mosque burning symbol of the West.I can no longer use the name without being ashamed of it I can no longer read the excuses and the self justifications of my liberal brethren and sistern about how this happened because of \'them\' ( meaning the right wing fundamentalist nut cases. surely not US. Its nothing to do with us with our smugness or our self righteousness or our safe commentary from behind the bunker of Christ Insanity) \r\n\r\nAnd while I know that not all Christians think this or support this or want this, I also know that no one will believe that we side with the attacked and the oppressed and the persecuted unless we leave our bunkers and go hang out and find out what it means to truly be marginalised and hated for what you believe.. \r\n\r\nI long ago left the organised Church, thinking that would suffice but I can see that it will not. \r\nI need to become Sufi or Sikh or Muslim. I need to hang out with the people who are being targeted in Christ\'s name so that I can take my place with them on the firing line, to be sullied, to be castigated, to be misunderstood, to be attacked and dragged from their places of worship and their homes to watch their mothers, sisters, fathers brothers gunned down in their very act of loving God...yes, this is the call of every true believer.\r\n\r\nI want to go where they go and live where they live and let their people be my people and their god my god.\r\n\r\nI want to leave Everything, and Follow Him who I love. Who is there with us in the blood and the tears and the hate and the spitting on and the tearing apart of and the hate and the hate. answering with love.\r\n\r\nAnswering with grace, answering with the answer which is \r\nwe are all part of each other and there is no separation, so let us be separated from that which preaches separation. Let us be intolerant of intolerance.\r\n\r\nBlessed be the name of Allah.\r\n\r\nIf they hate you , know that they hated me first, He said. \r\nI want to be hated for his name sake while breathing out prayers of forgiveness and grace. \r\n\r\nBlessed be the name of Allah.','Why I am Leaving Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7489-revision-2','','','2012-08-08 10:27:34','2012-08-08 17:27:34','',7489,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/7489-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7495,1,'2012-08-08 08:21:44','2012-08-08 15:21:44','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - <a href=\"http://www.tillhecomes.org/\">Jeremy Myers</a> - <a title=\"Everyone is Following Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/everyone-is-following-jesus/\">Everyone is Following Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - <a href=\"http://wordshalfheard.blogspot.com/\">Carol Kuniholm</a> - <a title=\"Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/04/which-way-am-i-called-to-follow/\">Which Way Am I Called to Follow?</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - <a href=\"http://protestantheretic.wordpress.com/\">Leah Randall</a> - <a title=\"Two Words\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/06/two-words-2/\">Two Words</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - <a href=\"http://gracerules.wordpress.com/\">Liz Dyer</a> - <a title=\"Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/07/give-up-your-good-christian-life-and-follow-jesus/\">Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - <a href=\"http://ellenharoutunian.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ellen Haroutunian</a> - <a title=\"Follow Me\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/follow-me/\">Follow Me</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - Leah Chang - Following Jesus Everywhere\r\n\r\nAugust 10th - Glenn Hager - Strange Places\r\n\r\nAugust 11th - Ray Carroll - \"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-9','','','2012-08-08 08:21:44','2012-08-08 15:21:44','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/7393-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(7699,134,'2012-09-10 09:56:58','2012-09-10 16:56:58','','120525_mitt_romney_mormon_ap','','inherit','open','open','','120525_mitt_romney_mormon_ap','','','2012-09-10 09:56:58','2012-09-10 16:56:58','',0,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/120525_mitt_romney_mormon_ap.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7763,12,'2012-09-20 09:18:41','2012-09-20 16:18:41','Today I found myself listening to one of my old favorite U2 songs tonight, <em>\"Running to Stand Still\"</em> from the <em>Joshua Tree</em> Album. Here it is if you\'ve never had the great pleasure of listening to it:\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eCv0bXFppc\r\n\r\nLiterally, it is a song written about the heroin problem that plagued Dublin in the \'80s. You can read all about the imagery within the song at the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_to_Stand_Still\">song\'s Wikipedia page</a>. It is considered by many to be one of the most complete U2 songs ever written.\r\n\r\nOne of the things I like about U2 songs is something I heard someone close to the band say once. Or maybe it was Bono: <em>\"Really, you can make our songs about anything you want.\"</em> Fans will agree with that as many people find many of their albums becoming a soundtrack for their own life, just when they needed it.\r\n\r\nIn that particular song, there are a couple of statements that intrigue me, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347593993&amp;sr=8-1\">especially after my own fall from the pastorate due to adultery</a>. And I really think it\'s applicable to anyone who has sinned against God or struggled with addiction, argued with God, or simply just not felt good enough for God because of their sin.\r\n\r\nSin has a double edged slice to it. For those who love God, we know it is wrong. When we sin, we know it puts us in a bad relationship with him. When we commit those \"small sins,\" you know, driving too fast, calling the guy in the car next to us <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/stand-still.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-7765\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/stand-still.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"169\" /></a>an \"idiot\" when he cuts us off, cheating on a test; it doesn\'t bother us so much. But when we really sin, we are overwhelmed with guilt.\r\n\r\nThe other edge to sin is how appealing it can be. Especially the big ones. Just go back to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden. The fruit on the tree was appealing to them. Knowing they could be like God was appealing to them. It sounded <em>delicious</em> to them.\r\n\r\nFrankly, when I got to the point in my life where I first considered adultery, it sounded very appealing. I wanted the woman I was with. She was the answer to my prayers and everything I needed. There are other sins like that. What if you need money badly? Let\'s say you work somewhere that you can access it easily and no one will miss small amounts? It\'s desirable. It\'s delicious to you to think about taking it. What about the abuse of power? You can get your way over other people with manipulation or being a jerk. Using that power is appealing. Tasty.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a line in the song where the heroin addict is feeling something that U2 wrote about:\r\n\r\n<em>\"Sweet the sin, but bitter the taste in my mouth.\"</em>\r\n\r\nThere\'s the rub for the Christian. None of us just wake up one day and say, <em>\"Hey! I\'m going to commit adultery/embezzle/be power hungry!\"</em> No, it breeds in us. It becomes delicious to us over time. And we finally decide to sin and consume that sin that we think will be so tasty to us.\r\n\r\nBut when we eat it, at first, it might be delicious. But then, for those who know God, we realize the bitterness. There are consequences for all of our actions.\r\n\r\nWe might be in a place where we think, <em>\"I have to commit this sin. Life has left me no choice. My marriage is a joke,\"</em> or <em>\"I\'m broke.\"</em> There\'s another line in the song that is dealing with something else but is applicable: <em>\"I see seven towers, but I only see one way out.\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhen we begin focusing on a sin, we think the only way out is to keep pursuing that sin. But if we know Christ, we know that\'s not the case. With the redemption of Christ, there\'s always a way out. If we are surrounded by a community filled with the love of Christ, we are even more assured that rescue is at hand.\r\n\r\nBut all too often, we will choose to pursue that sin. The sin that looks so delicious, yet when we bite into it, will only deliver bitterness.\r\n\r\nThat\'s where you may be today. On the path screaming straight toward a sin. Turn from it while you can. Know there are people who are willing to care for you and love you. Look past the deceivingly beautiful veneer of the sin on the outside and see the bitterness that dwells within. Don\'t be afraid to pray to God to deliver you and to put you in the path of people who can help.','The Taste of Sin','','publish','open','open','','the-taste-of-sin','','','2012-09-20 09:18:41','2012-09-20 16:18:41','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7763',0,'post','',7),(7587,0,'2012-08-17 17:56:25','2012-08-18 00:56:25','I have a multitude of things I would love to write about.  I mainly write about faith, and the greatness of God\'s love.  I have other interests, I also like to write about running and health.  I am also a huge music lover, and independent film.  If you\'re interested in what all I write, please let me know, I\'ve been wanting to find a place where I can write for a long time now and this magazine seems to be pretty interesting.\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: David\nAUTHOR EMAIL: djscott97@yahoo.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://djscottblog.blogspot.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 67.160.63.12\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; David\n    [Email] =&gt; djscott97@yahoo.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; djscottblog.blogspot.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; I have a multitude of things I would love to write about.  I mainly write about faith, and the greatness of God\'s love.  I have other interests, I also like to write about running and health.  I am also a huge music lover, and independent film.  If you\'re interested in what all I write, please let me know, I\'ve been wanting to find a place where I can write for a long time now and this magazine seems to be pretty interesting.  \n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; send me one.\n)\n','David - 2012-08-17 17:56:25','','publish','open','open','','de2c5f0fb3df121b83f9cd4092a8cee6','','','2012-08-17 17:56:25','2012-08-18 00:56:25','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=7587',0,'feedback','',0),(7499,18,'2012-08-15 08:00:19','2012-08-15 15:00:19','<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\"Follow me</em>\" - Jesus, over and over in the Gospels</p>\r\nWhen I heard the topic for this month\'s synchroblog--\"Follow\", I immediately thought of something Richard Rohr said in his book B<em>reathing Underwater</em>, centered on the spirituality of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.  He said \"Jesus never said \'worship me.\'  Rather,  when he was calling his disciples he repeatedly said \'follow me.\'\"\r\n\r\nI have a theory that we\'d much rather worship Jesus than follow Jesus.  And for most of us, worship means singing, praying, reading the Bible, gaining insight and information, and \"going to church.\"  <strong>These things, while valuable, are far easier than actually following Jesus. </strong>\r\n\r\nI know this well in my own life.  For years I was the consummate <a href=\"http://kathyescobar.com/2012/05/31/ex-good-christian-women/\">good christian woman</a> and knew how to do, say, and believe all the right things that supposedly-dedicated-followers-of-Jesus-should.   It wasn\'t that hard to do, really.  You show up, mimic what other people are saying and doing, and go with the flow.\r\n\r\n<strong>That flow tends to lead us toward gaining a lot of beliefs about God but very little experience in <em>living out God\'s ways.</em></strong>\r\n\r\nWhen Jesus said \"Follow me\", I really don\'t think he meant \"go to church, sing some songs, listen to an awesome sermon by a charismatic preacher, and hang around a lot of people who believe the same things.\"\r\n\r\n<strong>I think he meant <em>be like him and do what he did.</em></strong><em> </em>\r\n\r\nAnd here\'s what he did:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Freely restored dignity where it had been lost  </em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Happily dined with sinners</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Sharply called out injustice</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Publicly advocated for the oppressed</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Humbly washed others\' feet</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Compassionately offered healing to the sick</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Privately rested when he was tired </em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Bravely challenged the religious system</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Calmly broke through social norms to promote equality </em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Openly stood alongside the persecuted</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Willingly sacrificed his comfort for others</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Repeatedly pointed people toward what was most important--love.</em><em> </em></p>\r\nWhen I look at this list, I have to laugh a little (before I cry), especially in light of the whole crazy Chick-Fil-A bruhaha.  Christians aren\'t known for these things.  We\'re known publicly for all kinds of things that aren\'t reflective of the life of Jesus.  We\'re known for standing against the marginalized instead of for them.  For pointing the finger at others\' specks instead of looking at the logs in our own eye.  For excluding instead of including.  For stripping dignity instead of <a href=\"http://kathyescobar.com/2010/09/14/dignity-restorers/\">restoring it</a>. For ugliness and hate instead of beauty and love.\r\n\r\nOne of the things I love about Jesus is he didn\'t expect his followers to believe a whole lot of things before following him.\r\n\r\n<strong>His call was to action, not belief. </strong>\r\n\r\nAnd he showed us what actions mattered.  These actions are not going to get us in trouble in a world-desperate-for-hope-and-healing, but they are going to get us in trouble with the religious leaders who\'d rather we focused on something a little easier (and in their control)--<em>like who believes what. </em>\r\n\r\nMy hope for the future of Christ-following in the years to come is that we wouldn\'t continually be known as the \"judgmental, rude, cliquey, self-centered stone-throwers.\" <strong> Instead, we\'d be known as \"the \"weirdest, craziest risk takers and lovers of people in town.\" </strong>\r\n\r\n<em>Yeah, it\'s time to redeem what it means to follow Jesus.</em>','What It Means to Follow ','','publish','open','open','','what-it-means-to-follow','','','2012-08-10 07:47:48','2012-08-10 14:47:48','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7499',0,'post','',2),(7500,18,'2012-08-10 07:23:33','2012-08-10 14:23:33','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>\"Follow me</em>\" - Jesus, over and over in the Gospels</p>\nWhen I heard the topic for this month\'s synchroblog--\"Follow\", I immediately thought of something Richard Rohr said in his book B<em>reathing Underwater</em>, centered on the spirituality of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.  He said \"Jesus never said \'worship me.\'  Rather,  when he was calling his disciples he repeatedly said \'follow me.\'\"\n\nI have a theory that we\'d much rather worship Jesus than follow Jesus.  And for most of us, worship means singing, praying, reading the Bible, gaining insight and information, and \"going to church.\"  <strong>These things, while valuable, are far easier than actually following Jesus. </strong>\n\nI know this well in my own life.  For years I was the consummate good christian woman (link) and knew how to do, say, and believe all the right things that supposedly-dedicated-followers-of-Jesus-should.   It wasn\'t that hard to do, really.  You show up, mimic what other people are saying and doing, and go with the flow.\n\n<strong>That flow tends to lead us toward gaining a lot of beliefs about God but very little experience in <em>living out God\'s ways.</em></strong>\n\nWhen Jesus said \"Follow me\", I really don\'t think he meant \"go to church, sing some songs, listen to an awesome sermon by a charismatic preacher, and hang around a lot of people who believe the same things.\"\n\n<strong>I think he meant <em>be like him and do what he did.</em></strong><em> </em>\n\nAnd here\'s what he did:\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Freely restored dignity where it had been lost  </em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Happily dined with sinners</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Sharply called out injustice</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Publicly advocated for the oppressed</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Humbly washed others\' feet</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Compassionately offered healing to the sick</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Privately rested when he was tired </em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Bravely challenged the religious system</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Calmly broke through social norms to promote equality </em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Openly stood alongside the persecuted</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Willingly sacrificed his comfort for others</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Repeatedly pointed people toward what was most important--love.</em><em> </em></p>\nWhen I look at this list, I have to laugh a little (before I cry), especially in light of the whole crazy Chick-Fil-A bruhaha.  Christians aren\'t known for these things.  We\'re known publicly for all kinds of things that aren\'t reflective of the life of Jesus.  We\'re known for standing against the marginalized instead of for them.  For pointing the finger at others\' specks instead of looking at the logs in our own eye.  For excluding instead of including.  For stripping dignity instead of restoring it (link). For ugliness and hate instead of beauty and love.\n\nOne of the things I love about Jesus is he didn\'t expect his followers to believe a whole lot of things before following him.\n\n<strong>His call was to action, not belief. </strong>\n\nAnd he showed us what actions mattered.  These actions are not going to get us in trouble in a world-desperate-for-hope-and-healing, but they are going to get us in trouble with the religious leaders who\'d rather we focused on something a little easier (and in their control)--<em>like who believes what. </em>\n\nMy hope for the future of Christ-following in the years to come is that we wouldn\'t continually be known as the \"judgmental, rude, cliquey, self-centered stone-throwers.\" <strong> Instead, we\'d be known as \"the \"weirdest, craziest risk takers and lovers of people in town.\" </strong>\n\nyeah, it\'s time to redeem what it means to follow Jesus.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em> </em>\n\n<em> </em>','What It Means to Follow ','','inherit','open','open','','7499-revision','','','2012-08-10 07:23:33','2012-08-10 14:23:33','',7499,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7499-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7501,18,'2012-08-10 07:28:10','2012-08-10 14:28:10','','blog provoketive follow me','','inherit','open','open','','blog-provoketive-follow-me','','','2012-08-10 07:28:10','2012-08-10 14:28:10','',7499,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/blog-provoketive-follow-me.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7502,0,'2012-08-10 07:30:24','2012-08-10 14:30:24','Giving, generosity, acceptable gifts to God, relationship with God that comes from giving/generosity\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Jeff Anderson\nAUTHOR EMAIL: info@acceptablegift.org\nAUTHOR URL: http://acceptablegift.org/blog\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 76.201.102.147\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Jeff Anderson\n    [Email] =&gt; info@acceptablegift.org\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://acceptablegift.org/blog\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Giving, generosity, acceptable gifts to God, relationship with God that comes from giving/generosity\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; AcceptableGift\n)\n','Jeff Anderson - 2012-08-10 07:30:24','','publish','open','open','','4ac2a889946f4eb9700c29d7884a1592','','','2012-08-10 07:30:24','2012-08-10 14:30:24','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=7502',0,'feedback','',0),(7503,1,'2012-08-10 07:32:02','2012-08-10 14:32:02','','u2','','inherit','open','open','','u2','','','2012-08-10 07:32:02','2012-08-10 14:32:02','',7416,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/u2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7504,1,'2012-08-10 07:28:14','2012-08-10 14:28:14','Every time I hear the word follow, every single time, I think of my 16 year old self, getting ready for Club, and then I think about Bono. Yeah, that Bono; the dude with the shades from U2. I hear him making his fervent pronouncement, \"I will...follow!\" at the end of the song of the same name.\n\nWho\'d have thought Bono would be a sort of John the Baptist for me, making the way for Jesus in my heart? It was U2 and the noblesse oblige of some suburban mothers who taught me that follow wasn\'t a four letter word. That following Him didn\'t have to take my (very high) cool factor to the basement.\n\nClub was where church kids with attitude spent their Fridays. It was the one place where we could both listen to our alternative music and ask questions about God that we didn\'t want to get into with our parents. It was where the mothers plying us with vats of Kool-aid smiled evenly at everyone; no matter how we dressed. A few churches across Pittsburgh opened wide their social halls for a cover band, led by the long-haired cool guy Ramsey, and let us dance in the dark until curfew. Even carefully coiffed \"edgy\" kids want to hang out with an endless supply of good music and free cookies. I didn\'t want to follow anyone if it didn\'t make me look good. Club made it possible for me make myself comfortable on the fence.\n\nTwo things defined our time at Club, and as teenagers; music and style. My friends and I planned our outfits with care, making sure all our-black clothes were clean, our tights ripped just so. Friday after school, we gathered at my house and sprayed our hair into impossible spikes, rimmed our eyes with liner, laced up our boots and marched off.\n\nWhen the DJ played Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths, The Psychedelic Furs, Echo and the Bunnymen we danced our faces off.  We cornered the territory and we defined it, policed it, with vigilance and a healthy dose of self-importance. We, my dark clad, angry looking friends and I, were real fans. We understood the artists, you know. We uncovered the deeper meanings behind songs like \"Lips Like Sugar,\" (there really is no deeper meaning there) and \"Khundalini Express.\" We followed the artists\' lives with no help from twitter or Facebook. Cripes, we were still playing music on tape decks, people.\n\nI knew that we were not conforming. I knew that we were different. I knew that they were nothing more than followers..\n\nExcept. That\'s exactly what I was doing. I believed that to like a genre of music, one needed to look a certain way, act a certain way and follow a prescribed set of ideologies. Even if a kid doesn\'t use music as an identity shaper, high school years are fraught with the tug between following and leading, between dependence and independence. Plus the hormones! It\'s a wonder so many of us survive that time.\n\nFollowing the distanced and contrived facade of someone else\'s imagining is to find ourselves in the same predicament as U2; we still won\'t be able to find \"what we\'re looking for.\" It was fine to experiment with personae as I grew into myself, but at some point, that fence on which I sat grew rather uncomfortable.\n\nThankfully, the DJ played U2 as well as Siouxie and the Banshees. When I heard that iconoclastic cry, the decision to follow, I knew it was time to choose sides. Here was a band that wrote about more than having sex and how painful break ups are. Here was a dense and wrought musical language that combined faith and cool like nothing I\'d ever seen. Here was a middle ground that allowed me to engage both my intellect and my emotions to approach an idea about God.\n\nWhich is to say, U2, and the kind ministrations of the juice ladies, pushed me off the fence. I wanted a textured faith, to follow something relevant and lasting but also deep enough to handle my questions. I wanted a faith that let me engage in culture to find the redemptive. In my mind, it hadn\'t existed until I fell for U2.\n\nUnlike so-called Christian bands, which even my pastor dad skewered as bad theology and worse music, U2 consistently has been able to use spiritual and scriptural allusions without the blunt force of straight-up Jesus talk. Few \"secular\" artists strike such a powerful balance between rock and reason, juxtaposing the (assumed) debauchery of stars with spirituality like U2. Without looking too hard, one could hear the redemptive bubbling to the surface in so many of their songs. A basic understanding of Judeo-Christian beliefs were all one needed to notice how cleanly scriptural truths were presented.\n\nTo a teen standing on the edges of faith, wading into the treacherous waters of identity formation, U2 offered a flavor of belief system I could swallow without a chaser of Kool-aid. Listening to U2 honed my critical thinking skills and I listened to other music, other lyrics, or approached the visual or written arts. I learned to decipher the music and art I consumed, asking what it demanded of me. I was going to follow this Jesus, I sure didn\'t want a crappy soundtrack.','U2 and the Call to Follow','','inherit','open','open','','7416-revision-5','','','2012-08-10 07:28:14','2012-08-10 14:28:14','',7416,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7416-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7505,1,'2012-08-09 08:11:23','2012-08-09 15:11:23','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - <a href=\"http://www.tillhecomes.org/\">Jeremy Myers</a> - <a title=\"Everyone is Following Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/everyone-is-following-jesus/\">Everyone is Following Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - <a href=\"http://wordshalfheard.blogspot.com/\">Carol Kuniholm</a> - <a title=\"Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/04/which-way-am-i-called-to-follow/\">Which Way Am I Called to Follow?</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - <a href=\"http://protestantheretic.wordpress.com/\">Leah Randall</a> - <a title=\"Two Words\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/06/two-words-2/\">Two Words</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - <a href=\"http://gracerules.wordpress.com/\">Liz Dyer</a> - <a title=\"Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/07/give-up-your-good-christian-life-and-follow-jesus/\">Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - <a href=\"http://ellenharoutunian.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ellen Haroutunian</a> - <a title=\"Follow Me\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/follow-me/\">Follow Me</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - <a href=\"http://www.desertspiritsfire.com/\">Leah Chang</a> - <a title=\"Following Jesus Everywhere\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/09/following-jesus-everywhere/\">Following Jesus Everywhere</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 10th - Glenn Hager - Strange Places\r\n\r\nAugust 11th - Ray Carroll - \"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System\r\n\r\nAugust 13th - Sarita Baker Brown - Why I Am Leaving Christianity\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-10','','','2012-08-09 08:11:23','2012-08-09 15:11:23','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/09/7393-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(7506,1,'2012-08-10 07:44:17','2012-08-10 14:44:17','','walking2','','inherit','open','open','','walking2','','','2012-08-10 07:44:17','2012-08-10 14:44:17','',7499,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/walking2.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7507,1,'2012-08-10 07:40:21','2012-08-10 14:40:21','<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\"Follow me</em>\" - Jesus, over and over in the Gospels</p>\nWhen I heard the topic for this month\'s synchroblog--\"Follow\", I immediately thought of something Richard Rohr said in his book B<em>reathing Underwater</em>, centered on the spirituality of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.  He said \"Jesus never said \'worship me.\'  Rather,  when he was calling his disciples he repeatedly said \'follow me.\'\"\n\nI have a theory that we\'d much rather worship Jesus than follow Jesus.  And for most of us, worship means singing, praying, reading the Bible, gaining insight and information, and \"going to church.\"  <strong>These things, while valuable, are far easier than actually following Jesus. </strong>\n\nI know this well in my own life.  For years I was the consummate <a href=\"http://kathyescobar.com/2012/05/31/ex-good-christian-women/\">good christian woman</a> and knew how to do, say, and believe all the right things that supposedly-dedicated-followers-of-Jesus-should.   It wasn\'t that hard to do, really.  You show up, mimic what other people are saying and doing, and go with the flow.\n\n<strong>That flow tends to lead us toward gaining a lot of beliefs about God but very little experience in <em>living out God\'s ways.</em></strong>\n\nWhen Jesus said \"Follow me\", I really don\'t think he meant \"go to church, sing some songs, listen to an awesome sermon by a charismatic preacher, and hang around a lot of people who believe the same things.\"\n\n<strong>I think he meant <em>be like him and do what he did.</em></strong><em> </em>\n\nAnd here\'s what he did:\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Freely restored dignity where it had been lost  </em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Happily dined with sinners</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Sharply called out injustice</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Publicly advocated for the oppressed</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Humbly washed others\' feet</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Compassionately offered healing to the sick</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Privately rested when he was tired </em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Bravely challenged the religious system</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Calmly broke through social norms to promote equality </em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Openly stood alongside the persecuted</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Willingly sacrificed his comfort for others</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Repeatedly pointed people toward what was most important--love.</em><em> </em></p>\nWhen I look at this list, I have to laugh a little (before I cry), especially in light of the whole crazy Chick-Fil-A bruhaha.  Christians aren\'t known for these things.  We\'re known publicly for all kinds of things that aren\'t reflective of the life of Jesus.  We\'re known for standing against the marginalized instead of for them.  For pointing the finger at others\' specks instead of looking at the logs in our own eye.  For excluding instead of including.  For stripping dignity instead of <a href=\"http://kathyescobar.com/2010/09/14/dignity-restorers/\">restoring it</a>. For ugliness and hate instead of beauty and love.\n\nOne of the things I love about Jesus is he didn\'t expect his followers to believe a whole lot of things before following him.\n\n<strong>His call was to action, not belief. </strong>\n\nAnd he showed us what actions mattered.  These actions are not going to get us in trouble in a world-desperate-for-hope-and-healing, but they are going to get us in trouble with the religious leaders who\'d rather we focused on something a little easier (and in their control)--<em>like who believes what. </em>\n\nMy hope for the future of Christ-following in the years to come is that we wouldn\'t continually be known as the \"judgmental, rude, cliquey, self-centered stone-throwers.\" <strong> Instead, we\'d be known as \"the \"weirdest, craziest risk takers and lovers of people in town.\" </strong>\n\n<em>yeah, it\'s time to redeem what it means to follow Jesus.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em> </em>\n\n<em> </em>','What It Means to Follow ','','inherit','open','open','','7499-revision-2','','','2012-08-10 07:40:21','2012-08-10 14:40:21','',7499,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7499-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7508,1,'2012-08-10 07:34:09','2012-08-10 14:34:09','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - <a href=\"http://www.tillhecomes.org/\">Jeremy Myers</a> - <a title=\"Everyone is Following Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/everyone-is-following-jesus/\">Everyone is Following Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - <a href=\"http://wordshalfheard.blogspot.com/\">Carol Kuniholm</a> - <a title=\"Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/04/which-way-am-i-called-to-follow/\">Which Way Am I Called to Follow?</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - <a href=\"http://protestantheretic.wordpress.com/\">Leah Randall</a> - <a title=\"Two Words\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/06/two-words-2/\">Two Words</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - <a href=\"http://gracerules.wordpress.com/\">Liz Dyer</a> - <a title=\"Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/07/give-up-your-good-christian-life-and-follow-jesus/\">Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - <a href=\"http://ellenharoutunian.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ellen Haroutunian</a> - <a title=\"Follow Me\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/follow-me/\">Follow Me</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - <a href=\"http://www.desertspiritsfire.com/\">Leah Chang</a> - <a title=\"Following Jesus Everywhere\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/09/following-jesus-everywhere/\">Following Jesus Everywhere</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 10th - Glenn Hager - Strange Places\r\n\r\nAugust 11th - Ray Carroll - \"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System\r\n\r\nAugust 13th - Sarita Baker Brown - Why I Am Leaving Christianity\r\n\r\nAugust 14th - Jennifer Luitweiler - U2 and the Call to Follow\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-11','','','2012-08-10 07:34:09','2012-08-10 14:34:09','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7393-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(7509,1,'2012-08-10 07:44:54','2012-08-10 14:44:54','<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\"Follow me</em>\" - Jesus, over and over in the Gospels</p>\r\nWhen I heard the topic for this month\'s synchroblog--\"Follow\", I immediately thought of something Richard Rohr said in his book B<em>reathing Underwater</em>, centered on the spirituality of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.  He said \"Jesus never said \'worship me.\'  Rather,  when he was calling his disciples he repeatedly said \'follow me.\'\"\r\n\r\nI have a theory that we\'d much rather worship Jesus than follow Jesus.  And for most of us, worship means singing, praying, reading the Bible, gaining insight and information, and \"going to church.\"  <strong>These things, while valuable, are far easier than actually following Jesus. </strong>\r\n\r\nI know this well in my own life.  For years I was the consummate <a href=\"http://kathyescobar.com/2012/05/31/ex-good-christian-women/\">good christian woman</a> and knew how to do, say, and believe all the right things that supposedly-dedicated-followers-of-Jesus-should.   It wasn\'t that hard to do, really.  You show up, mimic what other people are saying and doing, and go with the flow.\r\n\r\n<strong>That flow tends to lead us toward gaining a lot of beliefs about God but very little experience in <em>living out God\'s ways.</em></strong>\r\n\r\nWhen Jesus said \"Follow me\", I really don\'t think he meant \"go to church, sing some songs, listen to an awesome sermon by a charismatic preacher, and hang around a lot of people who believe the same things.\"\r\n\r\n<strong>I think he meant <em>be like him and do what he did.</em></strong><em> </em>\r\n\r\nAnd here\'s what he did:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Freely restored dignity where it had been lost  </em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Happily dined with sinners</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Sharply called out injustice</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Publicly advocated for the oppressed</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Humbly washed others\' feet</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Compassionately offered healing to the sick</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Privately rested when he was tired </em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Bravely challenged the religious system</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Calmly broke through social norms to promote equality </em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Openly stood alongside the persecuted</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Willingly sacrificed his comfort for others</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Repeatedly pointed people toward what was most important--love.</em><em> </em></p>\r\nWhen I look at this list, I have to laugh a little (before I cry), especially in light of the whole crazy Chick-Fil-A bruhaha.  Christians aren\'t known for these things.  We\'re known publicly for all kinds of things that aren\'t reflective of the life of Jesus.  We\'re known for standing against the marginalized instead of for them.  For pointing the finger at others\' specks instead of looking at the logs in our own eye.  For excluding instead of including.  For stripping dignity instead of <a href=\"http://kathyescobar.com/2010/09/14/dignity-restorers/\">restoring it</a>. For ugliness and hate instead of beauty and love.\r\n\r\nOne of the things I love about Jesus is he didn\'t expect his followers to believe a whole lot of things before following him.\r\n\r\n<strong>His call was to action, not belief. </strong>\r\n\r\nAnd he showed us what actions mattered.  These actions are not going to get us in trouble in a world-desperate-for-hope-and-healing, but they are going to get us in trouble with the religious leaders who\'d rather we focused on something a little easier (and in their control)--<em>like who believes what. </em>\r\n\r\nMy hope for the future of Christ-following in the years to come is that we wouldn\'t continually be known as the \"judgmental, rude, cliquey, self-centered stone-throwers.\" <strong> Instead, we\'d be known as \"the \"weirdest, craziest risk takers and lovers of people in town.\" </strong>\r\n\r\n<em>Yeah, it\'s time to redeem what it means to follow Jesus.</em>','What It Means to Follow ','','inherit','open','open','','7499-revision-3','','','2012-08-10 07:44:54','2012-08-10 14:44:54','',7499,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7499-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7516,191,'2012-08-10 18:12:29','2012-08-11 01:12:29','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-7515\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" /></a>Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)\n\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\n\n&nbsp;','Post-Evangelicalism &amp; A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-3','','','2012-08-10 18:12:29','2012-08-11 01:12:29','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7517,191,'2012-08-10 18:15:25','2012-08-11 01:15:25','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\n\nHmmmm.\n\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\n\nI\'m a Christian.\n\n*crickets*\n\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\n\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Post-Evangelicalism &amp; A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-4','','','2012-08-10 18:15:25','2012-08-11 01:15:25','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7518,191,'2012-08-10 18:20:49','2012-08-11 01:20:49','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\n\nHmmmm.\n\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\n\nI\'m a Christian.\n\n*crickets*\n\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\n\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\n\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\n\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is triune, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\n\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\n\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think wi\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Post-Evangelicalism &amp; A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-5','','','2012-08-10 18:20:49','2012-08-11 01:20:49','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7519,191,'2012-08-10 18:23:06','2012-08-11 01:23:06','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\n\nHmmmm.\n\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\n\nI\'m a Christian.\n\n*crickets*\n\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\n\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\n\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\n\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is triune, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\n\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\n\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\n\nI do not believe that non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\n\nIn e\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Post-Evangelicalism &amp; A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-6','','','2012-08-10 18:23:06','2012-08-11 01:23:06','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7520,191,'2012-08-10 18:30:16','2012-08-11 01:30:16','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\n\nHmmmm.\n\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\n\nI\'m a Christian.\n\n*crickets*\n\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\n\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\n\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\n\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is triune, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\n\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\n\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\n\nYou still there? Okay cool. And might I say, you look fabulous. ;)\n\n*ahem*\n\nBack to it.\n\nI do not believe non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\n\nIn regards to the nature of the soul (or lack thereof), I am agnostic. If we have souls, great. If we don\'t, then the physical creation is still just as beautiful and deadly, and we are still as dependent upon the Resurrection. I haven\'t lost sleep over this issue.\n\nIn regards to women in ministry, I am an egalitarian (though I kinda like complementarian as I do believe men and woman complement each other).\n\nI believe in God\'s sovereignty and man\'s responsibility. And if that sounds like a cop-out answer, you are certainly right about that. ;)\n\nI do not affirm original guilt, but I affirm original sin. In accordance with the Eastern Church, I would agree. Along with their atonement theory of Christus Victor.\n\nI believe that social justice is an essential part of the Gospel, and we are called to live it out.\n\nI\'m a moderate/liberal Republican. Fiscally conservative (for the most part) and moderate socially (pro-life,  pro-immigration, pro-welfare).\n\nI love video games, action flicks and good beer. Depending on the day, I pref\n\nI really dislike ducks. I really do. No joke. If I become a universalist, I think ducks would be stuck in hell for a long time before they can be redeemed.\n\nI like the term \"progressive\" Christian, but it carries too much baggage and most progressives won;t like me referring to myself as such.\n\nI\'m in a dedicated relationship. Sorry about that.\n\nI still hate ducks.\n\nWell, our two minutes are up. Do you still want to go out with me?\n\n*crickets*\n\nCan we at least be friends?\n\n*crickets*\n\nLove you too.\n\n;)\n\n--Nick','Post-Evangelicalism &amp; A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-7','','','2012-08-10 18:30:16','2012-08-11 01:30:16','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(7522,191,'2012-08-10 18:31:37','2012-08-11 01:31:37','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\n\nHmmmm.\n\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\n\nI\'m a Christian.\n\n*crickets*\n\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\n\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\n\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\n\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is trinity, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\n\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\n\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\n\nYou still there? Okay cool. And might I say, you look fabulous. ;)\n\n*ahem*\n\nBack to it.\n\nI do not believe non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\n\nIn regards to the nature of the soul (or lack thereof), I am agnostic. If we have souls, great. If we don\'t, then the physical creation is still just as beautiful and deadly, and we are still as dependent upon the Resurrection. I haven\'t lost sleep over this issue.\n\nIn regards to women in ministry, I am an egalitarian (though I kinda like complementarian as I do believe men and woman complement each other).\n\nI believe in God\'s sovereignty and man\'s responsibility. And if that sounds like a cop-out answer, you are certainly right about that. ;)\n\nI do not affirm original guilt, but I affirm original sin. In accordance with the Eastern Church, I would agree. Along with their atonement theory of Christus Victor.\n\nI believe that social justice is an essential part of the Gospel, and we are called to live it out.\n\nI\'m a moderate/liberal Republican. Fiscally conservative (for the most part) and moderate socially (pro-life,  pro-immigration, pro-welfare).\n\nI love video games, action flicks and good beer. Depending on the day, I prefer Sin City and Avery\'s The Reverend.\n\nI really dislike ducks. I really do. No joke. If I become a universalist, I think ducks would be stuck in hell for a long time before they can be redeemed.\n\nI like the term \"progressive\" Christian, but it carries too much baggage and most progressives won;t like me referring to myself as such.\n\nI\'m in a dedicated relationship. Sorry about that.\n\nI still hate ducks.\n\nWell, our two minutes are up. Do you still want to go out with me?\n\n*crickets*\n\nCan we at least be friends?\n\n*crickets*\n\nLove you too.\n\n;)\n\n--Nick','Post-Evangelicalism &amp; A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-9','','','2012-08-10 18:31:37','2012-08-11 01:31:37','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(7521,191,'2012-08-10 18:30:32','2012-08-11 01:30:32','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\r\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\r\n\r\nHmmmm.\r\n\r\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\r\n\r\nI\'m a Christian.\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\r\n\r\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\r\n\r\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\r\n\r\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is triune, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\r\n\r\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\r\n\r\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\r\n\r\nYou still there? Okay cool. And might I say, you look fabulous. ;)\r\n\r\n*ahem*\r\n\r\nBack to it.\r\n\r\nI do not believe non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\r\n\r\nIn regards to the nature of the soul (or lack thereof), I am agnostic. If we have souls, great. If we don\'t, then the physical creation is still just as beautiful and deadly, and we are still as dependent upon the Resurrection. I haven\'t lost sleep over this issue.\r\n\r\nIn regards to women in ministry, I am an egalitarian (though I kinda like complementarian as I do believe men and woman complement each other).\r\n\r\nI believe in God\'s sovereignty and man\'s responsibility. And if that sounds like a cop-out answer, you are certainly right about that. ;)\r\n\r\nI do not affirm original guilt, but I affirm original sin. In accordance with the Eastern Church, I would agree. Along with their atonement theory of Christus Victor.\r\n\r\nI believe that social justice is an essential part of the Gospel, and we are called to live it out.\r\n\r\nI\'m a moderate/liberal Republican. Fiscally conservative (for the most part) and moderate socially (pro-life,  pro-immigration, pro-welfare).\r\n\r\nI love video games, action flicks and good beer. Depending on the day, I prefer Sin City and Avery\'s The Reverend.\r\n\r\nI really dislike ducks. I really do. No joke. If I become a universalist, I think ducks would be stuck in hell for a long time before they can be redeemed.\r\n\r\nI like the term \"progressive\" Christian, but it carries too much baggage and most progressives won;t like me referring to myself as such.\r\n\r\nI\'m in a dedicated relationship. Sorry about that.\r\n\r\nI still hate ducks.\r\n\r\nWell, our two minutes are up. Do you still want to go out with me?\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nCan we at least be friends?\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nLove you too.\r\n\r\n;)\r\n\r\n--Nick','Post-Evangelicalism &amp; A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-8','','','2012-08-10 18:30:32','2012-08-11 01:30:32','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(7523,191,'2012-08-10 18:33:17','2012-08-11 01:33:17','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\n\nHmmmm.\n\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\n\nI\'m a Christian.\n\n*crickets*\n\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\n\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\n\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\n\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is trinity, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\n\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\n\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\n\nYou still there? Okay cool. And might I say, you look fabulous. ;)\n\n*ahem*\n\nBack to it.\n\nI do not believe non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\n\nIn regards to the nature of the soul (or lack thereof), I am agnostic. If we have souls, great. If we don\'t, then the physical creation is still just as beautiful and deadly, and we are still as dependent upon the Resurrection. I haven\'t lost sleep over this issue.\n\nIn regards to women in ministry, I am an egalitarian (though I kinda like complementarian as I do believe men and woman complement each other).\n\nI believe in God\'s sovereignty and man\'s responsibility. And if that sounds like a cop-out answer, you are certainly right about that. ;)\n\nI do not affirm original guilt, but I affirm original sin. In accordance with the Eastern Church, I would agree. Along with their atonement theory of Christus Victor.\n\nI believe that social justice is an essential part of the Gospel, and we are called to live it out.\n\nI\'m a moderate/liberal Republican. Fiscally conservative (for the most part) and moderate socially (pro-life,  pro-immigration, pro-welfare).\n\nI love video games, action flicks and good beer. Depending on the day, I prefer Sin City and Avery\'s The Reverend.\n\nI really dislike ducks. I really do. No joke. If I become a universalist, I think ducks would be stuck in hell for a long time before they can be redeemed.\n\nI like the term \"progressive\" Christian, but it carries too much baggage and most progressives won;t like me referring to myself as such.\n\nI\'m in a dedicated relationship. Sorry about that.\n\nI still hate ducks.\n\nWell, our two minutes are up. Do you still want to go out with me?\n\n*crickets*\n\nCan we at least be friends?\n\n*crickets*\n\nLove you too.\n\n;)\n\n--Nick','Post-Evangelicalism and \"A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity\"','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-10','','','2012-08-10 18:33:17','2012-08-11 01:33:17','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(7524,191,'2012-08-10 18:34:36','2012-08-11 01:34:36','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\n\nHmmmm.\n\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\n\nI\'m a Christian.\n\n*crickets*\n\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\n\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\n\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\n\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is trinity, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\n\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\n\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\n\nYou still there? Okay cool. And might I say, you look fabulous. ;)\n\n*ahem*\n\nBack to it.\n\nI do not believe non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\n\nIn regards to the nature of the soul (or lack thereof), I am agnostic. If we have souls, great. If we don\'t, then the physical creation is still just as beautiful and deadly, and we are still as dependent upon the Resurrection. I haven\'t lost sleep over this issue.\n\nIn regards to women in ministry, I am an egalitarian (though I kinda like complementarian as I do believe men and woman complement each other).\n\nI believe in God\'s sovereignty and man\'s responsibility. And if that sounds like a cop-out answer, you are certainly right about that. ;)\n\nI do not affirm original guilt, but I affirm original sin. In accordance with the Eastern Church, I would agree. Along with their atonement theory of Christus Victor.\n\nI believe that social justice is an essential part of the Gospel, and we are called to live it out.\n\nI\'m a moderate/liberal Republican. Fiscally conservative (for the most part) and moderate socially (pro-life,  pro-immigration, pro-welfare).\n\nI love video games, action flicks and good beer. Depending on the day, I prefer Sin City and Avery\'s The Reverend.\n\nI really dislike ducks. I really do. No joke. If I become a universalist, I think ducks would be stuck in hell for a long time before they can be redeemed.\n\nI like the term \"progressive\" Christian, but it carries too much baggage and most progressives won;t like me referring to myself as such.\n\nI\'m in a dedicated relationship. Sorry about that.\n\nI still hate ducks.\n\nWell, our two minutes are up. Do you still want to go out with me?\n\n*crickets*\n\nCan we at least be friends?\n\n*crickets*\n\nLove you too.\n\n;)\n\n--Nick','Post-Evangelicalism and \"A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity\"','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-11','','','2012-08-10 18:34:36','2012-08-11 01:34:36','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(7526,191,'2012-08-10 18:37:55','2012-08-11 01:37:55','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\n\nHmmmm.\n\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\n\nI\'m a Christian.\n\n*crickets*\n\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\n\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\n\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\n\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is trinity, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\n\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\n\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\n\nYou still there? Okay cool. And might I say, you look fabulous. ;)\n\n*ahem*\n\nBack to it.\n\nI do not believe non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\n\nIn regards to the nature of the soul (or lack thereof), I am agnostic. If we have souls, great. If we don\'t, then the physical creation is still just as beautiful and deadly, and we are still as dependent upon the Resurrection. I haven\'t lost sleep over this issue.\n\nIn regards to women in ministry, I am an egalitarian (though I kinda like complementarian as I do believe men and woman complement each other).\n\nI believe in God\'s sovereignty and man\'s responsibility. And if that sounds like a cop-out answer, you are certainly right about that. ;)\n\nI do not affirm original guilt, but I affirm original sin. In accordance with the Eastern Church, I would agree. Along with their atonement theory of Christus Victor.\n\nI believe that social justice is an essential part of the Gospel, and we are called to live it out.\n\nI\'m a moderate/liberal Republican. Fiscally conservative (for the most part) and moderate socially (pro-life,  pro-immigration, pro-welfare).\n\nI love video games, action flicks and good beer. Depending on the day, I prefer Sin City and Avery\'s The Reverend.\n\nI really dislike ducks. I really do. No joke. If I become a universalist, I think ducks would be stuck in hell for a long time before they can be redeemed.\n\nI like the term \"progressive\" Christian, but it carries too much baggage and most progressives won;t like me referring to myself as such.\n\nI\'m in a dedicated relationship. Sorry about that.\n\nI still hate ducks.\n\nWell, our two minutes are up. Do you still want to go out with me?\n\n*crickets*\n\nCan we at least be friends?\n\n*crickets*\n\nLove you too.\n\n;)\n\n--Nick','Post-Evangelicalism and \"A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity\"','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-13','','','2012-08-10 18:37:55','2012-08-11 01:37:55','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(7525,191,'2012-08-10 18:34:59','2012-08-11 01:34:59','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\r\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\r\n\r\nHmmmm.\r\n\r\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\r\n\r\nI\'m a Christian.\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\r\n\r\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\r\n\r\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\r\n\r\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is trinity, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\r\n\r\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\r\n\r\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\r\n\r\nYou still there? Okay cool. And might I say, you look fabulous. ;)\r\n\r\n*ahem*\r\n\r\nBack to it.\r\n\r\nI do not believe non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\r\n\r\nIn regards to the nature of the soul (or lack thereof), I am agnostic. If we have souls, great. If we don\'t, then the physical creation is still just as beautiful and deadly, and we are still as dependent upon the Resurrection. I haven\'t lost sleep over this issue.\r\n\r\nIn regards to women in ministry, I am an egalitarian (though I kinda like complementarian as I do believe men and woman complement each other).\r\n\r\nI believe in God\'s sovereignty and man\'s responsibility. And if that sounds like a cop-out answer, you are certainly right about that. ;)\r\n\r\nI do not affirm original guilt, but I affirm original sin. In accordance with the Eastern Church, I would agree. Along with their atonement theory of Christus Victor.\r\n\r\nI believe that social justice is an essential part of the Gospel, and we are called to live it out.\r\n\r\nI\'m a moderate/liberal Republican. Fiscally conservative (for the most part) and moderate socially (pro-life,  pro-immigration, pro-welfare).\r\n\r\nI love video games, action flicks and good beer. Depending on the day, I prefer Sin City and Avery\'s The Reverend.\r\n\r\nI really dislike ducks. I really do. No joke. If I become a universalist, I think ducks would be stuck in hell for a long time before they can be redeemed.\r\n\r\nI like the term \"progressive\" Christian, but it carries too much baggage and most progressives won;t like me referring to myself as such.\r\n\r\nI\'m in a dedicated relationship. Sorry about that.\r\n\r\nI still hate ducks.\r\n\r\nWell, our two minutes are up. Do you still want to go out with me?\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nCan we at least be friends?\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nLove you too.\r\n\r\n;)\r\n\r\n--Nick','Post-Evangelicalism and \"A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity\"','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-12','','','2012-08-10 18:34:59','2012-08-11 01:34:59','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(7536,1,'2012-08-11 11:33:27','2012-08-11 18:33:27','<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\r\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\r\n\r\nHmmmm.\r\n\r\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\r\n\r\nI\'m a Christian.\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\r\n\r\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\r\n\r\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\r\n\r\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is trinity, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\r\n\r\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\r\n\r\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\r\n\r\nYou still there? Okay cool. And might I say, you look fabulous. ;)\r\n\r\n*ahem*\r\n\r\nBack to it.\r\n\r\nI do not believe non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\r\n\r\nIn regards to the nature of the soul (or lack thereof), I am agnostic. If we have souls, great. If we don\'t, then the physical creation is still just as beautiful and deadly, and we are still as dependent upon the Resurrection. I haven\'t lost sleep over this issue.\r\n\r\nIn regards to women in ministry, I am an egalitarian (though I kinda like complementarian as I do believe men and woman complement each other).\r\n\r\nI believe in God\'s sovereignty and man\'s responsibility. And if that sounds like a cop-out answer, you are certainly right about that. ;)\r\n\r\nI do not affirm original guilt, but I affirm original sin. In accordance with the Eastern Church, I would agree. Along with their atonement theory of Christus Victor.\r\n\r\nI believe that social justice is an essential part of the Gospel, and we are called to live it out.\r\n\r\nI\'m a moderate/liberal Republican. Fiscally conservative (for the most part) and moderate socially (pro-life,  pro-immigration, pro-welfare).\r\n\r\nI love video games, action flicks and good beer. Depending on the day, I prefer Sin City and Avery\'s The Reverend.\r\n\r\nI really dislike ducks. I really do. No joke. If I become a universalist, I think ducks would be stuck in hell for a long time before they can be redeemed.\r\n\r\nI like the term \"progressive\" Christian, but it carries too much baggage and most progressives won;t like me referring to myself as such.\r\n\r\nI\'m in a dedicated relationship. Sorry about that.\r\n\r\nI still hate ducks.\r\n\r\nWell, our two minutes are up. Do you still want to go out with me?\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nCan we at least be friends?\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nLove you too.\r\n\r\n;)\r\n\r\n--Nick','Post-Evangelicalism and \"A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity\"','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-17','','','2012-08-11 11:33:27','2012-08-11 18:33:27','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/11/7512-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(7527,1,'2012-08-11 11:32:43','2012-08-11 18:32:43','<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\n\nHmmmm.\n\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\n\nI\'m a Christian.\n\n*crickets*\n\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\n\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\n\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\n\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is trinity, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\n\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\n\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\n\nYou still there? Okay cool. And might I say, you look fabulous. ;)\n\n*ahem*\n\nBack to it.\n\nI do not believe non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\n\nIn regards to the nature of the soul (or lack thereof), I am agnostic. If we have souls, great. If we don\'t, then the physical creation is still just as beautiful and deadly, and we are still as dependent upon the Resurrection. I haven\'t lost sleep over this issue.\n\nIn regards to women in ministry, I am an egalitarian (though I kinda like complementarian as I do believe men and woman complement each other).\n\nI believe in God\'s sovereignty and man\'s responsibility. And if that sounds like a cop-out answer, you are certainly right about that. ;)\n\nI do not affirm original guilt, but I affirm original sin. In accordance with the Eastern Church, I would agree. Along with their atonement theory of Christus Victor.\n\nI believe that social justice is an essential part of the Gospel, and we are called to live it out.\n\nI\'m a moderate/liberal Republican. Fiscally conservative (for the most part) and moderate socially (pro-life,  pro-immigration, pro-welfare).\n\nI love video games, action flicks and good beer. Depending on the day, I prefer Sin City and Avery\'s The Reverend.\n\nI really dislike ducks. I really do. No joke. If I become a universalist, I think ducks would be stuck in hell for a long time before they can be redeemed.\n\nI like the term \"progressive\" Christian, but it carries too much baggage and most progressives won;t like me referring to myself as such.\n\nI\'m in a dedicated relationship. Sorry about that.\n\nI still hate ducks.\n\nWell, our two minutes are up. Do you still want to go out with me?\n\n*crickets*\n\nCan we at least be friends?\n\n*crickets*\n\nLove you too.\n\n;)\n\n--Nick','Post-Evangelicalism and \"A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity\"','','inherit','open','open','','7512-autosave','','','2012-08-11 11:32:43','2012-08-11 18:32:43','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7535,1,'2012-08-10 21:08:23','2012-08-11 04:08:23','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\r\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\r\n\r\nHmmmm.\r\n\r\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\r\n\r\nI\'m a Christian.\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\r\n\r\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\r\n\r\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\r\n\r\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is trinity, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\r\n\r\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\r\n\r\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\r\n\r\nYou still there? Okay cool. And might I say, you look fabulous. ;)\r\n\r\n*ahem*\r\n\r\nBack to it.\r\n\r\nI do not believe non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\r\n\r\nIn regards to the nature of the soul (or lack thereof), I am agnostic. If we have souls, great. If we don\'t, then the physical creation is still just as beautiful and deadly, and we are still as dependent upon the Resurrection. I haven\'t lost sleep over this issue.\r\n\r\nIn regards to women in ministry, I am an egalitarian (though I kinda like complementarian as I do believe men and woman complement each other).\r\n\r\nI believe in God\'s sovereignty and man\'s responsibility. And if that sounds like a cop-out answer, you are certainly right about that. ;)\r\n\r\nI do not affirm original guilt, but I affirm original sin. In accordance with the Eastern Church, I would agree. Along with their atonement theory of Christus Victor.\r\n\r\nI believe that social justice is an essential part of the Gospel, and we are called to live it out.\r\n\r\nI\'m a moderate/liberal Republican. Fiscally conservative (for the most part) and moderate socially (pro-life,  pro-immigration, pro-welfare).\r\n\r\nI love video games, action flicks and good beer. Depending on the day, I prefer Sin City and Avery\'s The Reverend.\r\n\r\nI really dislike ducks. I really do. No joke. If I become a universalist, I think ducks would be stuck in hell for a long time before they can be redeemed.\r\n\r\nI like the term \"progressive\" Christian, but it carries too much baggage and most progressives won;t like me referring to myself as such.\r\n\r\nI\'m in a dedicated relationship. Sorry about that.\r\n\r\nI still hate ducks.\r\n\r\nWell, our two minutes are up. Do you still want to go out with me?\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nCan we at least be friends?\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nLove you too.\r\n\r\n;)\r\n\r\n--Nick','Post-Evangelicalism and \"A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity\"','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-16','','','2012-08-10 21:08:23','2012-08-11 04:08:23','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(7534,1,'2012-08-11 11:33:01','2012-08-11 18:33:01','','new christian','','inherit','open','open','','new-christian','','','2012-08-11 11:33:01','2012-08-11 18:33:01','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/new-christian.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7529,191,'2012-08-10 18:38:58','2012-08-11 01:38:58','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\r\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\r\n\r\nHmmmm.\r\n\r\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\r\n\r\nI\'m a Christian.\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\r\n\r\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\r\n\r\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\r\n\r\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is trinity, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\r\n\r\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\r\n\r\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\r\n\r\nYou still there? Okay cool. And might I say, you look fabulous. ;)\r\n\r\n*ahem*\r\n\r\nBack to it.\r\n\r\nI do not believe non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\r\n\r\nIn regards to the nature of the soul (or lack thereof), I am agnostic. If we have souls, great. If we don\'t, then the physical creation is still just as beautiful and deadly, and we are still as dependent upon the Resurrection. I haven\'t lost sleep over this issue.\r\n\r\nIn regards to women in ministry, I am an egalitarian (though I kinda like complementarian as I do believe men and woman complement each other).\r\n\r\nI believe in God\'s sovereignty and man\'s responsibility. And if that sounds like a cop-out answer, you are certainly right about that. ;)\r\n\r\nI do not affirm original guilt, but I affirm original sin. In accordance with the Eastern Church, I would agree. Along with their atonement theory of Christus Victor.\r\n\r\nI believe that social justice is an essential part of the Gospel, and we are called to live it out.\r\n\r\nI\'m a moderate/liberal Republican. Fiscally conservative (for the most part) and moderate socially (pro-life,  pro-immigration, pro-welfare).\r\n\r\nI love video games, action flicks and good beer. Depending on the day, I prefer Sin City and Avery\'s The Reverend.\r\n\r\nI really dislike ducks. I really do. No joke. If I become a universalist, I think ducks would be stuck in hell for a long time before they can be redeemed.\r\n\r\nI like the term \"progressive\" Christian, but it carries too much baggage and most progressives won;t like me referring to myself as such.\r\n\r\nI\'m in a dedicated relationship. Sorry about that.\r\n\r\nI still hate ducks.\r\n\r\nWell, our two minutes are up. Do you still want to go out with me?\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nCan we at least be friends?\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nLove you too.\r\n\r\n;)\r\n\r\n--Nick','Post-Evangelicalism and \"A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity\"','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-14','','','2012-08-10 18:38:58','2012-08-11 01:38:58','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(7531,191,'2012-08-10 21:07:50','2012-08-11 04:07:50','<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-7515 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/New+Kind+of+Christianity-e1344647500234-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"302\" /></a></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Well, I guess since you clicked on this, you must have read the title. Welcome. I appreciate you taking the few minutes of your day to peruse yet another blog. Much thanks. ;)</p>\r\nWith any good introduction comes the awkward part of the relationship. You don\'t know what to ask, you don\'t know the past, and you don\'t want to look like an ass. Well, very much understood. I\'ll start off with saying some things about myself and hope that my quirks and beliefs don\'t shipwreck our already tumultuous relationship.\r\n\r\nHmmmm.\r\n\r\nI will confess that I am nervous. But here it goes:\r\n\r\nI\'m a Christian.\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nOh, right. Of course, of course.\r\n\r\nI\'m a Christian, specifically with the loose distinction of American Protestant. When pressed by both my conservative and liberal friends, both will say that I am either liberal or conservative. I confess this confuses me. Please don\'t think of me as uninterested in choosing a label, but forgive me for being hesitant to claim such a label without clarification.\r\n\r\nYes, I am a Christian and that entails that I think Jesus is God and all of that. I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but I would maintain an openness to allowing for various kinds of interpretations to have their say within the kingdom.\r\n\r\nTo this end, I am a non-dogmatic theistic evolutionist. I believe that God is trinity, and that Christ was resurrected. Of course, this doesn\'t get into atonement theory (yet) but just to keep my evangelical cards, I offer this statement.\r\n\r\nI believe that Jesus provides the only method of salvation, therefore I would be an exclusivist. However, I do not think Jesus is restricted to working through other people\'s religions to bring them to Himself. So I would further clarify that I am a flexible exclusivist and not a restrictivist, though I am not in agreement with inclusivism.\r\n\r\nI affirm the classical view of the atonement, namely Christus Victor and it\'s older model, Ransom Theory. I do not deny substitutionary atonement, and think with is compatible with Christus Victor.\r\n\r\nYou still there? Okay cool. And might I say, you look fabulous. ;)\r\n\r\n*ahem*\r\n\r\nBack to it.\r\n\r\nI do not believe non-Christians will face eternal conscious torment. In fact, I hold that the wicked will either be annihilated (often called conditional immortality) or they will be redeemed (referred to as universalism). This is not to say I embrace either label, as I am only just beginning my pilgrimage. Nor do I want to claim that folks who believe in eternal conscious torment are unbiblical or unintelligent. I simply find no compelling evidence to suggest eternal torment.\r\n\r\nIn regards to the nature of the soul (or lack thereof), I am agnostic. If we have souls, great. If we don\'t, then the physical creation is still just as beautiful and deadly, and we are still as dependent upon the Resurrection. I haven\'t lost sleep over this issue.\r\n\r\nIn regards to women in ministry, I am an egalitarian (though I kinda like complementarian as I do believe men and woman complement each other).\r\n\r\nI believe in God\'s sovereignty and man\'s responsibility. And if that sounds like a cop-out answer, you are certainly right about that. ;)\r\n\r\nI do not affirm original guilt, but I affirm original sin. In accordance with the Eastern Church, I would agree. Along with their atonement theory of Christus Victor.\r\n\r\nI believe that social justice is an essential part of the Gospel, and we are called to live it out.\r\n\r\nI\'m a moderate/liberal Republican. Fiscally conservative (for the most part) and moderate socially (pro-life,  pro-immigration, pro-welfare).\r\n\r\nI love video games, action flicks and good beer. Depending on the day, I prefer Sin City and Avery\'s The Reverend.\r\n\r\nI really dislike ducks. I really do. No joke. If I become a universalist, I think ducks would be stuck in hell for a long time before they can be redeemed.\r\n\r\nI like the term \"progressive\" Christian, but it carries too much baggage and most progressives won;t like me referring to myself as such.\r\n\r\nI\'m in a dedicated relationship. Sorry about that.\r\n\r\nI still hate ducks.\r\n\r\nWell, our two minutes are up. Do you still want to go out with me?\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nCan we at least be friends?\r\n\r\n*crickets*\r\n\r\nLove you too.\r\n\r\n;)\r\n\r\n--Nick','Post-Evangelicalism and \"A New (Same) Kind (Type) of Christianity\"','','inherit','open','open','','7512-revision-15','','','2012-08-10 21:07:50','2012-08-11 04:07:50','',7512,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7512-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(7589,161,'2012-08-19 07:11:52','0000-00-00 00:00:00','For those of the Protestant bent anti-Catholicism has a long and less than noble pedigree. I count myself among that number. It is a history to','On Joining the Anti-Catholics','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-08-19 07:11:52','2012-08-19 14:11:52','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7589',0,'post','',0),(7537,1,'2012-08-10 07:47:39','2012-08-10 14:47:39','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - <a href=\"http://www.tillhecomes.org/\">Jeremy Myers</a> - <a title=\"Everyone is Following Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/everyone-is-following-jesus/\">Everyone is Following Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - <a href=\"http://wordshalfheard.blogspot.com/\">Carol Kuniholm</a> - <a title=\"Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/04/which-way-am-i-called-to-follow/\">Which Way Am I Called to Follow?</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - <a href=\"http://protestantheretic.wordpress.com/\">Leah Randall</a> - <a title=\"Two Words\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/06/two-words-2/\">Two Words</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - <a href=\"http://gracerules.wordpress.com/\">Liz Dyer</a> - <a title=\"Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/07/give-up-your-good-christian-life-and-follow-jesus/\">Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - <a href=\"http://ellenharoutunian.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ellen Haroutunian</a> - <a title=\"Follow Me\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/follow-me/\">Follow Me</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - <a href=\"http://www.desertspiritsfire.com/\">Leah Chang</a> - <a title=\"Following Jesus Everywhere\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/09/following-jesus-everywhere/\">Following Jesus Everywhere</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 10th - Glenn Hager - Strange Places\r\n\r\nAugust 11th - Ray Carroll - \"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System\r\n\r\nAugust 13th - Sarita Baker Brown - Why I Am Leaving Christianity\r\n\r\nAugust 14th - Jennifer Luitweiler - U2 and the Call to Follow\r\n\r\nAugust 15th - Kathy Escobar - What It Means to Follow\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-12','','','2012-08-10 07:47:39','2012-08-10 14:47:39','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/7393-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(7539,160,'2012-08-02 14:39:51','2012-08-02 21:39:51','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crosshairs.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-7431\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/crosshairs-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>\r\n\r\nHigh profile shootings occur every year or so; Gabby Giffords, Treyvon Martin, Virginia Tech, and Columbine come to mind.  The latest chapter was played out in Aurora, Colorado where a disturbed young man took his automatic rifle with a 100 round drum of bullets out on as many people as he could put in his cross hairs.   Of course, other countries have mass shootings too (Norway and Finland), but they typically enact tough gun laws in the wake of their tragedies.   Not in the US.\r\n\r\nThe NRA and their supporters have been very effective in shouting down any movement toward common sense gun control.   The United States leads the world in gun ownership and, as a result, we have twenty times more gun-related murders (10,000 annually) as other high income countries.      Afraid of a backlash, preachers and politicians typically sidestep the topic completely, leaving us doomed to repeat the same cycle of violence over and over again.\r\n\r\nWhile the 2<sup>nd</sup> Amendment gives every citizen the right to bear arms, it was written when homesteaders were at the mercy of outlaws and Indians.  It was back when neighbors formed posses and militias, and many hunted for food.  Now, virtually every community has a police force that is a 911 call away, not to mention grocery stores.  We also have the most powerful military the world has ever known, so we are probably not in danger of being invaded by a foreign country any time soon.\r\n\r\nThe 2<sup>nd</sup> Amendment is also there to make a stand against our own government, should it become too oppressive.   Extreme gun enthusiasts are quick to find fault in public policies or certain politicians as an excuse to feed their dark fantasies and stockpile weapons.   Civilization would have to become seriously derailed for guns to play a part in a survival scenario.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who had rather prepare for the Apocalypse than work for a better world in the here and now.\r\n\r\nI know many pro-gun proponents who are strong Christians, but it is difficult to find support for their beliefs in the Bible.   Sure, there are plenty of bloody battles in the Old Testament, but that does not mean that violence was ever God’s first choice.    God condemned the killing of Abel and, a couple of chapters later, we are told God decided to destroy the entire earth with a flood because, <em>“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and full of violence.”  </em>(Genesis 6:11)   Even though King David was a man after God’s heart, he wasn’t allowed to build the temple because <em>“you have been a man of war and have shed blood.”  </em>I Chronicles 28: 3\r\n\r\nJesus presents a radically different approach to conflict resolution, whether he was blessing peacemakers, or telling his followers to turn the other cheek and love their enemies.  When the authorities arrested Jesus, Peter drew a sword and cut off a soldier’s ear.  <em>“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”  </em>(Matthew 26: 52)  Jesus challenges us to go beyond taking an eye for an eye, and examine how we view others, even those who would do us harm.\r\n\r\nIt is instinctual to want to protect our families, but more guns actually make society more dangerous.  Instead of finding compromise with reasonable restrictions (limiting high capacity clips and automatic weapons), some are trying to push guns into our parks, bars, and even our schools.  Besides the number of shootings (accidental and otherwise) that will inevitably rise, we are becoming a nation that accepts violence as a way of life.   As a result, we are moving further away from the example Jesus set on the cross and closer into the cross hairs.\r\n\r\nJeff Fulmer lives in Nashville Tennessee and is the author of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Hometown-Prophet-Jeff-Fulmer/dp/1463632312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1312940193&amp;sr=8-1\">Hometown Prophet</a>.  <em> If God spoke through a prophet today, would we really want to hear what he has to say?</em>','Into the Cross Hairs','','inherit','open','open','','7429-revision-4','','','2012-08-02 14:39:51','2012-08-02 21:39:51','',7429,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/7429-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7543,1,'2012-08-11 11:36:02','2012-08-11 18:36:02','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - <a href=\"http://www.tillhecomes.org/\">Jeremy Myers</a> - <a title=\"Everyone is Following Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/everyone-is-following-jesus/\">Everyone is Following Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - <a href=\"http://wordshalfheard.blogspot.com/\">Carol Kuniholm</a> - <a title=\"Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/04/which-way-am-i-called-to-follow/\">Which Way Am I Called to Follow?</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - <a href=\"http://protestantheretic.wordpress.com/\">Leah Randall</a> - <a title=\"Two Words\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/06/two-words-2/\">Two Words</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - <a href=\"http://gracerules.wordpress.com/\">Liz Dyer</a> - <a title=\"Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/07/give-up-your-good-christian-life-and-follow-jesus/\">Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - <a href=\"http://ellenharoutunian.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ellen Haroutunian</a> - <a title=\"Follow Me\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/follow-me/\">Follow Me</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - <a href=\"http://www.desertspiritsfire.com/\">Leah Chang</a> - <a title=\"Following Jesus Everywhere\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/09/following-jesus-everywhere/\">Following Jesus Everywhere</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 10th - <a href=\"http://www.glennhager.com/\">Glenn Hager</a> - <a title=\"Strange Places\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/strange-places/\">Strange Places</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 11th - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"“Where Will We Go?” Christ vs. The Crusade System\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/11/where-will-we-go-christ-vs-the-crusade-system/\">\"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 13th - Sarita Baker Brown - Why I Am Leaving Christianity\r\n\r\nAugust 14th - Jennifer Luitweiler - U2 and the Call to Follow\r\n\r\nAugust 15th - Kathy Escobar - What It Means to Follow\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-13','','','2012-08-11 11:36:02','2012-08-11 18:36:02','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/11/7393-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(7540,1,'2012-08-12 21:19:30','2012-08-13 04:19:30','High profile shootings occur every year or so; Gabby Giffords, Treyvon Martin, Virginia Tech, and Columbine come to mind.  The latest chapter was played out in Aurora, Colorado where a disturbed young man took his automatic rifle with a 100 round drum of bullets out on as many people as he could put in his cross hairs.   Of course, other countries have mass shootings too (Norway and Finland), but they typically enact tough gun laws in the wake of their tragedies.   Not in the US.\n\nThe NRA and their supporters have been very effective in shouting down any movement toward common sense gun control.   The United States leads the world in gun ownership and, as a result, we have twenty times more gun-related murders (10,000 annually) as other high income countries.      Afraid of a backlash, preachers and politicians typically sidestep the topic completely, leaving us doomed to repeat the same cycle of violence over and over again.\n\nWhile the 2<sup>nd</sup> Amendment gives every citizen the right to bear arms, it was written when homesteaders were at the mercy of outlaws and Indians.  It was back when neighbors formed posses and militias, and many hunted for food.  Now, virtually every community has a police force that is a 911 call away, not to mention grocery stores.  We also have the most powerful military the world has ever known, so we are probably not in danger of being invaded by a foreign country any time soon.\n\nThe 2<sup>nd</sup> Amendment is also there to make a stand against our own government, should it become too oppressive.   Extreme gun enthusiasts are quick to find fault in public policies or certain politicians as an excuse to feed their dark fantasies and stockpile weapons.   Civilization would have to become seriously derailed for guns to play a part in a survival scenario.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who had rather prepare for the Apocalypse than work for a better world in the here and now.\n\nI know many pro-gun proponents who are strong Christians, but it is difficult to find support for their beliefs in the Bible.   Sure, there are plenty of bloody battles in the Old Testament, but that does not mean that violence was ever God’s first choice.    God condemned the killing of Abel and, a couple of chapters later, we are told God decided to destroy the entire earth with a flood because, <em>“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and full of violence.”  </em>(Genesis 6:11)   Even though King David was a man after God’s heart, he wasn’t allowed to build the temple because <em>“you have been a man of war and have shed blood.”  </em>I Chronicles 28: 3\n\nJesus presents a radically different approach to conflict resolution, whether he was blessing peacemakers, or telling his followers to turn the other cheek and love their enemies.  When the authorities arrested Jesus, Peter drew a sword and cut off a soldier’s ear.  <em>“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”  </em>(Matthew 26: 52)  Jesus challenges us to go beyond taking an eye for an eye, and examine how we view others, even those who would do us harm.\n\nIt is instinctual to want to protect our families, but more guns actually make society more dangerous.  Instead of finding compromise with reasonable restrictions (limiting high capacity clips and automatic weapons), some are trying to push guns into our parks, bars, and even our schools.  Besides the number of shootings (accidental and otherwise) that will inevitably rise, we are becoming a nation that accepts violence as a way of life.   As a result, we are moving further away from the example Jesus set on the cross and closer into the cross hairs.\n\nJeff Fulmer lives in Nashville Tennessee and is the author of the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Hometown-Prophet-Jeff-Fulmer/dp/1463632312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1312940193&amp;sr=8-1\">Hometown Prophet</a>.  <em> If God spoke through a prophet today, would we really want to hear what he has to say?</em>','Into the Cross Hairs','','inherit','open','open','','7429-autosave','','','2012-08-12 21:19:30','2012-08-13 04:19:30','',7429,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/12/7429-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7541,1,'2012-08-12 21:20:56','2012-08-13 04:20:56','','colorado shooter','','inherit','open','open','','colorado-shooter','','','2012-08-12 21:20:56','2012-08-13 04:20:56','',7429,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/colorado-shooter.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7655,75,'2012-10-18 08:00:45','2012-10-18 15:00:45','\"This can\'t be right...\"\r\n\r\nAs Dave studied the lush landscape through the spots on his windshield he quickly concluded that he had made an error somewhere along the way.\r\n\r\nFrom a young age Dave had come to acknowledge certain facts about his life. He would never be the biggest or strongest. The things that fascinated all the \"cool\" people held no interest for him. But Dave had two things that very few people could match, an insatiable curiosity that drove him to learn everything he could about subjects that piqued his interest and a deep hatred for being wrong.  This combination was strong enough to key to his rapid rise at Unified Solutions, the top engineering firm in the state, despite his deficiency of social skills.\r\n\r\nDave traded the comfort of his air conditioning for the thick heat of late morning. He needed more information. The idea of embarrassing himself was miniscule compared to the itch to know where his calculations had gone wrong. After locking his car, he began his trek towards the gleaming white building around which the parking lot wrapped.\r\n\r\nA scattering of individuals and families, dressed in their Sunday best, surrounded him as he walked among trees and flowers that could easily rival the city\'s botanical gardens. As he approached the entrance an elderly gentleman opened the door and greeted him as if they were old friends. Cool air seeped out from the lobby and Dave ducked inside quickly, grateful to escape the summer sun.\r\n\r\nBeige tiles stretched across the spacious lobby, filling the room a mix of echoes from each footstep, conversation, and laugh. Dave moved off to one side to study the situation and wait for his boss. Several doors lined the far side of the lobby, which led to what must be the main sanctuary. Dave was in the middle of counting the flat screens that were mounted on some of the walls when he felt a hand on his shoulder.\r\n\r\n\"Good morning Dave.\"\r\n\r\nDave turned to see the towering figure of his boss. His hand-tailored dark suit and grey tie contrasted sharply against his grey hair and the pale blue eyes that seemed to always be smiling.\r\n\r\n\"Good morning Mr. Stultz.\"\r\n\r\nThe Sr. V.P. had a legendary eye for detail, and an amused smile strained the corners of his mouth as he looked over one of the company\'s most valuable assets. Dave\'s blue t-shirt proudly displayed the smiling face of Mickey Mouse atop his faded jeans and sandals.\r\n\r\n\"Thank you for the invitation sir. I think I have made an error. You are a Christian correct?\"\r\n\r\nThe booming laughter that exploded from his boss\' mouth merged with the thousand other sounds that filled the lobby and to Dave\'s relief no one turned to see what had caused it.\r\n\r\n\"Yes Dave.\" Mr. Stultz said gently. \"That is why I invited you to come with me. To church.\"\r\n\r\nHe said the last two words slowly, trying to clear up any confusion. It did not have the desired effect.\r\n\r\n\"I did quite a bit of research on the Christian religion, including reading the New Testament, and I was under the impression that Christians went <em>out</em> to preach the \'good news\', feed the hungry, and clothe the poor.\"\r\n\r\n\"We do those things, but we also come together to hear the word and worship.\"\r\n\r\nDave looked around the room once more before asking his next question.\r\n\r\n\"I see. Well when do you go to help the needy? I think I would like to try that too.\"\r\n\r\nHis boss began speaking in a tone that one uses to address a child.\r\n\r\n\"Well I\'m not sure <em>exactly </em>when we help them out. I give money to the church and they have a system that helps make sure the people who need help get it.\"\r\n\r\n\"It was my understanding that <em>you</em> were the church?\"\r\n\r\nStultz took a breath and paused, realizing he would have to choose his words more carefully.\r\n\r\n\"I am. But what I can do on my own is very small compared to what we can all do together. The church has systems in place so that we can do the most good with the resources we have.\"\r\n\r\n\"Please forgive me if I am asking too many question, but I am trying to understand. I was under the impression that some of the good that comes from helping the needy is for you? And is it not your responsibility to share information that you believe will save a soul? I don\'t see how your character or soul benefits from outsourcing the commandments that...\"\r\n\r\n\"I am not outsourcing it. I am merely... doing what I am good at. Some people have a gift for empathizing with the hurting, caring for those in need, or speaking eloquently. I do not. I am more analytical by nature, which has helped facilitate my career and given me the ability to help provide the food, clothes, and other things that those people need by giving in the offering. Do you understand?\"\r\n\r\nA quiet voice deep inside urged Dave not to ask the question that rested on the tip of his tongue, but his mind would not rest until he had a satisfactory answer.\r\n\r\n\"Are you sure you\'re a Christian?\"\r\n\r\nFor the first time since he had met Andrew Stultz his eyes ceased to smile. His boss shoved his hands in his pant pockets in what looked like an attempt fight the urge to reach out and grab the man in front of him.\r\n\r\n\"Of course I\'m sure! Why would you even ask that?\"\r\n\r\nA uncomfortable silence suddenly filled the space between the men. Dave watched as his boss took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself. He realized that making an enemy out of his boss was too high a price to pay for curiosity and not knowing what else to do, began to study the tops of his shoes.\r\n\r\n\"Dave.\" Mr. Stultz\'s was calm again and Dave looked up. \"I\'m sorry. Please. Tell me why you asked that.\"\r\n\r\n\"I meant no offense sir. I guess I just see it differently.\"\r\n\r\n\"That\'s okay. It\'s one of the reasons you have been such a valuable asset for the company. How do you see it?\"\r\n\r\n\"If I took my child to class and each day the lady there turned him over to a tutor for his learning, I would not consider her a teacher. If I took my car to man to have it fixed and he passed it along to another to do the work, I would not consider him a mechanic, but a facilitator. A middle-man of sorts. If most of the people in church are just giving money to the few who are doing the things that Jesus commanded his followers to do, then I would estimate that there are far fewer Christians in the world than I thought, and quite a bit more facilitators of Christianity.\"\r\n\r\nDave watched his boss\' eyebrows slowly sink as he spoke, first in frustration, but then in contemplation. Although he stood almost a foot taller than him, to Dave he looked like a small boy standing at the edge of a high dive, desperately trying to decide if he has the courage to jump.\r\n\r\n\"Dave, you have given me a lot to think about. Please forgive me, but can we take a rain-check on church?\"\r\n\r\n\"Sir? Have I offended you?\"\r\n\r\n\"No Dave. You have done what you have always done for me. You have solved a problem that I never knew I had.\"','The Middle-man','','publish','open','open','','the-middle-man','','','2012-10-10 19:51:45','2012-10-11 02:51:45','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7655',0,'post','',1),(7546,35,'2012-08-23 08:00:55','2012-08-23 15:00:55','<strong>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God Workshop </strong>will be offered online September 10 – October 12, 2012.  This course is about the spiritual practice of discussing everything with God, risking honesty to gain intimacy through loving, trusting conversations.  It’s wrestling through anger, faith, pain, hope about every aspect of our lives.  No topic, language, or feeling is unholy.  It will cover how to know you’re hearing from God and explores a variety of ways to pray. This course is an opportunity to discover for yourself the redemptive freedom that comes from being totally honest with yourself and the One who loves you best.  As you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to experience confidence in speaking freely with God in ways that are uniquely yours.\r\n\r\nThe instructor, Joy Wilson, is the author of <em>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God</em> (Civitas Press, 2011).  Prior to starting the workshop, participants need to order the book from Amazon.com.  The five-week online class is self-paced so you can participate at any time during the week.  It includes readings in the textbook, prayer practice exercises, and online interactions with other students.\r\n\r\nThe cost of the course is $69.  For additional information, go to the following link:  <a href=\"http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer\">http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer</a> .  Class size is limited, so register early.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God Workshop','','publish','open','open','','uncensored-prayer-the-spiritual-practice-of-wrestling-with-god-workshop-2','','','2012-08-22 22:21:27','2012-08-23 05:21:27','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7546',0,'post','',0),(7547,35,'2012-08-14 07:14:57','2012-08-14 14:14:57','<strong>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God Workshop </strong>will be offered online September 10 – October 12, 2012.  This course is about the spiritual practice of discussing everything with God, risking honesty to gain intimacy through loving, trusting conversations.  It’s wrestling through anger, faith, pain, hope about every aspect of our lives.  No topic, language, or feeling is unholy.  It will cover how to know you’re hearing from God and explores a variety of ways to pray. This course is an opportunity to discover for yourself the redemptive freedom that comes from being totally honest with yourself and the One who loves you best.  As you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to experience confidence in speaking freely with God in ways that are uniquely yours.\n\nThe instructor, Joy Wilson, is the author of <em>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God</em> (Civitas Press, 2011).  Prior to starting the workshop, participants need to order the book from Amazon.com.  The five-week online class is self-paced so you can participate at any time during the week.  It includes readings in the textbook, prayer practice exercises, and online interactions with other students.\n\nThe cost of the course is $69.  For additional information, go to the following link:  <a href=\"http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer\">http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer</a> .  Class size is limited, so register early.\n\n&nbsp;','Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God Workshop','','inherit','open','open','','7546-revision','','','2012-08-14 07:14:57','2012-08-14 14:14:57','',7546,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7546-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7548,35,'2012-08-14 07:17:20','2012-08-14 14:17:20','<strong>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God Workshop </strong>will be offered online September 10 – October 12, 2012.  This course is about the spiritual practice of discussing everything with God, risking honesty to gain intimacy through loving, trusting conversations.  It’s wrestling through anger, faith, pain, hope about every aspect of our lives.  No topic, language, or feeling is unholy.  It will cover how to know you’re hearing from God and explores a variety of ways to pray. This course is an opportunity to discover for yourself the redemptive freedom that comes from being totally honest with yourself and the One who loves you best.  As you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to experience confidence in speaking freely with God in ways that are uniquely yours.\r\n\r\nThe instructor, Joy Wilson, is the author of <em>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God</em> (Civitas Press, 2011).  Prior to starting the workshop, participants need to order the book from Amazon.com.  The five-week online class is self-paced so you can participate at any time during the week.  It includes readings in the textbook, prayer practice exercises, and online interactions with other students.\r\n\r\nThe cost of the course is $69.  For additional information, go to the following link:  <a href=\"http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer\">http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer</a> .  Class size is limited, so register early.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God Workshop','','inherit','open','open','','7546-revision-2','','','2012-08-14 07:17:20','2012-08-14 14:17:20','',7546,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7546-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7549,35,'2012-08-24 08:00:50','2012-08-24 15:00:50','Being single is not alone.\r\n\r\nWhether by choice, or force,\r\n\r\nor no other option,\r\n\r\ntimes of solitude aren’t isolated.\r\n\r\nWe all have – in fact, need –\r\n\r\ntimes in our lives\r\n\r\nwhere solo is “what is” –\r\n\r\nchances to reinvent,\r\n\r\nor reverse what’s wrong,\r\n\r\nre-fill our “giving well”.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBut restoration never happens\r\n\r\nwhen we buy the lie of isolation:\r\n\r\nno one else is there.\r\n\r\nNot only is God ever with us,\r\n\r\nbut other hearts are eternally intertwined\r\n\r\nwith ours, with laces of love,\r\n\r\nor horror, or sweetness\r\n\r\nor penetrating pain\r\n\r\nthat never goes away.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe were created connected\r\n\r\nwith the right to choose\r\n\r\nwho we let in our sanctuary,\r\n\r\nand sometimes it seems only loneliness\r\n\r\nwill be our soul-mate for life.\r\n\r\nAnd yet lonely isn’t alone.\r\n\r\nGod said, “I will never leave you”\r\n\r\nand always partners us with people\r\n\r\nwho understand that separation\r\n\r\ncan be a place of healing or hell.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe are the only ones who decide\r\n\r\nwhere we visit, hide, or abide.\r\n\r\nGod, help us reach out of our pain,\r\n\r\nor at least stand in the open door.','For Every Single One of Us','','publish','open','open','','for-every-single-one-of-us','','','2012-08-22 22:22:13','2012-08-23 05:22:13','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7549',0,'post','',0),(7550,35,'2012-08-14 07:26:38','2012-08-14 14:26:38','','Hands Reaching Out','','inherit','open','open','','hands-reaching-out-3','','','2012-08-14 07:26:38','2012-08-14 14:26:38','',7549,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Hands-Reaching-Out.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(7551,35,'2012-08-14 07:25:23','2012-08-14 14:25:23','Being single is not alone.\n\nWhether by choice, or force,\n\nor no other option,\n\ntimes of solitude aren’t isolated.\n\nWe all have – in fact, need –\n\ntimes in our lives\n\nwhere solo is “what is” –\n\nchances to reinvent,\n\nor reverse what’s wrong,\n\nre-fill our “giving well”.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBut restoration never happens\n\nwhen we buy the lie of isolation:\n\nno one else is there.\n\nNot only is God ever with us,\n\nbut other hearts are eternally intertwined\n\nwith ours, with laces of love,\n\nor horror, or sweetness\n\nor penetrating pain\n\nthat never goes away.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWe were created connected\n\nwith the right to choose\n\nwho we let in our sanctuary,\n\nand sometimes it seems only loneliness\n\nwill be our soul-mate for life.\n\nAnd yet lonely isn’t alone.\n\nGod said, “I will never leave you”\n\nand always partners us with people\n\nwho understand that separation\n\ncan be a place of healing or hell.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWe are the only ones who decide\n\nwhere we visit, hide, or abide.\n\nGod, help us reach out of our pain,\n\nor at least stand in the open door.','For Every Single One of Us','','inherit','open','open','','7549-revision','','','2012-08-14 07:25:23','2012-08-14 14:25:23','',7549,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7549-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7552,35,'2012-08-14 07:27:16','2012-08-14 14:27:16','Being single is not alone.\r\n\r\nWhether by choice, or force,\r\n\r\nor no other option,\r\n\r\ntimes of solitude aren’t isolated.\r\n\r\nWe all have – in fact, need –\r\n\r\ntimes in our lives\r\n\r\nwhere solo is “what is” –\r\n\r\nchances to reinvent,\r\n\r\nor reverse what’s wrong,\r\n\r\nre-fill our “giving well”.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBut restoration never happens\r\n\r\nwhen we buy the lie of isolation:\r\n\r\nno one else is there.\r\n\r\nNot only is God ever with us,\r\n\r\nbut other hearts are eternally intertwined\r\n\r\nwith ours, with laces of love,\r\n\r\nor horror, or sweetness\r\n\r\nor penetrating pain\r\n\r\nthat never goes away.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe were created connected\r\n\r\nwith the right to choose\r\n\r\nwho we let in our sanctuary,\r\n\r\nand sometimes it seems only loneliness\r\n\r\nwill be our soul-mate for life.\r\n\r\nAnd yet lonely isn’t alone.\r\n\r\nGod said, “I will never leave you”\r\n\r\nand always partners us with people\r\n\r\nwho understand that separation\r\n\r\ncan be a place of healing or hell.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe are the only ones who decide\r\n\r\nwhere we visit, hide, or abide.\r\n\r\nGod, help us reach out of our pain,\r\n\r\nor at least stand in the open door.','For Every Single One of Us','','inherit','open','open','','7549-revision-2','','','2012-08-14 07:27:16','2012-08-14 14:27:16','',7549,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7549-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7555,96,'2012-08-20 08:00:30','2012-08-20 15:00:30','<em>Today\'s post is co-authored by <a title=\"Bright Pink Razais\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/03/09/bright-pink-razais/\">Robynn Bliss</a> and <a title=\"About\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Marilyn Gardner</a>. Fast friends despite age differences (Marilyn is older!) they share many commonalities that include growing up in the Muslim world. Our hope, and indeed prayer, is that this post will build bridges and get people thinking. Thanks for reading!</em>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-13990\" src=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg?w=225\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>July 20th began the Holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. This month long period of fasting ends on Saturday, August 18 with celebration and a feast. Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is marked by fasting daily from sun up to sun down. As Christians raised in Pakistan our memories of Ramadan days are as strong as our memories of the Call to Prayer waking us at dawn.\r\n\r\nAs we think about Ramadan our minds and hearts remember what we have learned about our own faith from our Muslim friends.\r\n\r\n1. At an early age we learned that God is not North American. He spans nation and ocean, culture and ethnicity. To bind him to one nation is idolatry. To attach Him to one country elevates our own perceptions of that country. Secretly believing that God is North American justifies our private beliefs that we are superior. It\'s not true.\r\n\r\n2. We learned that Christians are not the only ones with deep faith. Indeed the Muslims that we were surrounded by were zealous of keeping to the tenants of their faith. They were sincere. They were devoted.\r\n\r\n3.We learned that worship has little to do with pews or worship bands; versions of scripture or language. Worship has everything to do with the heart.\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n4. We learned that as women with white skin we had arrogant tendencies, as though we had  birthrights. When our behavior reflected that it was ugly.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n5. We learned that caring for women and children, the poor and the broken was never to be separated from the love of God and his call to holiness. We learned that the invitation of the Father that extends to the those in the \"highways and byways\" included the beggar woman, the street children, the dismembered, the leper.\r\n\r\n6. We learned that the mud huts and dusty streets of Pakistan were far closer to the streets walked by Jesus than the clean suburbs and white steeples that we encountered every four years in the United States. Our Jesus was brown and slightly sweaty with dusty calloused feet; he wasn\'t pink and pressed and clean. Blue eyes he did not have.\r\n\r\n7. We learned that Christian community comes in all denominations and many interpretations, that sprinkling and dunking could be argued with equal passion but would ultimately not change our need for a Saviour. We learned that the strong cultural value of individualism in the west could make it harder to selflessly love. When Jesus reiterated that the greatest commandment was loving God and the second greatest was loving each other he meant it. Love is the language of the community. Any other dialect is suspect.\r\n\r\n8. We learned that the word \"Allah\" is the Arabic word for God and, while one can argue character qualities of God, to be afraid of that word was not wise. Fear rarely motivates faith and holy conversation.\r\n\r\n9. We learned that people are not the enemy. And costumes, like book covers, are not to be judged.\r\n\r\n10. We learned that bridge-building often means drinking 25 cups of tea and serving 100. Hospitality fleshes out acceptance and leads to friendship and deep loyalty. Those are strong bridges built of steel and concrete.\r\n\r\n11. We learned that Muslims make the best of friends; that to share our hearts with them grew our understanding and faith. We were shown kindness, generosity and acceptance. We grew to understand their love for a good joke;their loyalty, their devotion.  We learned that once you have a Muslim friend, you always have a friend.  They will grieve your losses as if they were their own. They will enter your celebrations with abandon!\r\n\r\n12.  We learned that being invited to break the fast was a gift, not something to refuse because of difference in belief, but something to enter with joy and prayer - prayer for our friends and prayer for their land. A land we called home.\r\n\r\nAnd as we close this post we offer you a taste through words of breaking the fast. It is going from the simplicity of daily life and the discipline of fasting to the joyous contrast of colour, noise and taste of celebrations! It is deep-fried sweet sticky gulab jamin. It is colour infused sweet rice with chunks of fresh coconut and plump raisins; plain rice suddenly dressed up with fatty morsels of meat and sticks of cinnamon. Bread normally made on a flat dry pan-fried in oil and served with sweet oily cream of wheat cereal. Muslims knew how to celebrate. Christians in Pakistan learned that from their neighbors.\r\n\r\n<em>And we learned by heart </em><em>through the richness of our lives, watching all unfold at weddings, at Eid celebrations, and at the breaking of the fast.\r\n</em>','What Growing Up in a Muslim Country Taught Us About Christianity','','publish','open','open','','what-growing-up-in-a-muslim-country-taught-us-about-christianity','','','2012-08-19 18:03:28','2012-08-20 01:03:28','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7555',0,'post','',8),(7556,96,'2012-08-14 09:41:58','2012-08-14 16:41:58','','What Growing Up in a Muslim Country Taught Us About Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7555-revision','','','2012-08-14 09:41:58','2012-08-14 16:41:58','',7555,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7555-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7596,1,'2012-08-15 11:14:24','2012-08-15 18:14:24','An idea that plagues Christian spirituality is dualism: the belief that there are two opposing realities; one good and the other bad.\r\n\r\nIn modern Christianity, it usually expressed like this . . . All visible reality is corrupted by sin. The world around us (including your human body and its desires) is distorted, insufficient, and evil. Fortunately, there is a spiritual reality that is good. This alternate good reality includes everything that is unseen (God, Heaven, the human spirit). The goal within this dualistic view of reality is to escape the corrupted physical world and enter the perfect spiritual world.\r\n\r\nThe movie <em>The Matrix</em> displays this kind of dualism brilliantly. In the film, the Matrix is the world that we all experience, but it is not real. “The Matrix is everywhere,” says the character Morpheus. “It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work… when you go to church… when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.”\r\n\r\n<em>The Matrix</em> gives a visible portrait of an evil world that is a lie and in conflict with the true and good world. One must choose the truth and be given special knowledge of how to travel from the Matrix to the real world. This is not a reflection of the Christian worldview, but a classically Gnostic worldview. The Gnostics (heavily influenced by Plato) believed that the visible world was evil. They believed that achieving a secret knowledge would allow them to achieve gnosis; a superior, spiritual state.\r\n\r\nWhile this dualistic worldview of Gnosticism and Platonism exists in many religions around the world, it does not exist in historical Judaism or historical, Biblical Christianity. It seems, though, that as the Christian religion emerged in a world dominated by Greek philosophy it was heavily influenced by Platonic (and Gnostic) ideas. These ideas were further ingrained into Christian thought by the Enlightenment, which was dominated by a Deistic view of God. A Deistic understanding of God sees Him as separate and far from earth and humanity.\r\n\r\nI believe that when Christianity is dominated by dualistic thought, it does terrible damage to God\'s purpose for His people.Ascribing to dualistic Christianity causes us to find little value in this world (except as a test that gains us entrance to Heaven). Dualism causes us to see beauty as meaningless, to find no value in art, to abandon any need to preserve nature, to see science and discovery as futile, to view any attempt to ease the physical suffering of other humans as empty, to see pleasure as a distraction from our ultimate destination, and to see our personality as something to overcome, rather than embraced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Dualism Denies that Creation is Good</strong>\r\n<blockquote><strong></strong>“The New Testament is deeply, deeply Jewish, and the Jews had for some time been intuiting a final, physical resurrection. They believed that the world of space and time and matter is messed up, but remains basically good, and God will eventually sort it out and put it right again. Belief in that goodness is absolutely essential to Christianity, both theologically and morally. But Greek-speaking Christians influenced by Plato saw our cosmos as shabby and misshapen and full of lies, and the idea was not to make it right, but to escape it and leave behind our material bodies. The church at its best has always come back toward the Hebrew view, but there have been times when the Greek view was very influential.” -N.T.  Wright, interview with <em>Time</em>\r\n\r\n“There are only two views that face all the facts. One is the Christian view that this is a good world that has gone wrong, but still retains the memory of what it ought to have been. The other is the view called Dualism. Dualism means the belief that there are two equal and independent powers at the back of everything, one of them good and the other bad, and that this universe is the battlefield in which they fight out an endless war. I personally think that next to Christianity, Dualism is the manliest and most sensible creed on the market. But it has a catch in it.” -C.S. Lewis, <em>Mere Christianity</em></blockquote>\r\n<div>Scripture (and experience) tell us that the effects of sin upon creation have been devastating, but Scripture never even comes close to saying that sin corrupted what God made good. A dualistic view sets God at odds with physical creation. It implies that we, God’s people, should have little care for the natural world, and take no pleasure in it. This idea is a terrible distortion of the loving God who created a world full of amazing sights and experiences, and gives humanity the responsibility to care for it.</div>\r\n<div></div>\r\n<strong>Dualism Creates a False Dichotomy</strong>\r\n<blockquote>“Thinking in terms of two realms understands the paired concepts worldy-Christian, natural-supernatural, profane-sacred, rational-revelations, as ultimate static opposites…and fails to recognize the original unity of these opposites in the Christ-reality.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\r\nDualism causes us to divide everything into two competing groups and put artificial labels on things, activities, and people. We begin to gauge the value of everything, not on inherent goodness or beauty, but on its ability to point people away from the natural world and toward the supernatural world. We end up giving greater importance to a cheap trinket that contains a Bible verse than a beautiful work of art.\r\n\r\nThe more insidious problem is when we value people by the level that they contribute to Heaven rather than Earth. Many of us subtly and unconsciously give greater worth to the full-time minister than the person who is a plumber or lawyer. We end up telling people that their worth is found only in what they can produce for the eternal world. The pianists talents are only valuable if she plays Christian concerts or church services. The investment banker only has worth if he donates money to missionaries. The housekeeper is only significant if she cleans toilets in the church building.\r\n\r\nThis rating people on the basis of talent and vocation makes a statement about what we think of the character of God. Does God care for people simply because they are living creatures made in His image, or does He only love those who contribute?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Dualism Reduces the Gospel</strong>\r\n<blockquote>“In Christ we are invited to participate in the reality of God and the reality of the world at the same time, the one not without the other.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\r\nThe gospel (good news) according the Jesus is, “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”\r\n\r\nLife in heaven may be important, but it is only part of the gospel. The fullness of the gospel is the Kingdom of God and <em>everything</em> it entails.\r\n\r\nThe Kingdom of God is not an otherworldly afterlife called Heaven.  When Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” He is saying, “It is right here! You can reach out and grab it.”\r\n\r\nThe Kingdom of God is the fulfillment of all the promises contained in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Kingdom of God is a world where God rules; where there is continual peace, goodness, abundance, and harmony. In the Kingdom of God there is no sickness, no death, no poverty, no discrimination, and no oppression. And Jesus says that this Kingdom is springing up right here and right now in the middle of this world. In fact, He gives us the responsibility of helping to bring it to reality.\r\n\r\nThis is certainly not a dualistic message. It is a message of hope and life here and now.\r\n\r\nThe gospel of Jesus is reduced when it becomes all about escaping this world in order to go to Heaven. The gospel is reduced when Earth becomes Heaven’s waiting room.\r\n\r\nCan we embrace an understanding of reality that sees a continual interaction between Heaven and Earth, where our purpose is not to escape Earth for Heaven, but to bring Heaven to earth?\r\n<blockquote>“The old painful duality will go down before a restful unity of life. The knowledge that we are all God’s, that He has received all and rejected nothing, will unify our inner lives and make everything sacred to us. This is not quite all. Long-held habits do not die easily. It will take intelligent thought and a great deal of reverent prayer to escape completely from the sacred-secular psychology.” -A.W. Tozer</blockquote>','The Dangers of Dualistic Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7575-revision-5','','','2012-08-15 11:14:24','2012-08-15 18:14:24','',7575,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/15/7575-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7557,96,'2012-08-14 09:46:10','2012-08-14 16:46:10','<em>Today\'s post is co-authored by <a title=\"Bright Pink Razais\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/03/09/bright-pink-razais/\">Robynn Bliss</a> and <a title=\"About\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Marilyn Gardner</a>. Fast friends despite age differences (Marilyn is older!) they share many commonalities that include growing up in the Muslim world. Our hope, and indeed prayer, is that this post will build bridges and get people thinking. Thanks for reading!</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-13990\" src=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg?w=225\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>July 20th began the Holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. This month long period of fasting ends on Saturday, August 18 with celebration and a feast. Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is marked by fasting daily from sun up to sun down. As Christians raised in Pakistan our memories of Ramadan days are as strong as our memories of the Call to Prayer waking us at dawn.\n\nAs we think about Ramadan our minds and hearts remember what we have learned about our own faith from our Muslim friends.\n<div></div>\n1. At an early age we learned that God is not North American. He spans nation and ocean, culture and ethnicity. To bind him to one nation is idolatry. To attach Him to one country elevates our own perceptions of that country. Secretly believing that God is North American justifies our private beliefs that we are superior. It\'s not true.\n\n2. We learned that Christians are not the only ones with deep faith. Indeed the Muslims that we were surrounded by were zealous of keeping to the tenants of their faith. They were sincere. They were devoted.\n\n3.We learned that worship has little to do with pews or worship bands; versions of scripture or language. Worship has everything to do with the heart.\n<div>\n\n4. We learned that as women with white skin we had arrogant tendencies, as though we had  birthrights. When our behavior reflected that it was ugly.\n\n</div>\n5. We learned that caring for women and children, the poor and the broken was never to be separated from the love of God and his call to holiness. We learned that the invitation of the Father that extends to the those in the \"highways and byways\" included the beggar woman, the street children, the dismembered, the leper.\n\n6. We learned that the mud huts and dusty streets of Pakistan were far closer to the streets walked by Jesus than the clean suburbs and white steeples that we encountered every four years in the United States. Our Jesus was brown and slightly sweaty with dusty calloused feet; he wasn\'t pink and pressed and clean. Blue eyes he did not have.\n\n7. We learned that Christian community comes in all denominations and many interpretations, that sprinkling and dunking could be argued with equal passion but would ultimately not change our need for a Saviour. We learned that the strong cultural value of individualism in the west could make it harder to selflessly love. When Jesus reiterated that the greatest commandment was loving God and the second greatest was loving each other he meant it. Love is the language of the community. Any other dialect is suspect.\n\n8. We learned that the word \"Allah\" is the Arabic word for God and, while one can argue character qualities of God, to be afraid of that word was not wise. Fear rarely motivates faith and holy conversation.\n\n9. We learned that people are not the enemy. And costumes, like book covers, are not to be judged.\n\n10. We learned that bridge-building often means drinking 25 cups of tea and serving 100. Hospitality fleshes out acceptance and leads to friendship and deep loyalty. Those are strong bridges built of steel and concrete.\n\n11. We learned that Muslims make the best of friends; that to share our hearts with them grew our understanding and faith. We were shown kindness, generosity and acceptance. We grew to understand their love for a good joke;their loyalty, their devotion.  We learned that once you have a Muslim friend, you always have a friend.  They will grieve your losses as if they were their own. They will enter your celebrations with abandon!\n\n12.  We learned that being invited to break the fast was a gift, not something to refuse because of difference in belief, but something to enter with joy and prayer - prayer for our friends and prayer for their land. A land we called home.\n\nAnd as we close this post we offer you a taste through words of breaking the fast. It is going from the simplicity of daily life and the discipline of fasting to the joyous contrast of colour, noise and taste of celebrations! It is deep-fried sweet sticky gulab jamin. It is colour infused sweet rice with chunks of fresh coconut and plump raisins; plain rice suddenly dressed up with fatty morsels of meat and sticks of cinnamon. Bread normally made on a flat dry pan-fried in oil and served with sweet oily cream of wheat cereal. Muslims knew how to celebrate. Christians in Pakistan learned that from their neighbors.\n\n<em>And we learned by heart </em><em>through the richness of our lives, watching all unfold at weddings, at Eid celebrations, and at the breaking of the fast. </em>\n<h6 class=\"zemanta-related-title\" style=\"font-size: 1em\">Related articles</h6>\n<ul class=\"zemanta-article-ul\">\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/ramadan-top-ten_n_1676639.html\" target=\"_blank\">Ramadan 2012: History, Dates, Greeting And Rules Of The Muslim Fast</a> (huffingtonpost.com)</li>\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a title=\"A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/08/01/a-look-at-ramadan-from-an-outsider/\" target=\"_blank\">A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider</a></li>\n</ul>\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px;height: 15px\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/?px\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none;float: right\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=607555fa-0e3b-4f03-b2f9-ff9a43f842f0\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>','What Growing Up in a Muslim Country Taught Us About Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7555-revision-2','','','2012-08-14 09:46:10','2012-08-14 16:46:10','',7555,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7555-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7558,96,'2012-08-14 09:47:25','2012-08-14 16:47:25','<em>Today\'s post is co-authored by <a title=\"Bright Pink Razais\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/03/09/bright-pink-razais/\">Robynn Bliss</a> and <a title=\"About\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Marilyn Gardner</a>. Fast friends despite age differences (Marilyn is older!) they share many commonalities that include growing up in the Muslim world. Our hope, and indeed prayer, is that this post will build bridges and get people thinking. Thanks for reading!</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-13990\" src=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg?w=225\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>July 20th began the Holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. This month long period of fasting ends on Saturday, August 18 with celebration and a feast. Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is marked by fasting daily from sun up to sun down. As Christians raised in Pakistan our memories of Ramadan days are as strong as our memories of the Call to Prayer waking us at dawn.\n\nAs we think about Ramadan our minds and hearts remember what we have learned about our own faith from our Muslim friends.\n<div></div>\n1. At an early age we learned that God is not North American. He spans nation and ocean, culture and ethnicity. To bind him to one nation is idolatry. To attach Him to one country elevates our own perceptions of that country. Secretly believing that God is North American justifies our private beliefs that we are superior. It\'s not true.\n\n2. We learned that Christians are not the only ones with deep faith. Indeed the Muslims that we were surrounded by were zealous of keeping to the tenants of their faith. They were sincere. They were devoted.\n\n3.We learned that worship has little to do with pews or worship bands; versions of scripture or language. Worship has everything to do with the heart.\n<div>\n\n4. We learned that as women with white skin we had arrogant tendencies, as though we had  birthrights. When our behavior reflected that it was ugly.\n\n</div>\n5. We learned that caring for women and children, the poor and the broken was never to be separated from the love of God and his call to holiness. We learned that the invitation of the Father that extends to the those in the \"highways and byways\" included the beggar woman, the street children, the dismembered, the leper.\n\n6. We learned that the mud huts and dusty streets of Pakistan were far closer to the streets walked by Jesus than the clean suburbs and white steeples that we encountered every four years in the United States. Our Jesus was brown and slightly sweaty with dusty calloused feet; he wasn\'t pink and pressed and clean. Blue eyes he did not have.\n\n7. We learned that Christian community comes in all denominations and many interpretations, that sprinkling and dunking could be argued with equal passion but would ultimately not change our need for a Saviour. We learned that the strong cultural value of individualism in the west could make it harder to selflessly love. When Jesus reiterated that the greatest commandment was loving God and the second greatest was loving each other he meant it. Love is the language of the community. Any other dialect is suspect.\n\n8. We learned that the word \"Allah\" is the Arabic word for God and, while one can argue character qualities of God, to be afraid of that word was not wise. Fear rarely motivates faith and holy conversation.\n\n9. We learned that people are not the enemy. And costumes, like book covers, are not to be judged.\n\n10. We learned that bridge-building often means drinking 25 cups of tea and serving 100. Hospitality fleshes out acceptance and leads to friendship and deep loyalty. Those are strong bridges built of steel and concrete.\n\n11. We learned that Muslims make the best of friends; that to share our hearts with them grew our understanding and faith. We were shown kindness, generosity and acceptance. We grew to understand their love for a good joke;their loyalty, their devotion.  We learned that once you have a Muslim friend, you always have a friend.  They will grieve your losses as if they were their own. They will enter your celebrations with abandon!\n\n12.  We learned that being invited to break the fast was a gift, not something to refuse because of difference in belief, but something to enter with joy and prayer - prayer for our friends and prayer for their land. A land we called home.\n\nAnd as we close this post we offer you a taste through words of breaking the fast. It is going from the simplicity of daily life and the discipline of fasting to the joyous contrast of colour, noise and taste of celebrations! It is deep-fried sweet sticky gulab jamin. It is colour infused sweet rice with chunks of fresh coconut and plump raisins; plain rice suddenly dressed up with fatty morsels of meat and sticks of cinnamon. Bread normally made on a flat dry pan-fried in oil and served with sweet oily cream of wheat cereal. Muslims knew how to celebrate. Christians in Pakistan learned that from their neighbors.\n\n<em>And we learned by heart </em><em>through the richness of our lives, watching all unfold at weddings, at Eid celebrations, and at the breaking of the fast. </em>\n<h6 class=\"zemanta-related-title\" style=\"font-size: 1em\">Related articles</h6>\n<ul class=\"zemanta-article-ul\">\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/ramadan-top-ten_n_1676639.html\" target=\"_blank\">Ramadan 2012: History, Dates, Greeting And Rules Of The Muslim Fast</a> (huffingtonpost.com)</li>\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a title=\"A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/08/01/a-look-at-ramadan-from-an-outsider/\" target=\"_blank\">A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider</a></li>\n</ul>\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px;height: 15px\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/?px\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none;float: right\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=607555fa-0e3b-4f03-b2f9-ff9a43f842f0\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>','What Growing Up in a Muslim Country Taught Us About Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7555-revision-3','','','2012-08-14 09:47:25','2012-08-14 16:47:25','',7555,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7555-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7559,96,'2012-08-14 09:48:59','2012-08-14 16:48:59','<em>Today\'s post is co-authored by <a title=\"Bright Pink Razais\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/03/09/bright-pink-razais/\">Robynn Bliss</a> and <a title=\"About\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Marilyn Gardner</a>. Fast friends despite age differences (Marilyn is older!) they share many commonalities that include growing up in the Muslim world. Our hope, and indeed prayer, is that this post will build bridges and get people thinking. Thanks for reading!</em>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-13990\" src=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg?w=225\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>July 20th began the Holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. This month long period of fasting ends on Saturday, August 18 with celebration and a feast. Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is marked by fasting daily from sun up to sun down. As Christians raised in Pakistan our memories of Ramadan days are as strong as our memories of the Call to Prayer waking us at dawn.\r\n\r\nAs we think about Ramadan our minds and hearts remember what we have learned about our own faith from our Muslim friends.\r\n<div></div>\r\n1. At an early age we learned that God is not North American. He spans nation and ocean, culture and ethnicity. To bind him to one nation is idolatry. To attach Him to one country elevates our own perceptions of that country. Secretly believing that God is North American justifies our private beliefs that we are superior. It\'s not true.\r\n\r\n2. We learned that Christians are not the only ones with deep faith. Indeed the Muslims that we were surrounded by were zealous of keeping to the tenants of their faith. They were sincere. They were devoted.\r\n\r\n3.We learned that worship has little to do with pews or worship bands; versions of scripture or language. Worship has everything to do with the heart.\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n4. We learned that as women with white skin we had arrogant tendencies, as though we had  birthrights. When our behavior reflected that it was ugly.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n5. We learned that caring for women and children, the poor and the broken was never to be separated from the love of God and his call to holiness. We learned that the invitation of the Father that extends to the those in the \"highways and byways\" included the beggar woman, the street children, the dismembered, the leper.\r\n\r\n6. We learned that the mud huts and dusty streets of Pakistan were far closer to the streets walked by Jesus than the clean suburbs and white steeples that we encountered every four years in the United States. Our Jesus was brown and slightly sweaty with dusty calloused feet; he wasn\'t pink and pressed and clean. Blue eyes he did not have.\r\n\r\n7. We learned that Christian community comes in all denominations and many interpretations, that sprinkling and dunking could be argued with equal passion but would ultimately not change our need for a Saviour. We learned that the strong cultural value of individualism in the west could make it harder to selflessly love. When Jesus reiterated that the greatest commandment was loving God and the second greatest was loving each other he meant it. Love is the language of the community. Any other dialect is suspect.\r\n\r\n8. We learned that the word \"Allah\" is the Arabic word for God and, while one can argue character qualities of God, to be afraid of that word was not wise. Fear rarely motivates faith and holy conversation.\r\n\r\n9. We learned that people are not the enemy. And costumes, like book covers, are not to be judged.\r\n\r\n10. We learned that bridge-building often means drinking 25 cups of tea and serving 100. Hospitality fleshes out acceptance and leads to friendship and deep loyalty. Those are strong bridges built of steel and concrete.\r\n\r\n11. We learned that Muslims make the best of friends; that to share our hearts with them grew our understanding and faith. We were shown kindness, generosity and acceptance. We grew to understand their love for a good joke;their loyalty, their devotion.  We learned that once you have a Muslim friend, you always have a friend.  They will grieve your losses as if they were their own. They will enter your celebrations with abandon!\r\n\r\n12.  We learned that being invited to break the fast was a gift, not something to refuse because of difference in belief, but something to enter with joy and prayer - prayer for our friends and prayer for their land. A land we called home.\r\n\r\nAnd as we close this post we offer you a taste through words of breaking the fast. It is going from the simplicity of daily life and the discipline of fasting to the joyous contrast of colour, noise and taste of celebrations! It is deep-fried sweet sticky gulab jamin. It is colour infused sweet rice with chunks of fresh coconut and plump raisins; plain rice suddenly dressed up with fatty morsels of meat and sticks of cinnamon. Bread normally made on a flat dry pan-fried in oil and served with sweet oily cream of wheat cereal. Muslims knew how to celebrate. Christians in Pakistan learned that from their neighbors.\r\n\r\n<em>And we learned by heart </em><em>through the richness of our lives, watching all unfold at weddings, at Eid celebrations, and at the breaking of the fast. </em>\r\n<h6 class=\"zemanta-related-title\" style=\"font-size: 1em\">Related articles</h6>\r\n<ul class=\"zemanta-article-ul\">\r\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/ramadan-top-ten_n_1676639.html\" target=\"_blank\">Ramadan 2012: History, Dates, Greeting And Rules Of The Muslim Fast</a> (huffingtonpost.com)</li>\r\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a title=\"A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/08/01/a-look-at-ramadan-from-an-outsider/\" target=\"_blank\">A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider</a></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px;height: 15px\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/?px\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none;float: right\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=607555fa-0e3b-4f03-b2f9-ff9a43f842f0\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>','What Growing Up in a Muslim Country Taught Us About Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7555-revision-4','','','2012-08-14 09:48:59','2012-08-14 16:48:59','',7555,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7555-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7560,96,'2012-08-14 09:49:19','2012-08-14 16:49:19','<em>Today\'s post is co-authored by <a title=\"Bright Pink Razais\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/03/09/bright-pink-razais/\">Robynn Bliss</a> and <a title=\"About\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Marilyn Gardner</a>. Fast friends despite age differences (Marilyn is older!) they share many commonalities that include growing up in the Muslim world. Our hope, and indeed prayer, is that this post will build bridges and get people thinking. Thanks for reading!</em>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-13990\" src=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg?w=225\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>July 20th began the Holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. This month long period of fasting ends on Saturday, August 18 with celebration and a feast. Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is marked by fasting daily from sun up to sun down. As Christians raised in Pakistan our memories of Ramadan days are as strong as our memories of the Call to Prayer waking us at dawn.\r\n\r\nAs we think about Ramadan our minds and hearts remember what we have learned about our own faith from our Muslim friends.\r\n<div></div>\r\n1. At an early age we learned that God is not North American. He spans nation and ocean, culture and ethnicity. To bind him to one nation is idolatry. To attach Him to one country elevates our own perceptions of that country. Secretly believing that God is North American justifies our private beliefs that we are superior. It\'s not true.\r\n\r\n2. We learned that Christians are not the only ones with deep faith. Indeed the Muslims that we were surrounded by were zealous of keeping to the tenants of their faith. They were sincere. They were devoted.\r\n\r\n3.We learned that worship has little to do with pews or worship bands; versions of scripture or language. Worship has everything to do with the heart.\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n4. We learned that as women with white skin we had arrogant tendencies, as though we had  birthrights. When our behavior reflected that it was ugly.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n5. We learned that caring for women and children, the poor and the broken was never to be separated from the love of God and his call to holiness. We learned that the invitation of the Father that extends to the those in the \"highways and byways\" included the beggar woman, the street children, the dismembered, the leper.\r\n\r\n6. We learned that the mud huts and dusty streets of Pakistan were far closer to the streets walked by Jesus than the clean suburbs and white steeples that we encountered every four years in the United States. Our Jesus was brown and slightly sweaty with dusty calloused feet; he wasn\'t pink and pressed and clean. Blue eyes he did not have.\r\n\r\n7. We learned that Christian community comes in all denominations and many interpretations, that sprinkling and dunking could be argued with equal passion but would ultimately not change our need for a Saviour. We learned that the strong cultural value of individualism in the west could make it harder to selflessly love. When Jesus reiterated that the greatest commandment was loving God and the second greatest was loving each other he meant it. Love is the language of the community. Any other dialect is suspect.\r\n\r\n8. We learned that the word \"Allah\" is the Arabic word for God and, while one can argue character qualities of God, to be afraid of that word was not wise. Fear rarely motivates faith and holy conversation.\r\n\r\n9. We learned that people are not the enemy. And costumes, like book covers, are not to be judged.\r\n\r\n10. We learned that bridge-building often means drinking 25 cups of tea and serving 100. Hospitality fleshes out acceptance and leads to friendship and deep loyalty. Those are strong bridges built of steel and concrete.\r\n\r\n11. We learned that Muslims make the best of friends; that to share our hearts with them grew our understanding and faith. We were shown kindness, generosity and acceptance. We grew to understand their love for a good joke;their loyalty, their devotion.  We learned that once you have a Muslim friend, you always have a friend.  They will grieve your losses as if they were their own. They will enter your celebrations with abandon!\r\n\r\n12.  We learned that being invited to break the fast was a gift, not something to refuse because of difference in belief, but something to enter with joy and prayer - prayer for our friends and prayer for their land. A land we called home.\r\n\r\nAnd as we close this post we offer you a taste through words of breaking the fast. It is going from the simplicity of daily life and the discipline of fasting to the joyous contrast of colour, noise and taste of celebrations! It is deep-fried sweet sticky gulab jamin. It is colour infused sweet rice with chunks of fresh coconut and plump raisins; plain rice suddenly dressed up with fatty morsels of meat and sticks of cinnamon. Bread normally made on a flat dry pan-fried in oil and served with sweet oily cream of wheat cereal. Muslims knew how to celebrate. Christians in Pakistan learned that from their neighbors.\r\n\r\n<em>And we learned by heart </em><em>through the richness of our lives, watching all unfold at weddings, at Eid celebrations, and at the breaking of the fast. </em>\r\n<h6 class=\"zemanta-related-title\" style=\"font-size: 1em\">Related articles</h6>\r\n<ul class=\"zemanta-article-ul\">\r\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/ramadan-top-ten_n_1676639.html\" target=\"_blank\">Ramadan 2012: History, Dates, Greeting And Rules Of The Muslim Fast</a> (huffingtonpost.com)</li>\r\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a title=\"A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/08/01/a-look-at-ramadan-from-an-outsider/\" target=\"_blank\">A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider</a></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px;height: 15px\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/?px\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none;float: right\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=607555fa-0e3b-4f03-b2f9-ff9a43f842f0\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>','What Growing Up in a Muslim Country Taught Us About Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7555-revision-5','','','2012-08-14 09:49:19','2012-08-14 16:49:19','',7555,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7555-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7561,0,'2012-08-14 10:33:49','2012-08-14 17:33:49','Emerging and unconventional Christianity, social justice, questioning our beliefs\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Jason Wiedel\nAUTHOR EMAIL: jason@thecentersurry.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://www.jasonwiedel.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 70.192.197.210\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Jason Wiedel\n    [Email] =&gt; jason@thecentersurry.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; www.jasonwiedel.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Emerging and unconventional Christianity, social justice, questioning our beliefs\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; jasonwiedel\n)\n','Jason Wiedel - 2012-08-14 10:33:49','','publish','open','open','','319943dab3098cfe1858f3b00b1ff877','','','2012-08-14 10:33:49','2012-08-14 17:33:49','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=7561',0,'feedback','',0),(8121,201,'2012-12-01 10:36:34','2012-12-01 18:36:34','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/stop-child-abuse7.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-8120 aligncenter\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/stop-child-abuse7-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n)photo-credit: foreign policy association(\n\n&nbsp;\n\nChild abuse is a social problem of epidemic proportions.\n\nEven though it is difficult to understand the true scope of child abuse—studies have found that only one third of child abuse is reported, for example<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/#_ftn1\">[1]</a>—the reports that are available, however conservative in nature, paint a horrific picture.  In one 2008 study, researchers found that one in five children will experience child abuse—or 15 million in total.<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/#_ftn2\">[2]</a>  Another study found that 1 in every 3 girls and 1 in every 8 boys will experience sexual abuse; roughly half of which being incestuous.<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/#_ftn3\">[3]</a>.  In 2009, 6 million children were reported to Child Protective Services.<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/#_ftn4\">[4]</a>  A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds,<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/#_ftn5\">[5]</a> and it takes the life of more than five children each day: that is seventy-one classrooms full of children that die every year as a result of child abuse.<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/#_ftn6\">[6]</a>  David Finkelhor, a leading researcher on childhood victimization, has argued that children are in fact the most victimized population in the United States.<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/#_ftn7\">[7]</a>  In addition to experiencing the same rates of victimization as adults, he argues, children also experience victimizations unique to their own status such as child sexual abuse and neglect.  “They are beaten by family members, bullied and attacked by schoolmates and peers, abused and raped by dating partners, and targeted by sex offenders in both physical and virtual realms.”  “Childhood,” Finkelhor asserts, “is indeed a gauntlet”.<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/#_ftn8\">[8]</a>\n\nMillions of children across America are suffering: crying out in desperate need.  Has the Church heard their cries?  These children are sleeping underneath blankets of fear, walking to school in dread, and playing on the street corners we pass by on our way home from work: crying out in desperate need.   Has the Church heard their cries?  These children are waiting in emergency rooms, visiting mental health clinics, and are often engaging in risky behavior, confounding their trauma all the more: crying out in desperate need.  Has the Church heard their cries?  These children are sitting in pews and benches, coloring in Sunday school rooms, and clapping their hands and singing to worship songs in churches all across America: crying out in desperate need.  Has the Church heard their cries?\n\nThe needs created by the problem of child abuse are vast, and the Church is in a remarkable position to be able to respond to these needs.  To be a healer.  To be Christ.  To help them move into, in both their interior worlds and their social circumstances, a lived experience of God’s love.\n\nThis is not to suggest that the Church is not already responding.  Organizations like Marie Fortune’s Faith Trust Institute and the evangelical Royal Family Kids Camp are good examples.  There are more.  And, to be sure, one shouldn’t be naïve: churches are understaffed, underfunded, and attendance in many denominations is very low.  The resources are limited; time is lacking.  Yet, amidst this EPIDEMIC—where children, the most vulnerable people in our society, are the most victimized–it is clear that the Church can do more; that is has to do more.  It must learn to trust that the Holy Spirit will make a way for it to respond to the needs of abused children.\n\nI have been wondering what it might look like for all churches—if even for a year—decided to respond collectively to the most victimized population in the United States: if every church in America dedicated some of its energies to creating a campaign against child abuse in response to the needs of abused children. In addition to meeting the needs of abused children, it seems that such a campaign would be an excellent way for the Fragmented Body of Christ to become more unified—and could also serve as a catalyst for interfaith dialogue and collaboration.  Theological and sociopolitical issues aside, certainly we can agree that this epidemic necessitates a more comprehensive response, and that the Church has the power and responsibility to meet the needs of those that are suffering.  Perhaps we can all agree with Dietrich Bonheoffer when he said, “the ultimate test for a moral society is the kind of world it leaves for its children”.\n\nWhat kind of world have we created for our children? What kind of society is ours when children are the most victimized population–and they are suffering, often in a screaming silence, amidst so much wealth and affluence?\n\nThe Church has to do more.  We have to find a way.\n<div>To be continued …</div>\n<div>\n\n<hr />\n\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref1\">[1]</a> Sedlak, A. J., &amp; Broadhurst, D. D. (1996)\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref2\">[2]</a> How Common is Maltreatment: 5\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref3\">[3]</a> http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/factsheet/pdf/childhoodSexualAbuseFactSheet.pdf\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref4\">[4]</a> National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS)\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref5\">[5]</a> http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics#2\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref6\">[6]</a> United States Government Accountability Office, 2011. Child maltreatment: strengthening national data on child fatalities could aid in prevention (GAO-11-599). Retrieved from <a href=\"http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11599.pdf\">http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11599.pdf</a>\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref7\">[7]</a> David Finkelhor, Childhood Victimization (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008) 3.\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref8\">[8]</a> Ibid.\n\n</div>\n</div>','Child Abuse as an Epidemic: The Church Must Do More','','inherit','open','open','','8115-revision-2','','','2012-12-01 10:36:34','2012-12-01 18:36:34','',8115,'http://provoketive.com/2012/12/01/8115-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8116,201,'2012-12-01 00:20:28','2012-12-01 08:20:28','','boyprotect.jpe',')photo-credit: AZPD(','inherit','open','open','','boyprotect-jpe','','','2012-12-01 00:20:28','2012-12-01 08:20:28','',8115,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/boyprotect.jpe.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8117,201,'2012-12-01 00:20:15','2012-12-01 08:20:15','Child abuse is a social problem of epidemic proportions.\n\nEven though for many reasons it is difficult to understand the true scope of child abuse—studies have found that only one third of child abuse is reported, for example<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftn1\">[1]</a>—the reports that are available, however conservative in nature, paint a horrific picture.  In one 2008 study, researchers found that one in five children will experience child abuse—or 15 million in total.<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftn2\">[2]</a>  Another study found that 1 in every 3 girls and 1 in every 8 boys will experience sexual abuse; roughly half of which being incestuous.<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftn3\">[3]</a>.  In 2009, 6 million children were reported to Child Protective Service.<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftn4\">[4]</a>  A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds,<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftn5\">[5]</a> and it takes the life of more than five children each day: that is seventy-one classrooms full of children that die every year as a result of child abuse.<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftn6\">[6]</a>  David Finkelhor, a leading researcher on childhood victimization, has argued that children are in fact the most victimized population in the United States.<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftn7\">[7]</a>  In addition to experiencing the same rates of victimization as adults, he argues, children also experience victimizations unique to their own status such as child sexual abuse and neglect.  “They are beaten by family members, bullied and attacked by schoolmates and peers, abused and raped by dating partners, and targeted by sex offenders in both physical and virtual realms.”  “Childhood,” Finkelhor asserts, “is indeed a gauntlet”.<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftn8\">[8]</a>\n\nMillions of children across America are suffering: crying out in desperate need.  Has the Church heard their cries?  These children are sleeping underneath blankets of fear, walking to school in dread, and playing on the street corners we pass by on our way home from work: crying out in desperate need.   Has the Church heard their cries?  These children are waiting in emergency rooms, visiting mental health clinics, and are often engaging in risky behavior, confounding their trauma all the more: crying out in desperate need.  Has the Church heard their cries?  These children are sitting in pews and benches, coloring in Sunday school rooms, and clapping their hands and singing to worship songs in churches all across America: crying out in desperate need.  Has the Church heard their cries?\n\nThe needs created by the problem of child abuse are vast, and the Church is in a remarkable position to be able to respond to these needs.  To be a healer.  To be Christ.  To help them experience, in both their interior worlds and their social circumstances, a lived experience of God’s love.\n\nThis is not to suggest that the Church is not already responding.  Organizations like Marie Fortune’s Faith Trust Institute and the evangelical Royal Family Kids Camp are good examples.  There are more.  And, to be sure, one shouldn’t be naïve: churches are understaffed, underfunded, and attendance in many denominations is very low.  The resources are limited; time is lacking.  Yet, amidst this EPIDEMIC—where children, the most vulnerable people in our society, are the most victimized–it is clear that the Church can do more; that is has to do more.  It must learn to trust that the Holy Spirit will make a way for it to respond to the needs of abused children.\n\nI have been wondering what might it look like for all churches—if even for a year—decided to respond collectively to the most victimized population in the United States: if every church in America dedicated some of its energies to creating a campaign against child abuse in response to the needs of abused children. In addition to meeting the needs of abused children, it seems that such a campaign would be an excellent way for the Fragmented Body of Christ to become more unified—and could also serve as a catalyst for interfaith dialogue and collaboration.  Theological and sociopolitical issues aside, certainly we can agree that this epidemic necessitates a more comprehensive response, and that the Church has the power and responsibility to meet the needs of those that are suffering.  Perhaps we can all agree with Dietrich Bonheoffer when he said, “the ultimate test for a moral society is the kind of world it leaves for its children”.\n\nWhat kind of world have we created for our children? What kind of society is ours when children are the most victimized population–and they are suffering, often in a screaming silence, amidst so much wealth and affluence?\n\nThe Church has to do more.  We have to find a way.\n<div>To be continued …&nbsp;\n\n<hr />\n\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref1\">[1]</a> Sedlak, A. J., &amp; Broadhurst, D. D. (1996)\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref2\">[2]</a> How Common is Maltreatment: 5\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref3\">[3]</a> http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/factsheet/pdf/childhoodSexualAbuseFactSheet.pdf\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref4\">[4]</a> National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS)\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref5\">[5]</a> http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics#2\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref6\">[6]</a> United States Government Accountability Office, 2011. Child maltreatment: strengthening national data on child fatalities could aid in prevention (GAO-11-599). Retrieved from <a href=\"http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11599.pdf\">http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11599.pdf</a>\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref7\">[7]</a> David Finkelhor, Childhood Victimization (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008) 3.\n\n</div>\n<div>\n\n<a title=\"\" href=\"http://asocialspirituality.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/child-abuse-as-an-epidemic-the-church-must-do-more/#_ftnref8\">[8]</a> Ibid.\n\n</div>\n</div>','Child Abuse as an Epidemic: The Church Must Do More','','inherit','open','open','','8115-revision','','','2012-12-01 00:20:15','2012-12-01 08:20:15','',8115,'http://provoketive.com/2012/12/01/8115-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7564,0,'2012-08-14 13:17:23','2012-08-14 20:17:23','Life, faith, family, theology, spiritual practice, humor\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: Nancy Franson\nAUTHOR EMAIL: nancy.franson@yahoo.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://outofmyallegedmind.com/\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 68.118.194.75\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; Nancy Franson\n    [Email] =&gt; nancy.franson@yahoo.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; http://outofmyallegedmind.com/\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; Life, faith, family, theology, spiritual practice, humor\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; Nancy Franson\n)\n','Nancy Franson - 2012-08-14 13:17:23','','publish','open','open','','5412236550cd76d0f543e4c8e80bb947','','','2012-08-14 13:17:23','2012-08-14 20:17:23','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=7564',0,'feedback','',0),(7567,186,'2012-08-15 06:07:06','2012-08-15 13:07:06','I\'ve been thinking a lot about my reasons for writing Forest Life. This is appropriate as I will soon release it to the world. I was up last night considering the metamorphosis that my life has undergone since I began writing the book. The idea for the book began while I was living along in a cabin, on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee. My brain had begun to crack so I embarked on an existential exile into the woods. My heart was broken and I needed to find a way to sustain the will to continue living.\n\nEven after all this time, I still don\'t know how to live. There are moments here and there when I understand some of the things that I need to live. I need good friendship. I need to write and I need quiet emptiness. Unfortunately, I still spend too much time thinking about things that make my brain bleed. Sometimes I just think so much that my brain will shut itself down in a futile attempt at self-preservation. I haven\'t been able to transcend my frustration and anger for society and its inability to match up with my ideals. My ideals being peaceful coexistence and productive progress. Some people reconcile this sadness by telling themselves that God\'s gonna come back and fix things up real nice. I want to believe nice things like restorative theology, but I just can\'t. I am understanding of those who subscribe to comforting narratives. I\'d rather not see the world as cruel and chaotic, but I digress. Hence, my attempts to understand how I should live in a world that doesn\'t make sense.\n\nAlthough Forest Life is almost entirely fictional, the frustration and struggle of the lead character often mirrors my own irreconcilable sadness and confusion. Existence is a strange thing. It was on a cabin porch in the Tennessee dusk, nearly three years when I realized that my experience was a universal dilemma for conscious freethinkers. And so as the sky grew salty and the winds picked up, the rain began to fall through a halo sunrise and I found my story - the story of Emmett.\n\nOnce more I\'ve removed myself from the debilitating mess that we call society. I\'m currently working on a new manuscript in a farmhouse, in the woods of the great Midwest. The grass is dead brown and the earth is rough. Wildlife roams freely, uninhibited by humans. I\'ve spent the last couple mornings fishing alone off a pond in the hills of the Daniel Boone forest. I much prefer the quiet still of the wild. In the wild I\'m free to create and sigh and smirk without interruption. There\'s no one around to keep score and I find myself less inclined to drink, attempting to alleviate the sorrow I feel in my observation. It\'s nice to know that I\'ve made some progress since my Forest Life journey began over three years ago.\n\nWhen I was alone in that cabin in the forgotten town, I had several spiritual experiences. I began to understand myself. I confronted my mistakes. I lamented several self-inflicted tragedies. I struggled to forgive myself and I struggled to accept the memories that I cannot change. Even now, I\'m still working these things out. I\'m still angry at myself for lying compulsively and inflicting upon myself, the very suffering that compelled me to lie. I\'m still angry at myself for letting the loss of loved ones contribute to my future suffering, a suffering that would have been deterred if not for my own fear. Naturally, the character in Forest Life is often struggling with self-deprecation and regret. Alas! There\'s so much to work through and so much forgive. There\'s a whole lifetime of paradox to rationalize and stories to tell. This is one of the themes in Forest Life. How do we find a purpose that death does not destroy? In a sense, writing Forest Life was an attempt at a solution to this very problem. My purpose is to write about the ruins of my memory and to give meaning to the experience.\n\nWhen I started writing Forest Life, I was suicidal and drunk because I had lost someone I love to a tragedy. Afterward, my question was this: why love when death and suffering are inevitable? I won\'t reveal my solution to this problem, but I do present it in the pages of the book. These are only a few of the issues I grapple with in the story and I hope that you\'ll read the story and consciously address your own uncertainty and fear.\n\nThanks everyone. You can pre-order the book here. I\'ve worked hard on this story and it would mean the world to me if you picked it up.','Why I wrote Forest Life','','inherit','open','open','','7566-revision','','','2012-08-15 06:07:06','2012-08-15 13:07:06','',7566,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/15/7566-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7568,186,'2012-08-15 06:08:55','2012-08-15 13:08:55','','Forestlifeprovoketix','','inherit','open','open','','forestlifeprovoketix','','','2012-08-15 06:08:55','2012-08-15 13:08:55','',7566,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Forestlifeprovoketix.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7569,186,'2012-08-15 06:08:27','2012-08-15 13:08:27','&nbsp;\n\nI\'ve been thinking a lot about my reasons for writing Forest Life. This is appropriate as I will soon release it to the world. I was up last night considering the metamorphosis that my life has undergone since I began writing the book. The idea for the book began while I was living along in a cabin, on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee. My brain had begun to crack so I embarked on an existential exile into the woods. My heart was broken and I needed to find a way to sustain the will to continue living.\n\nEven after all this time, I still don\'t know how to live. There are moments here and there when I understand some of the things that I need to live. I need good friendship. I need to write and I need quiet emptiness. Unfortunately, I still spend too much time thinking about things that make my brain bleed. Sometimes I just think so much that my brain will shut itself down in a futile attempt at self-preservation. I haven\'t been able to transcend my frustration and anger for society and its inability to match up with my ideals. My ideals being peaceful coexistence and productive progress. Some people reconcile this sadness by telling themselves that God\'s gonna come back and fix things up real nice. I want to believe nice things like restorative theology, but I just can\'t. I am understanding of those who subscribe to comforting narratives. I\'d rather not see the world as cruel and chaotic, but I digress. Hence, my attempts to understand how I should live in a world that doesn\'t make sense.\n\nAlthough Forest Life is almost entirely fictional, the frustration and struggle of the lead character often mirrors my own irreconcilable sadness and confusion. Existence is a strange thing. It was on a cabin porch in the Tennessee dusk, nearly three years when I realized that my experience was a universal dilemma for conscious freethinkers. And so as the sky grew salty and the winds picked up, the rain began to fall through a halo sunrise and I found my story - the story of Emmett.\n\nOnce more I\'ve removed myself from the debilitating mess that we call society. I\'m currently working on a new manuscript in a farmhouse, in the woods of the great Midwest. The grass is dead brown and the earth is rough. Wildlife roams freely, uninhibited by humans. I\'ve spent the last couple mornings fishing alone off a pond in the hills of the Daniel Boone forest. I much prefer the quiet still of the wild. In the wild I\'m free to create and sigh and smirk without interruption. There\'s no one around to keep score and I find myself less inclined to drink, attempting to alleviate the sorrow I feel in my observation. It\'s nice to know that I\'ve made some progress since my Forest Life journey began over three years ago.\n\nWhen I was alone in that cabin in the forgotten town, I had several spiritual experiences. I began to understand myself. I confronted my mistakes. I lamented several self-inflicted tragedies. I struggled to forgive myself and I struggled to accept the memories that I cannot change. Even now, I\'m still working these things out. I\'m still angry at myself for lying compulsively and inflicting upon myself, the very suffering that compelled me to lie. I\'m still angry at myself for letting the loss of loved ones contribute to my future suffering, a suffering that would have been deterred if not for my own fear. Naturally, the character in Forest Life is often struggling with self-deprecation and regret. Alas! There\'s so much to work through and so much forgive. There\'s a whole lifetime of paradox to rationalize and stories to tell. This is one of the themes in Forest Life. How do we find a purpose that death does not destroy? In a sense, writing Forest Life was an attempt at a solution to this very problem. My purpose is to write about the ruins of my memory and to give meaning to the experience.\n\nWhen I started writing Forest Life, I was suicidal and drunk because I had lost someone I love to a tragedy. Afterward, my question was this: why love when death and suffering are inevitable? I won\'t reveal my solution to this problem, but I do present it in the pages of the book. These are only a few of the issues I grapple with in the story and I hope that you\'ll read the story and consciously address your own uncertainty and fear.\n\nThanks everyone. You can pre-order the book <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/347\">here.</a> I\'ve worked hard on this story and it would mean the world to me if you picked it up.','Why I wrote Forest Life','','inherit','open','open','','7566-revision-2','','','2012-08-15 06:08:27','2012-08-15 13:08:27','',7566,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/15/7566-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7614,1,'2012-08-24 08:30:05','2012-08-24 15:30:05','','lance armstrong','','inherit','open','open','','lance-armstrong','','','2012-08-24 08:30:05','2012-08-24 15:30:05','',7609,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/lance-armstrong.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7586,1,'2012-08-16 19:07:51','2012-08-17 02:07:51','&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI\'ve been thinking a lot about my reasons for writing Forest Life. This is appropriate as I will soon release it to the world. I was up last night considering the metamorphosis that my life has undergone since I began writing the book. The idea for the book began while I was living along in a cabin, on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee. My brain had begun to crack so I embarked on an existential exile into the woods. My heart was broken and I needed to find a way to sustain the will to continue living.\r\n\r\nEven after all this time, I still don\'t know how to live. There are moments here and there when I understand some of the things that I need to live. I need good friendship. I need to write and I need quiet emptiness. Unfortunately, I still spend too much time thinking about things that make my brain bleed. Sometimes I just think so much that my brain will shut itself down in a futile attempt at self-preservation. I haven\'t been able to transcend my frustration and anger for society and its inability to match up with my ideals. My ideals being peaceful coexistence and productive progress. Some people reconcile this sadness by telling themselves that God\'s gonna come back and fix things up real nice. I want to believe nice things like restorative theology, but I just can\'t. I am understanding of those who subscribe to comforting narratives. I\'d rather not see the world as cruel and chaotic, but I digress. Hence, my attempts to understand how I should live in a world that doesn\'t make sense.\r\n\r\nAlthough Forest Life is almost entirely fictional, the frustration and struggle of the lead character often mirrors my own irreconcilable sadness and confusion. Existence is a strange thing. It was on a cabin porch in the Tennessee dusk, nearly three years when I realized that my experience was a universal dilemma for conscious freethinkers. And so as the sky grew salty and the winds picked up, the rain began to fall through a halo sunrise and I found my story - the story of Emmett.\r\n\r\nOnce more I\'ve removed myself from the debilitating mess that we call society. I\'m currently working on a new manuscript in a farmhouse, in the woods of the great Midwest. The grass is dead brown and the earth is rough. Wildlife roams freely, uninhibited by humans. I\'ve spent the last couple mornings fishing alone off a pond in the hills of the Daniel Boone forest. I much prefer the quiet still of the wild. In the wild I\'m free to create and sigh and smirk without interruption. There\'s no one around to keep score and I find myself less inclined to drink, attempting to alleviate the sorrow I feel in my observation. It\'s nice to know that I\'ve made some progress since my Forest Life journey began over three years ago.\r\n\r\nWhen I was alone in that cabin in the forgotten town, I had several spiritual experiences. I began to understand myself. I confronted my mistakes. I lamented several self-inflicted tragedies. I struggled to forgive myself and I struggled to accept the memories that I cannot change. Even now, I\'m still working these things out. I\'m still angry at myself for lying compulsively and inflicting upon myself, the very suffering that compelled me to lie. I\'m still angry at myself for letting the loss of loved ones contribute to my future suffering, a suffering that would have been deterred if not for my own fear. Naturally, the character in Forest Life is often struggling with self-deprecation and regret. Alas! There\'s so much to work through and so much forgive. There\'s a whole lifetime of paradox to rationalize and stories to tell. This is one of the themes in Forest Life. How do we find a purpose that death does not destroy? In a sense, writing Forest Life was an attempt at a solution to this very problem. My purpose is to write about the ruins of my memory and to give meaning to the experience.\r\n\r\nWhen I started writing Forest Life, I was suicidal and drunk because I had lost someone I love to a tragedy. Afterward, my question was this: why love when death and suffering are inevitable? I won\'t reveal my solution to this problem, but I do present it in the pages of the book. These are only a few of the issues I grapple with in the story and I hope that you\'ll read the story and consciously address your own uncertainty and fear.\r\n\r\nThanks everyone. You can pre-order the book <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/347\">here.</a> I\'ve worked hard on this story and it would mean the world to me if you picked it up.','Why I Wrote Forest Life','','inherit','open','open','','7566-revision-6','','','2012-08-16 19:07:51','2012-08-17 02:07:51','',7566,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/16/7566-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7570,186,'2012-08-15 06:10:06','2012-08-15 13:10:06','','Forestlifeprovoketix','','inherit','open','open','','forestlifeprovoketix-2','','','2012-08-15 06:10:06','2012-08-15 13:10:06','',7566,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Forestlifeprovoketix1.jpeg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7571,186,'2012-08-15 06:09:11','2012-08-15 13:09:11','<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Forestlifeprovoketix.jpeg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-7568\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Forestlifeprovoketix-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" /></a>\r\n\r\nI\'ve been thinking a lot about my reasons for writing Forest Life. This is appropriate as I will soon release it to the world. I was up last night considering the metamorphosis that my life has undergone since I began writing the book. The idea for the book began while I was living along in a cabin, on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee. My brain had begun to crack so I embarked on an existential exile into the woods. My heart was broken and I needed to find a way to sustain the will to continue living.\r\n\r\nEven after all this time, I still don\'t know how to live. There are moments here and there when I understand some of the things that I need to live. I need good friendship. I need to write and I need quiet emptiness. Unfortunately, I still spend too much time thinking about things that make my brain bleed. Sometimes I just think so much that my brain will shut itself down in a futile attempt at self-preservation. I haven\'t been able to transcend my frustration and anger for society and its inability to match up with my ideals. My ideals being peaceful coexistence and productive progress. Some people reconcile this sadness by telling themselves that God\'s gonna come back and fix things up real nice. I want to believe nice things like restorative theology, but I just can\'t. I am understanding of those who subscribe to comforting narratives. I\'d rather not see the world as cruel and chaotic, but I digress. Hence, my attempts to understand how I should live in a world that doesn\'t make sense.\r\n\r\nAlthough Forest Life is almost entirely fictional, the frustration and struggle of the lead character often mirrors my own irreconcilable sadness and confusion. Existence is a strange thing. It was on a cabin porch in the Tennessee dusk, nearly three years when I realized that my experience was a universal dilemma for conscious freethinkers. And so as the sky grew salty and the winds picked up, the rain began to fall through a halo sunrise and I found my story - the story of Emmett.\r\n\r\nOnce more I\'ve removed myself from the debilitating mess that we call society. I\'m currently working on a new manuscript in a farmhouse, in the woods of the great Midwest. The grass is dead brown and the earth is rough. Wildlife roams freely, uninhibited by humans. I\'ve spent the last couple mornings fishing alone off a pond in the hills of the Daniel Boone forest. I much prefer the quiet still of the wild. In the wild I\'m free to create and sigh and smirk without interruption. There\'s no one around to keep score and I find myself less inclined to drink, attempting to alleviate the sorrow I feel in my observation. It\'s nice to know that I\'ve made some progress since my Forest Life journey began over three years ago.\r\n\r\nWhen I was alone in that cabin in the forgotten town, I had several spiritual experiences. I began to understand myself. I confronted my mistakes. I lamented several self-inflicted tragedies. I struggled to forgive myself and I struggled to accept the memories that I cannot change. Even now, I\'m still working these things out. I\'m still angry at myself for lying compulsively and inflicting upon myself, the very suffering that compelled me to lie. I\'m still angry at myself for letting the loss of loved ones contribute to my future suffering, a suffering that would have been deterred if not for my own fear. Naturally, the character in Forest Life is often struggling with self-deprecation and regret. Alas! There\'s so much to work through and so much forgive. There\'s a whole lifetime of paradox to rationalize and stories to tell. This is one of the themes in Forest Life. How do we find a purpose that death does not destroy? In a sense, writing Forest Life was an attempt at a solution to this very problem. My purpose is to write about the ruins of my memory and to give meaning to the experience.\r\n\r\nWhen I started writing Forest Life, I was suicidal and drunk because I had lost someone I love to a tragedy. Afterward, my question was this: why love when death and suffering are inevitable? I won\'t reveal my solution to this problem, but I do present it in the pages of the book. These are only a few of the issues I grapple with in the story and I hope that you\'ll read the story and consciously address your own uncertainty and fear.\r\n\r\nThanks everyone. You can pre-order the book <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/347\">here.</a> I\'ve worked hard on this story and it would mean the world to me if you picked it up.','Why I wrote Forest Life','','inherit','open','open','','7566-revision-3','','','2012-08-15 06:09:11','2012-08-15 13:09:11','',7566,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/15/7566-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7572,186,'2012-08-15 06:10:32','2012-08-15 13:10:32','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Forestlifeprovoketix1.jpeg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7570\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Forestlifeprovoketix1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"675\" height=\"450\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI\'ve been thinking a lot about my reasons for writing Forest Life. This is appropriate as I will soon release it to the world. I was up last night considering the metamorphosis that my life has undergone since I began writing the book. The idea for the book began while I was living along in a cabin, on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee. My brain had begun to crack so I embarked on an existential exile into the woods. My heart was broken and I needed to find a way to sustain the will to continue living.\r\n\r\nEven after all this time, I still don\'t know how to live. There are moments here and there when I understand some of the things that I need to live. I need good friendship. I need to write and I need quiet emptiness. Unfortunately, I still spend too much time thinking about things that make my brain bleed. Sometimes I just think so much that my brain will shut itself down in a futile attempt at self-preservation. I haven\'t been able to transcend my frustration and anger for society and its inability to match up with my ideals. My ideals being peaceful coexistence and productive progress. Some people reconcile this sadness by telling themselves that God\'s gonna come back and fix things up real nice. I want to believe nice things like restorative theology, but I just can\'t. I am understanding of those who subscribe to comforting narratives. I\'d rather not see the world as cruel and chaotic, but I digress. Hence, my attempts to understand how I should live in a world that doesn\'t make sense.\r\n\r\nAlthough Forest Life is almost entirely fictional, the frustration and struggle of the lead character often mirrors my own irreconcilable sadness and confusion. Existence is a strange thing. It was on a cabin porch in the Tennessee dusk, nearly three years when I realized that my experience was a universal dilemma for conscious freethinkers. And so as the sky grew salty and the winds picked up, the rain began to fall through a halo sunrise and I found my story - the story of Emmett.\r\n\r\nOnce more I\'ve removed myself from the debilitating mess that we call society. I\'m currently working on a new manuscript in a farmhouse, in the woods of the great Midwest. The grass is dead brown and the earth is rough. Wildlife roams freely, uninhibited by humans. I\'ve spent the last couple mornings fishing alone off a pond in the hills of the Daniel Boone forest. I much prefer the quiet still of the wild. In the wild I\'m free to create and sigh and smirk without interruption. There\'s no one around to keep score and I find myself less inclined to drink, attempting to alleviate the sorrow I feel in my observation. It\'s nice to know that I\'ve made some progress since my Forest Life journey began over three years ago.\r\n\r\nWhen I was alone in that cabin in the forgotten town, I had several spiritual experiences. I began to understand myself. I confronted my mistakes. I lamented several self-inflicted tragedies. I struggled to forgive myself and I struggled to accept the memories that I cannot change. Even now, I\'m still working these things out. I\'m still angry at myself for lying compulsively and inflicting upon myself, the very suffering that compelled me to lie. I\'m still angry at myself for letting the loss of loved ones contribute to my future suffering, a suffering that would have been deterred if not for my own fear. Naturally, the character in Forest Life is often struggling with self-deprecation and regret. Alas! There\'s so much to work through and so much forgive. There\'s a whole lifetime of paradox to rationalize and stories to tell. This is one of the themes in Forest Life. How do we find a purpose that death does not destroy? In a sense, writing Forest Life was an attempt at a solution to this very problem. My purpose is to write about the ruins of my memory and to give meaning to the experience.\r\n\r\nWhen I started writing Forest Life, I was suicidal and drunk because I had lost someone I love to a tragedy. Afterward, my question was this: why love when death and suffering are inevitable? I won\'t reveal my solution to this problem, but I do present it in the pages of the book. These are only a few of the issues I grapple with in the story and I hope that you\'ll read the story and consciously address your own uncertainty and fear.\r\n\r\nThanks everyone. You can pre-order the book <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/347\">here.</a> I\'ve worked hard on this story and it would mean the world to me if you picked it up.','Why I wrote Forest Life','','inherit','open','open','','7566-revision-4','','','2012-08-15 06:10:32','2012-08-15 13:10:32','',7566,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/15/7566-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7573,1,'2012-08-17 08:18:43','2012-08-17 15:18:43','I\'ve been thinking a lot about my reasons for writing Forest Life. This is appropriate as I will soon release it to the world. I was up last night considering the metamorphosis that my life has undergone since I began writing the book. The idea for the book began while I was living alone in a cabin, on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee. My brain had begun to crack so I embarked on an existential exile into the woods. My heart was broken and I needed to find a way to sustain the will to continue living.\n\nEven after all this time, I still don\'t know how to live. There are moments here and there when I understand some of the things that I need to live. I need good friendship. I need to write and I need quiet emptiness. Unfortunately, I still spend too much time thinking about things that make my brain bleed. Sometimes I just think so much that my brain will shut itself down in a futile attempt at self-preservation. I haven\'t been able to transcend my frustration and anger for society and its inability to match up with my ideals. My ideals being peaceful coexistence and productive progress. Some people reconcile this sadness by telling themselves that God\'s gonna come back and fix things up real nice. I want to believe nice things like restorative theology, but I just can\'t. I am understanding of those who subscribe to comforting narratives. I\'d rather not see the world as cruel and chaotic, but I digress. Hence, my attempts to understand how I should live in a world that doesn\'t make sense.\n\nAlthough Forest Life is almost entirely fictional, the frustration and struggle of the lead character often mirrors my own irreconcilable sadness and confusion. Existence is a strange thing. It was on a cabin porch in the Tennessee dusk, nearly three years when I realized that my experience was a universal dilemma for conscious freethinkers. And so as the sky grew salty and the winds picked up, the rain began to fall through a halo sunrise and I found my story - the story of Emmett.\n\nOnce more I\'ve removed myself from the debilitating mess that we call society. I\'m currently working on a new manuscript in a farmhouse, in the woods of the great Midwest. The grass is dead brown and the earth is rough. Wildlife roams freely, uninhibited by humans. I\'ve spent the last couple mornings fishing alone off a pond in the hills of the Daniel Boone forest. I much prefer the quiet still of the wild. In the wild I\'m free to create and sigh and smirk without interruption. There\'s no one around to keep score and I find myself less inclined to drink, attempting to alleviate the sorrow I feel in my observation. It\'s nice to know that I\'ve made some progress since my Forest Life journey began over three years ago.\n\nWhen I was alone in that cabin in the forgotten town, I had several spiritual experiences. I began to understand myself. I confronted my mistakes. I lamented several self-inflicted tragedies. I struggled to forgive myself and I struggled to accept the memories that I cannot change. Even now, I\'m still working these things out. I\'m still angry at myself for lying compulsively and inflicting upon myself, the very suffering that compelled me to lie. I\'m still angry at myself for letting the loss of loved ones contribute to my future suffering, a suffering that would have been deterred if not for my own fear. Naturally, the character in Forest Life is often struggling with self-deprecation and regret. Alas! There\'s so much to work through and so much forgive. There\'s a whole lifetime of paradox to rationalize and stories to tell. This is one of the themes in Forest Life. How do we find a purpose that death does not destroy? In a sense, writing Forest Life was an attempt at a solution to this very problem. My purpose is to write about the ruins of my memory and to give meaning to the experience.\n\nWhen I started writing Forest Life, I was suicidal and drunk because I had lost someone I love to a tragedy. Afterward, my question was this: why love when death and suffering are inevitable? I won\'t reveal my solution to this problem, but I do present it in the pages of the book. These are only a few of the issues I grapple with in the story and I hope that you\'ll read the story and consciously address your own uncertainty and fear.\n\nThanks everyone. You can pre-order the book <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/347\">here.</a> I\'ve worked hard on this story and it would mean the world to me if you picked it up.','Why I Wrote Forest Life','','inherit','open','open','','7566-autosave','','','2012-08-17 08:18:43','2012-08-17 15:18:43','',7566,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/15/7566-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7584,1,'2012-08-15 06:12:12','2012-08-15 13:12:12','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Forestlifeprovoketix1.jpeg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7570\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Forestlifeprovoketix1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"675\" height=\"450\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI\'ve been thinking a lot about my reasons for writing Forest Life. This is appropriate as I will soon release it to the world. I was up last night considering the metamorphosis that my life has undergone since I began writing the book. The idea for the book began while I was living along in a cabin, on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee. My brain had begun to crack so I embarked on an existential exile into the woods. My heart was broken and I needed to find a way to sustain the will to continue living.\r\n\r\nEven after all this time, I still don\'t know how to live. There are moments here and there when I understand some of the things that I need to live. I need good friendship. I need to write and I need quiet emptiness. Unfortunately, I still spend too much time thinking about things that make my brain bleed. Sometimes I just think so much that my brain will shut itself down in a futile attempt at self-preservation. I haven\'t been able to transcend my frustration and anger for society and its inability to match up with my ideals. My ideals being peaceful coexistence and productive progress. Some people reconcile this sadness by telling themselves that God\'s gonna come back and fix things up real nice. I want to believe nice things like restorative theology, but I just can\'t. I am understanding of those who subscribe to comforting narratives. I\'d rather not see the world as cruel and chaotic, but I digress. Hence, my attempts to understand how I should live in a world that doesn\'t make sense.\r\n\r\nAlthough Forest Life is almost entirely fictional, the frustration and struggle of the lead character often mirrors my own irreconcilable sadness and confusion. Existence is a strange thing. It was on a cabin porch in the Tennessee dusk, nearly three years when I realized that my experience was a universal dilemma for conscious freethinkers. And so as the sky grew salty and the winds picked up, the rain began to fall through a halo sunrise and I found my story - the story of Emmett.\r\n\r\nOnce more I\'ve removed myself from the debilitating mess that we call society. I\'m currently working on a new manuscript in a farmhouse, in the woods of the great Midwest. The grass is dead brown and the earth is rough. Wildlife roams freely, uninhibited by humans. I\'ve spent the last couple mornings fishing alone off a pond in the hills of the Daniel Boone forest. I much prefer the quiet still of the wild. In the wild I\'m free to create and sigh and smirk without interruption. There\'s no one around to keep score and I find myself less inclined to drink, attempting to alleviate the sorrow I feel in my observation. It\'s nice to know that I\'ve made some progress since my Forest Life journey began over three years ago.\r\n\r\nWhen I was alone in that cabin in the forgotten town, I had several spiritual experiences. I began to understand myself. I confronted my mistakes. I lamented several self-inflicted tragedies. I struggled to forgive myself and I struggled to accept the memories that I cannot change. Even now, I\'m still working these things out. I\'m still angry at myself for lying compulsively and inflicting upon myself, the very suffering that compelled me to lie. I\'m still angry at myself for letting the loss of loved ones contribute to my future suffering, a suffering that would have been deterred if not for my own fear. Naturally, the character in Forest Life is often struggling with self-deprecation and regret. Alas! There\'s so much to work through and so much forgive. There\'s a whole lifetime of paradox to rationalize and stories to tell. This is one of the themes in Forest Life. How do we find a purpose that death does not destroy? In a sense, writing Forest Life was an attempt at a solution to this very problem. My purpose is to write about the ruins of my memory and to give meaning to the experience.\r\n\r\nWhen I started writing Forest Life, I was suicidal and drunk because I had lost someone I love to a tragedy. Afterward, my question was this: why love when death and suffering are inevitable? I won\'t reveal my solution to this problem, but I do present it in the pages of the book. These are only a few of the issues I grapple with in the story and I hope that you\'ll read the story and consciously address your own uncertainty and fear.\r\n\r\nThanks everyone. You can pre-order the book <a href=\"http://store.civitaspress.com/books/347\">here.</a> I\'ve worked hard on this story and it would mean the world to me if you picked it up.','Why I wrote Forest Life','','inherit','open','open','','7566-revision-5','','','2012-08-15 06:12:12','2012-08-15 13:12:12','',7566,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/15/7566-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7575,195,'2012-08-22 08:00:44','2012-08-22 15:00:44','An idea that plagues Christian spirituality is dualism: the belief that there are two opposing realities; one good and the other bad.\r\n\r\nIn modern Christianity, it usually expressed like this . . . All visible reality is corrupted by sin. The world around us (including your human body and its desires) is distorted, insufficient, and evil. Fortunately, there is a spiritual reality that is good. This alternate good reality includes everything that is unseen (God, Heaven, the human spirit). The goal within this dualistic view of reality is to escape the corrupted physical world and enter the perfect spiritual world.\r\n\r\nThe movie <em>The Matrix</em> displays this kind of dualism brilliantly. In the film, the Matrix is the world that we all experience, but it is not real. “The Matrix is everywhere,” says the character Morpheus. “It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work… when you go to church… when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.”\r\n\r\n<em>The Matrix</em> gives a visible portrait of an evil world that is a lie and in conflict with the true and good world. One must choose the truth and be given special knowledge of how to travel from the Matrix to the real world. This is not a reflection of the Christian worldview, but a classically Gnostic worldview. The Gnostics (heavily influenced by Plato) believed that the visible world was evil. They believed that achieving a secret knowledge would allow them to achieve gnosis; a superior, spiritual state.\r\n\r\nWhile this dualistic worldview of Gnosticism and Platonism exists in many religions around the world, it does not exist in historical Judaism or historical, Biblical Christianity. It seems, though, that as the Christian religion emerged in a world dominated by Greek philosophy it was heavily influenced by Platonic (and Gnostic) ideas. These ideas were further ingrained into Christian thought by the Enlightenment, which was dominated by a Deistic view of God. A Deistic understanding of God sees Him as separate and far from earth and humanity.\r\n\r\nI believe that when Christianity is dominated by dualistic thought, it does terrible damage to God\'s purpose for His people.Ascribing to dualistic Christianity causes us to find little value in this world (except as a test that gains us entrance to Heaven). Dualism causes us to see beauty as meaningless, to find no value in art, to abandon any need to preserve nature, to see science and discovery as futile, to view any attempt to ease the physical suffering of other humans as empty, to see pleasure as a distraction from our ultimate destination, and to see our personality as something to overcome, rather than embraced.\r\n\r\n<strong>Dualism Denies that Creation is Good</strong>\r\n<blockquote><strong></strong>“The New Testament is deeply, deeply Jewish, and the Jews had for some time been intuiting a final, physical resurrection. They believed that the world of space and time and matter is messed up, but remains basically good, and God will eventually sort it out and put it right again. Belief in that goodness is absolutely essential to Christianity, both theologically and morally. But Greek-speaking Christians influenced by Plato saw our cosmos as shabby and misshapen and full of lies, and the idea was not to make it right, but to escape it and leave behind our material bodies. The church at its best has always come back toward the Hebrew view, but there have been times when the Greek view was very influential.” -N.T.  Wright, interview with <em>Time</em>\r\n\r\n“There are only two views that face all the facts. One is the Christian view that this is a good world that has gone wrong, but still retains the memory of what it ought to have been. The other is the view called Dualism. Dualism means the belief that there are two equal and independent powers at the back of everything, one of them good and the other bad, and that this universe is the battlefield in which they fight out an endless war. I personally think that next to Christianity, Dualism is the manliest and most sensible creed on the market. But it has a catch in it.” -C.S. Lewis, <em>Mere Christianity</em></blockquote>\r\n<div>Scripture (and experience) tell us that the effects of sin upon creation have been devastating, but Scripture never even comes close to saying that sin corrupted what God made good. A dualistic view sets God at odds with physical creation. It implies that we, God’s people, should have little care for the natural world, and take no pleasure in it. This idea is a terrible distortion of the loving God who created a world full of amazing sights and experiences, and gives humanity the responsibility to care for it.</div>\r\n<strong>Dualism Creates a False Dichotomy</strong>\r\n<blockquote>“Thinking in terms of two realms understands the paired concepts worldy-Christian, natural-supernatural, profane-sacred, rational-revelations, as ultimate static opposites…and fails to recognize the original unity of these opposites in the Christ-reality.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\r\nDualism causes us to divide everything into two competing groups and put artificial labels on things, activities, and people. We begin to gauge the value of everything, not on inherent goodness or beauty, but on its ability to point people away from the natural world and toward the supernatural world. We end up giving greater importance to a cheap trinket that contains a Bible verse than a beautiful work of art.\r\n\r\nThe more insidious problem is when we value people by the level that they contribute to Heaven rather than Earth. Many of us subtly and unconsciously give greater worth to the full-time minister than the person who is a plumber or lawyer. We end up telling people that their worth is found only in what they can produce for the eternal world. The pianists talents are only valuable if she plays Christian concerts or church services. The investment banker only has worth if he donates money to missionaries. The housekeeper is only significant if she cleans toilets in the church building.\r\n\r\nThis rating people on the basis of talent and vocation makes a statement about what we think of the character of God. Does God care for people simply because they are living creatures made in His image, or does He only love those who contribute?\r\n\r\n<strong>Dualism Reduces the Gospel</strong>\r\n<blockquote>“In Christ we are invited to participate in the reality of God and the reality of the world at the same time, the one not without the other.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\r\nThe gospel (good news) according the Jesus is, “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”\r\n\r\nLife in heaven may be important, but it is only part of the gospel. The fullness of the gospel is the Kingdom of God and <em>everything</em> it entails.\r\n\r\nThe Kingdom of God is not an otherworldly afterlife called Heaven.  When Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” He is saying, “It is right here! You can reach out and grab it.”\r\n\r\nThe Kingdom of God is the fulfillment of all the promises contained in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Kingdom of God is a world where God rules; where there is continual peace, goodness, abundance, and harmony. In the Kingdom of God there is no sickness, no death, no poverty, no discrimination, and no oppression. And Jesus says that this Kingdom is springing up right here and right now in the middle of this world. In fact, He gives us the responsibility of helping to bring it to reality.\r\n\r\nThis is certainly not a dualistic message. It is a message of hope and life here and now.\r\n\r\nThe gospel of Jesus is reduced when it becomes all about escaping this world in order to go to Heaven. The gospel is reduced when Earth becomes Heaven’s waiting room.\r\n\r\nCan we embrace an understanding of reality that sees a continual interaction between Heaven and Earth, where our purpose is not to escape Earth for Heaven, but to bring Heaven to earth?\r\n<blockquote>“The old painful duality will go down before a restful unity of life. The knowledge that we are all God’s, that He has received all and rejected nothing, will unify our inner lives and make everything sacred to us. This is not quite all. Long-held habits do not die easily. It will take intelligent thought and a great deal of reverent prayer to escape completely from the sacred-secular psychology.” -A.W. Tozer</blockquote>','The Dangers of Dualistic Christianity','','publish','open','open','','the-dangers-of-dualistic-christianity','','','2012-08-19 18:17:16','2012-08-20 01:17:16','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7575',0,'post','',7),(7576,195,'2012-08-15 11:03:08','2012-08-15 18:03:08','','Matrix Pills','','inherit','open','open','','matrix-pills','','','2012-08-15 11:03:08','2012-08-15 18:03:08','',7575,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Matrix-Pills.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7577,195,'2012-08-15 11:01:09','2012-08-15 18:01:09','An idea that plagues Christian spirituality is dualism: the belief that there are two opposing realities; one good and the other bad.\n\nIn modern Christianity, it usually expressed like this . . . All visible reality is corrupted by sin. The world around us (including your human body and its desires) is distorted, insufficient, and evil. Fortunately, there is a spiritual reality that is good. This alternate good reality includes everything that is unseen (God, Heaven, the human spirit). The goal within this dualistic view of reality is to escape the corrupted physical world and enter the perfect spiritual world.\n\nThe movie <em>The Matrix</em> displays this kind of dualism brilliantly. In the film, the Matrix is the world that we all experience, but it is not real. “The Matrix is everywhere,” says the character Morpheus. “It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work… when you go to church… when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.”\n\n<em>The Matrix</em> gives a visible portrait of an evil world that is a lie and in conflict with the true and good world. One must choose the truth and be given special knowledge of how to travel from the Matrix to the real world. This is not a reflection of the Christian worldview, but a classically Gnostic worldview. The Gnostics (heavily influenced by Plato) believed that the visible world was evil. They believed that achieving a secret knowledge would allow them to achieve gnosis; a superior, spiritual state.\n\nWhile this dualistic worldview of Gnosticism and Platonism exists in many religions around the world, it does not exist in historical Judaism or historical, Biblical Christianity. It seems, though, that as the Christian religion emerged in a world dominated by Greek philosophy it was heavily influenced by Platonic (and Gnostic) ideas. These ideas were further ingrained into Christian thought by the Enlightenment, which was dominated by a Deistic view of God. A Deistic understanding of God sees Him as separate and far from earth and humanity.\n\nI believe that when Christianity is dominated by dualistic thought, it does terrible damage to God\'s purpose for His people.Ascribing to dualistic Christianity causes us to find little value in this world (except as a test that gains us entrance to Heaven). Dualism causes us to see beauty as meaningless, to find no value in art, to abandon any need to preserve nature, to see science and discovery as futile, to view any attempt to ease the physical suffering of other humans as empty, to see pleasure as a distraction from our ultimate destination, and to see our personality as something to overcome, rather than embraced.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Dualism Denies that Creation is Good</strong>\n<blockquote><strong></strong>“The New Testament is deeply, deeply Jewish, and the Jews had for some time been intuiting a final, physical resurrection. They believed that the world of space and time and matter is messed up, but remains basically good, and God will eventually sort it out and put it right again. Belief in that goodness is absolutely essential to Christianity, both theologically and morally. But Greek-speaking Christians influenced by Plato saw our cosmos as shabby and misshapen and full of lies, and the idea was not to make it right, but to escape it and leave behind our material bodies. The church at its best has always come back toward the Hebrew view, but there have been times when the Greek view was very influential.” -N.T.  Wright, interview with <em>Time</em>\n\n“There are only two views that face all the facts. One is the Christian view that this is a good world that has gone wrong, but still retains the memory of what it ought to have been. The other is the view called Dualism. Dualism means the belief that there are two equal and independent powers at the back of everything, one of them good and the other bad, and that this universe is the battlefield in which they fight out an endless war. I personally think that next to Christianity, Dualism is the manliest and most sensible creed on the market. But it has a catch in it.” -C.S. Lewis, <em>Mere Christianity</em></blockquote>\n<div>Scripture (and experience) tell us that the effects of sin upon creation have been devastating, but Scripture never even comes close to saying that sin corrupted what God made good. A dualistic view sets God at odds with physical creation. It implies that we, God’s people, should have little care for the natural world, and take no pleasure in it. This idea is a terrible distortion of the loving God who created a world full of amazing sights and experiences, and gives humanity the responsibility to care for it.</div>\n<div></div>\n<strong>Dualism Creates a False Dichotomy</strong>\n<blockquote>“Thinking in terms of two realms understands the paired concepts worldy-Christian, natural-supernatural, profane-sacred, rational-revelations, as ultimate static opposites…and fails to recognize the original unity of these opposites in the Christ-reality.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\nDualism causes us to divide everything into two competing groups and put artificial labels on things, activities, and people. We begin to gauge the value of everything, not on inherent goodness or beauty, but on its ability to point people away from the natural world and toward the supernatural world. We end up giving greater importance to a cheap trinket that contains a Bible verse than a beautiful work of art.\n\nThe more insidious problem is when we value people by the level that they contribute to Heaven rather than Earth. Many of us subtly and unconsciously give greater worth to the full-time minister than the person who is a plumber or lawyer. We end up telling people that their worth is found only in what they can produce for the eternal world. The pianists talents are only valuable if she plays Christian concerts or church services. The investment banker only has worth if he donates money to missionaries. The housekeeper is only significant if she cleans toilets in the church building.\n\nThis rating people on the basis of talent and vocation makes a statement about what we think of the character of God. Does God care for people simply because they are living creatures made in His image, or does He only love those who contribute?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Dualism Reduces the Gospel</strong>\n<blockquote>“In Christ we are invited to participate in the reality of God and the reality of the world at the same time, the one not without the other.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\nThe gospel (good news) according the Jesus is, “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”\n\nLife in heaven may be important, but it is only part of the gospel. The fullness of the gospel is the Kingdom of God and <em>everything</em> it entails.\n\nThe Kingdom of God is not an otherworldly afterlife called Heaven.  When Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” He is saying, “It is right here! You can reach out and grab it.”\n\nThe Kingdom of God is the fulfillment of all the promises contained in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Kingdom of God is a world where God rules; where there is continual peace, goodness, abundance, and harmony. In the Kingdom of God there is no sickness, no death, no poverty, no discrimination, and no oppression. And Jesus says that this Kingdom is springing up right here and right now in the middle of this world. In fact, He gives us the responsibility of helping to bring it to reality.\n\nThis is certainly not a dualistic message. It is a message of hope and life here and now.\n\nThe gospel of Jesus is reduced when it becomes all about escaping this world in order to go to Heaven. The gospel is reduced when Earth becomes Heaven’s waiting room.\n\nCan we embrace an understanding of reality that sees a continual interaction between Heaven and Earth, where our purpose is not to escape Earth for Heaven, but to bring Heaven to earth?\n<blockquote>“The old painful duality will go down before a restful unity of life. The knowledge that we are all God’s, that He has received all and rejected nothing, will unify our inner lives and make everything sacred to us. This is not quite all. Long-held habits do not die easily. It will take intelligent thought and a great deal of reverent prayer to escape completely from the sacred-secular psychology.” -A.W. Tozer</blockquote>','','','inherit','open','open','','7575-revision','','','2012-08-15 11:01:09','2012-08-15 18:01:09','',7575,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/15/7575-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7578,195,'2012-08-15 11:10:19','2012-08-15 18:10:19','An idea that plagues Christian spirituality is dualism: the belief that there are two opposing realities; one good and the other bad.\n\nIn modern Christianity, it usually expressed like this . . . All visible reality is corrupted by sin. The world around us (including your human body and its desires) is distorted, insufficient, and evil. Fortunately, there is a spiritual reality that is good. This alternate good reality includes everything that is unseen (God, Heaven, the human spirit). The goal within this dualistic view of reality is to escape the corrupted physical world and enter the perfect spiritual world.\n\nThe movie <em>The Matrix</em> displays this kind of dualism brilliantly. In the film, the Matrix is the world that we all experience, but it is not real. “The Matrix is everywhere,” says the character Morpheus. “It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work… when you go to church… when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.”\n\n<em>The Matrix</em> gives a visible portrait of an evil world that is a lie and in conflict with the true and good world. One must choose the truth and be given special knowledge of how to travel from the Matrix to the real world. This is not a reflection of the Christian worldview, but a classically Gnostic worldview. The Gnostics (heavily influenced by Plato) believed that the visible world was evil. They believed that achieving a secret knowledge would allow them to achieve gnosis; a superior, spiritual state.\n\nWhile this dualistic worldview of Gnosticism and Platonism exists in many religions around the world, it does not exist in historical Judaism or historical, Biblical Christianity. It seems, though, that as the Christian religion emerged in a world dominated by Greek philosophy it was heavily influenced by Platonic (and Gnostic) ideas. These ideas were further ingrained into Christian thought by the Enlightenment, which was dominated by a Deistic view of God. A Deistic understanding of God sees Him as separate and far from earth and humanity.\n\nI believe that when Christianity is dominated by dualistic thought, it does terrible damage to God\'s purpose for His people.Ascribing to dualistic Christianity causes us to find little value in this world (except as a test that gains us entrance to Heaven). Dualism causes us to see beauty as meaningless, to find no value in art, to abandon any need to preserve nature, to see science and discovery as futile, to view any attempt to ease the physical suffering of other humans as empty, to see pleasure as a distraction from our ultimate destination, and to see our personality as something to overcome, rather than embraced.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Dualism Denies that Creation is Good</strong>\n<blockquote><strong></strong>“The New Testament is deeply, deeply Jewish, and the Jews had for some time been intuiting a final, physical resurrection. They believed that the world of space and time and matter is messed up, but remains basically good, and God will eventually sort it out and put it right again. Belief in that goodness is absolutely essential to Christianity, both theologically and morally. But Greek-speaking Christians influenced by Plato saw our cosmos as shabby and misshapen and full of lies, and the idea was not to make it right, but to escape it and leave behind our material bodies. The church at its best has always come back toward the Hebrew view, but there have been times when the Greek view was very influential.” -N.T.  Wright, interview with <em>Time</em>\n\n“There are only two views that face all the facts. One is the Christian view that this is a good world that has gone wrong, but still retains the memory of what it ought to have been. The other is the view called Dualism. Dualism means the belief that there are two equal and independent powers at the back of everything, one of them good and the other bad, and that this universe is the battlefield in which they fight out an endless war. I personally think that next to Christianity, Dualism is the manliest and most sensible creed on the market. But it has a catch in it.” -C.S. Lewis, <em>Mere Christianity</em></blockquote>\n<div>Scripture (and experience) tell us that the effects of sin upon creation have been devastating, but Scripture never even comes close to saying that sin corrupted what God made good. A dualistic view sets God at odds with physical creation. It implies that we, God’s people, should have little care for the natural world, and take no pleasure in it. This idea is a terrible distortion of the loving God who created a world full of amazing sights and experiences, and gives humanity the responsibility to care for it.</div>\n<div></div>\n<strong>Dualism Creates a False Dichotomy</strong>\n<blockquote>“Thinking in terms of two realms understands the paired concepts worldy-Christian, natural-supernatural, profane-sacred, rational-revelations, as ultimate static opposites…and fails to recognize the original unity of these opposites in the Christ-reality.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\nDualism causes us to divide everything into two competing groups and put artificial labels on things, activities, and people. We begin to gauge the value of everything, not on inherent goodness or beauty, but on its ability to point people away from the natural world and toward the supernatural world. We end up giving greater importance to a cheap trinket that contains a Bible verse than a beautiful work of art.\n\nThe more insidious problem is when we value people by the level that they contribute to Heaven rather than Earth. Many of us subtly and unconsciously give greater worth to the full-time minister than the person who is a plumber or lawyer. We end up telling people that their worth is found only in what they can produce for the eternal world. The pianists talents are only valuable if she plays Christian concerts or church services. The investment banker only has worth if he donates money to missionaries. The housekeeper is only significant if she cleans toilets in the church building.\n\nThis rating people on the basis of talent and vocation makes a statement about what we think of the character of God. Does God care for people simply because they are living creatures made in His image, or does He only love those who contribute?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Dualism Reduces the Gospel</strong>\n<blockquote>“In Christ we are invited to participate in the reality of God and the reality of the world at the same time, the one not without the other.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\nThe gospel (good news) according the Jesus is, “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”\n\nLife in heaven may be important, but it is only part of the gospel. The fullness of the gospel is the Kingdom of God and <em>everything</em> it entails.\n\nThe Kingdom of God is not an otherworldly afterlife called Heaven.  When Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” He is saying, “It is right here! You can reach out and grab it.”\n\nThe Kingdom of God is the fulfillment of all the promises contained in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Kingdom of God is a world where God rules; where there is continual peace, goodness, abundance, and harmony. In the Kingdom of God there is no sickness, no death, no poverty, no discrimination, and no oppression. And Jesus says that this Kingdom is springing up right here and right now in the middle of this world. In fact, He gives us the responsibility of helping to bring it to reality.\n\nThis is certainly not a dualistic message. It is a message of hope and life here and now.\n\nThe gospel of Jesus is reduced when it becomes all about escaping this world in order to go to Heaven. The gospel is reduced when Earth becomes Heaven’s waiting room.\n\nCan we embrace an understanding of reality that sees a continual interaction between Heaven and Earth, where our purpose is not to escape Earth for Heaven, but to bring Heaven to earth?\n<blockquote>“The old painful duality will go down before a restful unity of life. The knowledge that we are all God’s, that He has received all and rejected nothing, will unify our inner lives and make everything sacred to us. This is not quite all. Long-held habits do not die easily. It will take intelligent thought and a great deal of reverent prayer to escape completely from the sacred-secular psychology.” -A.W. Tozer</blockquote>','The Dangers of Dualistic Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7575-revision-2','','','2012-08-15 11:10:19','2012-08-15 18:10:19','',7575,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/15/7575-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7579,195,'2012-08-15 11:11:44','2012-08-15 18:11:44','An idea that plagues Christian spirituality is dualism: the belief that there are two opposing realities; one good and the other bad.\r\n\r\nIn modern Christianity, it usually expressed like this . . . All visible reality is corrupted by sin. The world around us (including your human body and its desires) is distorted, insufficient, and evil. Fortunately, there is a spiritual reality that is good. This alternate good reality includes everything that is unseen (God, Heaven, the human spirit). The goal within this dualistic view of reality is to escape the corrupted physical world and enter the perfect spiritual world.\r\n\r\nThe movie <em>The Matrix</em> displays this kind of dualism brilliantly. In the film, the Matrix is the world that we all experience, but it is not real. “The Matrix is everywhere,” says the character Morpheus. “It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work… when you go to church… when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.”\r\n\r\n<em>The Matrix</em> gives a visible portrait of an evil world that is a lie and in conflict with the true and good world. One must choose the truth and be given special knowledge of how to travel from the Matrix to the real world. This is not a reflection of the Christian worldview, but a classically Gnostic worldview. The Gnostics (heavily influenced by Plato) believed that the visible world was evil. They believed that achieving a secret knowledge would allow them to achieve gnosis; a superior, spiritual state.\r\n\r\nWhile this dualistic worldview of Gnosticism and Platonism exists in many religions around the world, it does not exist in historical Judaism or historical, Biblical Christianity. It seems, though, that as the Christian religion emerged in a world dominated by Greek philosophy it was heavily influenced by Platonic (and Gnostic) ideas. These ideas were further ingrained into Christian thought by the Enlightenment, which was dominated by a Deistic view of God. A Deistic understanding of God sees Him as separate and far from earth and humanity.\r\n\r\nI believe that when Christianity is dominated by dualistic thought, it does terrible damage to God\'s purpose for His people.Ascribing to dualistic Christianity causes us to find little value in this world (except as a test that gains us entrance to Heaven). Dualism causes us to see beauty as meaningless, to find no value in art, to abandon any need to preserve nature, to see science and discovery as futile, to view any attempt to ease the physical suffering of other humans as empty, to see pleasure as a distraction from our ultimate destination, and to see our personality as something to overcome, rather than embraced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Dualism Denies that Creation is Good</strong>\r\n<blockquote><strong></strong>“The New Testament is deeply, deeply Jewish, and the Jews had for some time been intuiting a final, physical resurrection. They believed that the world of space and time and matter is messed up, but remains basically good, and God will eventually sort it out and put it right again. Belief in that goodness is absolutely essential to Christianity, both theologically and morally. But Greek-speaking Christians influenced by Plato saw our cosmos as shabby and misshapen and full of lies, and the idea was not to make it right, but to escape it and leave behind our material bodies. The church at its best has always come back toward the Hebrew view, but there have been times when the Greek view was very influential.” -N.T.  Wright, interview with <em>Time</em>\r\n\r\n“There are only two views that face all the facts. One is the Christian view that this is a good world that has gone wrong, but still retains the memory of what it ought to have been. The other is the view called Dualism. Dualism means the belief that there are two equal and independent powers at the back of everything, one of them good and the other bad, and that this universe is the battlefield in which they fight out an endless war. I personally think that next to Christianity, Dualism is the manliest and most sensible creed on the market. But it has a catch in it.” -C.S. Lewis, <em>Mere Christianity</em></blockquote>\r\n<div>Scripture (and experience) tell us that the effects of sin upon creation have been devastating, but Scripture never even comes close to saying that sin corrupted what God made good. A dualistic view sets God at odds with physical creation. It implies that we, God’s people, should have little care for the natural world, and take no pleasure in it. This idea is a terrible distortion of the loving God who created a world full of amazing sights and experiences, and gives humanity the responsibility to care for it.</div>\r\n<div></div>\r\n<strong>Dualism Creates a False Dichotomy</strong>\r\n<blockquote>“Thinking in terms of two realms understands the paired concepts worldy-Christian, natural-supernatural, profane-sacred, rational-revelations, as ultimate static opposites…and fails to recognize the original unity of these opposites in the Christ-reality.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\r\nDualism causes us to divide everything into two competing groups and put artificial labels on things, activities, and people. We begin to gauge the value of everything, not on inherent goodness or beauty, but on its ability to point people away from the natural world and toward the supernatural world. We end up giving greater importance to a cheap trinket that contains a Bible verse than a beautiful work of art.\r\n\r\nThe more insidious problem is when we value people by the level that they contribute to Heaven rather than Earth. Many of us subtly and unconsciously give greater worth to the full-time minister than the person who is a plumber or lawyer. We end up telling people that their worth is found only in what they can produce for the eternal world. The pianists talents are only valuable if she plays Christian concerts or church services. The investment banker only has worth if he donates money to missionaries. The housekeeper is only significant if she cleans toilets in the church building.\r\n\r\nThis rating people on the basis of talent and vocation makes a statement about what we think of the character of God. Does God care for people simply because they are living creatures made in His image, or does He only love those who contribute?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Dualism Reduces the Gospel</strong>\r\n<blockquote>“In Christ we are invited to participate in the reality of God and the reality of the world at the same time, the one not without the other.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\r\nThe gospel (good news) according the Jesus is, “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”\r\n\r\nLife in heaven may be important, but it is only part of the gospel. The fullness of the gospel is the Kingdom of God and <em>everything</em> it entails.\r\n\r\nThe Kingdom of God is not an otherworldly afterlife called Heaven.  When Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” He is saying, “It is right here! You can reach out and grab it.”\r\n\r\nThe Kingdom of God is the fulfillment of all the promises contained in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Kingdom of God is a world where God rules; where there is continual peace, goodness, abundance, and harmony. In the Kingdom of God there is no sickness, no death, no poverty, no discrimination, and no oppression. And Jesus says that this Kingdom is springing up right here and right now in the middle of this world. In fact, He gives us the responsibility of helping to bring it to reality.\r\n\r\nThis is certainly not a dualistic message. It is a message of hope and life here and now.\r\n\r\nThe gospel of Jesus is reduced when it becomes all about escaping this world in order to go to Heaven. The gospel is reduced when Earth becomes Heaven’s waiting room.\r\n\r\nCan we embrace an understanding of reality that sees a continual interaction between Heaven and Earth, where our purpose is not to escape Earth for Heaven, but to bring Heaven to earth?\r\n<blockquote>“The old painful duality will go down before a restful unity of life. The knowledge that we are all God’s, that He has received all and rejected nothing, will unify our inner lives and make everything sacred to us. This is not quite all. Long-held habits do not die easily. It will take intelligent thought and a great deal of reverent prayer to escape completely from the sacred-secular psychology.” -A.W. Tozer</blockquote>','The Dangers of Dualistic Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7575-revision-3','','','2012-08-15 11:11:44','2012-08-15 18:11:44','',7575,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/15/7575-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7581,195,'2012-08-21 08:55:23','2012-08-21 15:55:23','An idea that plagues Christian spirituality is dualism: the belief that there are two opposing realities; one good and the other bad.\n\nIn modern Christianity, it usually expressed like this . . . All visible reality is corrupted by sin. The world around us (including your human body and its desires) is distorted, insufficient, and evil. Fortunately, there is a spiritual reality that is good. This alternate good reality includes everything that is unseen (God, Heaven, the human spirit). The goal within this dualistic view of reality is to escape the corrupted physical world and enter the perfect spiritual world.\n\nThe movie <em>The Matrix</em> displays this kind of dualism brilliantly. In the film, the Matrix is the world that we all experience, but it is not real. “The Matrix is everywhere,” says the character Morpheus. “It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work… when you go to church… when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.”\n\n<em>The Matrix</em> gives a visible portrait of an evil world that is a lie and in conflict with the true and good world. One must choose the truth and be given special knowledge of how to travel from the Matrix to the real world. This is not a reflection of the Christian worldview, but a classically Gnostic worldview. The Gnostics (heavily influenced by Plato) believed that the visible world was evil. They believed that achieving a secret knowledge would allow them to achieve gnosis; a superior, spiritual state.\n\nWhile this dualistic worldview of Gnosticism and Platonism exists in many religions around the world, it does not exist in historical Judaism or historical, Biblical Christianity. It seems, though, that as the Christian religion emerged in a world dominated by Greek philosophy it was heavily influenced by Platonic (and Gnostic) ideas. These ideas were further ingrained into Christian thought by the Enlightenment, which was dominated by a Deistic view of God. A Deistic understanding of God sees Him as separate and far from earth and humanity.\n\nI believe that when Christianity is dominated by dualistic thought, it does terrible damage to God\'s purpose for His people.Ascribing to dualistic Christianity causes us to find little value in this world (except as a test that gains us entrance to Heaven). Dualism causes us to see beauty as meaningless, to find no value in art, to abandon any need to preserve nature, to see science and discovery as futile, to view any attempt to ease the physical suffering of other humans as empty, to see pleasure as a distraction from our ultimate destination, and to see our personality as something to overcome, rather than embraced.\n\n<strong>Dualism Denies that Creation is Good</strong>\n<blockquote><strong></strong>“The New Testament is deeply, deeply Jewish, and the Jews had for some time been intuiting a final, physical resurrection. They believed that the world of space and time and matter is messed up, but remains basically good, and God will eventually sort it out and put it right again. Belief in that goodness is absolutely essential to Christianity, both theologically and morally. But Greek-speaking Christians influenced by Plato saw our cosmos as shabby and misshapen and full of lies, and the idea was not to make it right, but to escape it and leave behind our material bodies. The church at its best has always come back toward the Hebrew view, but there have been times when the Greek view was very influential.” -N.T.  Wright, interview with <em>Time</em>\n\n“There are only two views that face all the facts. One is the Christian view that this is a good world that has gone wrong, but still retains the memory of what it ought to have been. The other is the view called Dualism. Dualism means the belief that there are two equal and independent powers at the back of everything, one of them good and the other bad, and that this universe is the battlefield in which they fight out an endless war. I personally think that next to Christianity, Dualism is the manliest and most sensible creed on the market. But it has a catch in it.” -C.S. Lewis, <em>Mere Christianity</em></blockquote>\n<div>Scripture (and experience) tell us that the effects of sin upon creation have been devastating, but Scripture never even comes close to saying that sin corrupted what God made good. A dualistic view sets God at odds with physical creation. It implies that we, God’s people, should have little care for the natural world, and take no pleasure in it. This idea is a terrible distortion of the loving God who created a world full of amazing sights and experiences, and gives humanity the responsibility to care for it.</div>\n<strong>Dualism Creates a False Dichotomy</strong>\n<blockquote>“Thinking in terms of two realms understands the paired concepts worldy-Christian, natural-supernatural, profane-sacred, rational-revelations, as ultimate static opposites…and fails to recognize the original unity of these opposites in the Christ-reality.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\nDualism causes us to divide everything into two competing groups and put artificial labels on things, activities, and people. We begin to gauge the value of everything, not on inherent goodness or beauty, but on its ability to point people away from the natural world and toward the supernatural world. We end up giving greater importance to a cheap trinket that contains a Bible verse than a beautiful work of art.\n\nThe more insidious problem is when we value people by the level that they contribute to Heaven rather than Earth. Many of us subtly and unconsciously give greater worth to the full-time minister than the person who is a plumber or lawyer. We end up telling people that their worth is found only in what they can produce for the eternal world. The pianists talents are only valuable if she plays Christian concerts or church services. The investment banker only has worth if he donates money to missionaries. The housekeeper is only significant if she cleans toilets in the church building.\n\nThis rating people on the basis of talent and vocation makes a statement about what we think of the character of God. Does God care for people simply because they are living creatures made in His image, or does He only love those who contribute?\n\n<strong>Dualism Reduces the Gospel</strong>\n<blockquote>“In Christ we are invited to participate in the reality of God and the reality of the world at the same time, the one not without the other.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\nThe gospel (good news) according the Jesus is, “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”\n\nLife in heaven may be important, but it is only part of the gospel. The fullness of the gospel is the Kingdom of God and <em>everything</em> it entails.\n\nThe Kingdom of God is not an otherworldly afterlife called Heaven.  When Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” He is saying, “It is right here! You can reach out and grab it.”\n\nThe Kingdom of God is the fulfillment of all the promises contained in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Kingdom of God is a world where God rules; where there is continual peace, goodness, abundance, and harmony. In the Kingdom of God there is no sickness, no death, no poverty, no discrimination, and no oppression. And Jesus says that this Kingdom is springing up right here and right now in the middle of this world. In fact, He gives us the responsibility of helping to bring it to reality.\n\nThis is certainly not a dualistic message. It is a message of hope and life here and now.\n\nThe gospel of Jesus is reduced when it becomes all about escaping this world in order to go to Heaven. The gospel is reduced when Earth becomes Heaven’s waiting room.\n\nCan we embrace an understanding of reality that sees a continual interaction between Heaven and Earth, where our purpose is not to escape Earth for Heaven, but to bring Heaven to earth?\n<blockquote>“The old painful duality will go down before a restful unity of life. The knowledge that we are all God’s, that He has received all and rejected nothing, will unify our inner lives and make everything sacred to us. This is not quite all. Long-held habits do not die easily. It will take intelligent thought and a great deal of reverent prayer to escape completely from the sacred-secular psychology.” -A.W. Tozer</blockquote>','The Dangers of Dualistic Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7575-autosave','','','2012-08-21 08:55:23','2012-08-21 15:55:23','',7575,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/15/7575-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7580,195,'2012-08-15 11:12:22','2012-08-15 18:12:22','An idea that plagues Christian spirituality is dualism: the belief that there are two opposing realities; one good and the other bad.\r\n\r\nIn modern Christianity, it usually expressed like this . . . All visible reality is corrupted by sin. The world around us (including your human body and its desires) is distorted, insufficient, and evil. Fortunately, there is a spiritual reality that is good. This alternate good reality includes everything that is unseen (God, Heaven, the human spirit). The goal within this dualistic view of reality is to escape the corrupted physical world and enter the perfect spiritual world.\r\n\r\nThe movie <em>The Matrix</em> displays this kind of dualism brilliantly. In the film, the Matrix is the world that we all experience, but it is not real. “The Matrix is everywhere,” says the character Morpheus. “It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work… when you go to church… when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.”\r\n\r\n<em>The Matrix</em> gives a visible portrait of an evil world that is a lie and in conflict with the true and good world. One must choose the truth and be given special knowledge of how to travel from the Matrix to the real world. This is not a reflection of the Christian worldview, but a classically Gnostic worldview. The Gnostics (heavily influenced by Plato) believed that the visible world was evil. They believed that achieving a secret knowledge would allow them to achieve gnosis; a superior, spiritual state.\r\n\r\nWhile this dualistic worldview of Gnosticism and Platonism exists in many religions around the world, it does not exist in historical Judaism or historical, Biblical Christianity. It seems, though, that as the Christian religion emerged in a world dominated by Greek philosophy it was heavily influenced by Platonic (and Gnostic) ideas. These ideas were further ingrained into Christian thought by the Enlightenment, which was dominated by a Deistic view of God. A Deistic understanding of God sees Him as separate and far from earth and humanity.\r\n\r\nI believe that when Christianity is dominated by dualistic thought, it does terrible damage to God\'s purpose for His people.Ascribing to dualistic Christianity causes us to find little value in this world (except as a test that gains us entrance to Heaven). Dualism causes us to see beauty as meaningless, to find no value in art, to abandon any need to preserve nature, to see science and discovery as futile, to view any attempt to ease the physical suffering of other humans as empty, to see pleasure as a distraction from our ultimate destination, and to see our personality as something to overcome, rather than embraced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Dualism Denies that Creation is Good</strong>\r\n<blockquote><strong></strong>“The New Testament is deeply, deeply Jewish, and the Jews had for some time been intuiting a final, physical resurrection. They believed that the world of space and time and matter is messed up, but remains basically good, and God will eventually sort it out and put it right again. Belief in that goodness is absolutely essential to Christianity, both theologically and morally. But Greek-speaking Christians influenced by Plato saw our cosmos as shabby and misshapen and full of lies, and the idea was not to make it right, but to escape it and leave behind our material bodies. The church at its best has always come back toward the Hebrew view, but there have been times when the Greek view was very influential.” -N.T.  Wright, interview with <em>Time</em>\r\n\r\n“There are only two views that face all the facts. One is the Christian view that this is a good world that has gone wrong, but still retains the memory of what it ought to have been. The other is the view called Dualism. Dualism means the belief that there are two equal and independent powers at the back of everything, one of them good and the other bad, and that this universe is the battlefield in which they fight out an endless war. I personally think that next to Christianity, Dualism is the manliest and most sensible creed on the market. But it has a catch in it.” -C.S. Lewis, <em>Mere Christianity</em></blockquote>\r\n<div>Scripture (and experience) tell us that the effects of sin upon creation have been devastating, but Scripture never even comes close to saying that sin corrupted what God made good. A dualistic view sets God at odds with physical creation. It implies that we, God’s people, should have little care for the natural world, and take no pleasure in it. This idea is a terrible distortion of the loving God who created a world full of amazing sights and experiences, and gives humanity the responsibility to care for it.</div>\r\n<div></div>\r\n<strong>Dualism Creates a False Dichotomy</strong>\r\n<blockquote>“Thinking in terms of two realms understands the paired concepts worldy-Christian, natural-supernatural, profane-sacred, rational-revelations, as ultimate static opposites…and fails to recognize the original unity of these opposites in the Christ-reality.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\r\nDualism causes us to divide everything into two competing groups and put artificial labels on things, activities, and people. We begin to gauge the value of everything, not on inherent goodness or beauty, but on its ability to point people away from the natural world and toward the supernatural world. We end up giving greater importance to a cheap trinket that contains a Bible verse than a beautiful work of art.\r\n\r\nThe more insidious problem is when we value people by the level that they contribute to Heaven rather than Earth. Many of us subtly and unconsciously give greater worth to the full-time minister than the person who is a plumber or lawyer. We end up telling people that their worth is found only in what they can produce for the eternal world. The pianists talents are only valuable if she plays Christian concerts or church services. The investment banker only has worth if he donates money to missionaries. The housekeeper is only significant if she cleans toilets in the church building.\r\n\r\nThis rating people on the basis of talent and vocation makes a statement about what we think of the character of God. Does God care for people simply because they are living creatures made in His image, or does He only love those who contribute?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Dualism Reduces the Gospel</strong>\r\n<blockquote>“In Christ we are invited to participate in the reality of God and the reality of the world at the same time, the one not without the other.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <em>Ethics</em></blockquote>\r\nThe gospel (good news) according the Jesus is, “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”\r\n\r\nLife in heaven may be important, but it is only part of the gospel. The fullness of the gospel is the Kingdom of God and <em>everything</em> it entails.\r\n\r\nThe Kingdom of God is not an otherworldly afterlife called Heaven.  When Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” He is saying, “It is right here! You can reach out and grab it.”\r\n\r\nThe Kingdom of God is the fulfillment of all the promises contained in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Kingdom of God is a world where God rules; where there is continual peace, goodness, abundance, and harmony. In the Kingdom of God there is no sickness, no death, no poverty, no discrimination, and no oppression. And Jesus says that this Kingdom is springing up right here and right now in the middle of this world. In fact, He gives us the responsibility of helping to bring it to reality.\r\n\r\nThis is certainly not a dualistic message. It is a message of hope and life here and now.\r\n\r\nThe gospel of Jesus is reduced when it becomes all about escaping this world in order to go to Heaven. The gospel is reduced when Earth becomes Heaven’s waiting room.\r\n\r\nCan we embrace an understanding of reality that sees a continual interaction between Heaven and Earth, where our purpose is not to escape Earth for Heaven, but to bring Heaven to earth?\r\n<blockquote>“The old painful duality will go down before a restful unity of life. The knowledge that we are all God’s, that He has received all and rejected nothing, will unify our inner lives and make everything sacred to us. This is not quite all. Long-held habits do not die easily. It will take intelligent thought and a great deal of reverent prayer to escape completely from the sacred-secular psychology.” -A.W. Tozer</blockquote>','The Dangers of Dualistic Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7575-revision-4','','','2012-08-15 11:12:22','2012-08-15 18:12:22','',7575,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/15/7575-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7582,1,'2012-08-14 09:10:09','2012-08-14 16:10:09','The topic:  <strong>Follow.</strong>  In August we are going to consider the idea of following.  Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” and that has powerful implications in the way we live.  How does that affect you?   We believe the power of voice has tremendous capacity to inspire and encourage people. Provoketive is a space to explore our humanity, who we follow, and who is following us.\r\n\r\nThe following is a list of participants in this Synchroblog.  To participate, click <a title=\"New Synchroblog Coming – Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/07/19/new-synchroblog-coming-follow/\">here</a>.\r\n\r\nAugust 2nd - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"Following Christ After Extreme Failure\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/02/following-christ-after-extreme-failure/\">Following Christ After Extreme Failure</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 3rd - <a href=\"http://www.tillhecomes.org/\">Jeremy Myers</a> - <a title=\"Everyone is Following Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/03/everyone-is-following-jesus/\">Everyone is Following Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 4th - <a href=\"http://wordshalfheard.blogspot.com/\">Carol Kuniholm</a> - <a title=\"Which Way Am I Called to Follow?\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/04/which-way-am-i-called-to-follow/\">Which Way Am I Called to Follow?</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 6th - <a href=\"http://protestantheretic.wordpress.com/\">Leah Randall</a> - <a title=\"Two Words\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/06/two-words-2/\">Two Words</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 7th - <a href=\"http://gracerules.wordpress.com/\">Liz Dyer</a> - <a title=\"Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/07/give-up-your-good-christian-life-and-follow-jesus/\">Give Up Your Good Christian Life and Follow Jesus</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 8th - <a href=\"http://ellenharoutunian.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ellen Haroutunian</a> - <a title=\"Follow Me\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/08/follow-me/\">Follow Me</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 9th - <a href=\"http://www.desertspiritsfire.com/\">Leah Chang</a> - <a title=\"Following Jesus Everywhere\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/09/following-jesus-everywhere/\">Following Jesus Everywhere</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 10th - <a href=\"http://www.glennhager.com/\">Glenn Hager</a> - <a title=\"Strange Places\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/10/strange-places/\">Strange Places</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 11th - <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com/\">Ray Carroll</a> - <a title=\"“Where Will We Go?” Christ vs. The Crusade System\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/11/where-will-we-go-christ-vs-the-crusade-system/\">\"Where Will We Go?\" Christ vs. The Crusade System</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 13th - <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/sarita.brown1\" target=\"_blank\">Sarita Baker Brown</a> - <a title=\"Why I Am Leaving Christianity\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/13/why-i-am-leaving-christianity/\">Why I Am Leaving Christianity</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 14th - <a href=\"http://jenniferluitwieler.com/\">Jennifer Luitweiler</a> - <a title=\"U2 and the Call to Follow\" href=\"http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/u2-and-the-call-to-follow/\">U2 and the Call to Follow</a>\r\n\r\nAugust 15th - Kathy Escobar - What It Means to Follow\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Follow - Synchroblog List ','','inherit','open','open','','7393-revision-15','','','2012-08-14 09:10:09','2012-08-14 16:10:09','',7393,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7393-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(7682,160,'2012-10-16 08:00:06','2012-10-16 15:00:06','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\"><a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Scared-Audiences.jpg\"><img class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-7683 alignleft\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Scared-Audiences-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\">Th</span>e new Islamic Center of Murfreesboro was finally able to open its doors after a two year feud with a few concerned citizens.   Some of the members of the Islamic Center have lived in Murfreesboro for over thirty years and always felt at home; that is until they needed a larger mosque.  A soon as they broke ground, they became the subject of protests, vandalism, arson attacks, and a bomb threat, as well as being dragged into the courts to defend their religion.  The source of the contention was summed up by Joe Brandon, the attorney representing the anti-mosque contingency, “We don’t want Sharia law.”\r\n\r\nSharia law refers to the rules in the Quran that cover a wide range of topics, such as fasting, prayer, pilgrimage, trade, inheritance, marriage and divorce.  It’s the most sensational parts that get the most publicity, i.e. men’s right to unilaterally divorce or cutting off hands for a robbery.   Of course, the Bible has many extreme rules in it too (stoning adulterers and rebellious children to death) and, like the Bible, Sharia is interpreted and followed to varying degrees by Muslims.   Never-the-less, the word “Sharia” conjures up fear in the hearts of those who are bracing for an all out jihad.\r\n\r\nTake the case of Samar Ali, a young Muslim woman who now works in the Tennessee Governor’s office.  Born and raised in Tennessee, Samar became a voice of calm and reason while she was an undergraduate at Vanderbilt University in the aftermath of the September 11<sup>th</sup> attacks.  (She was so popular she became the Student Body President).   Samar went on to Vanderbilt Law School, was a White House Fellow, and clerked at the US and South African Court of Appeals.   To add to her international experience, she spent three months in as an intern for the Islamic International Arab Bank where she was exposed to Sharia compliant finance.   Sharia?!  Sound the alarm!\r\n\r\nThe Tennessee Tea Party and several Republican county groups have characterized Ms. Ali as a Sharia “specialist” and demanded that Governor Haslam (the Republican who appointed her) immediately remove her from her post.   The Chairman of the Williamson County Republican Party, Kevin Kookogey, said, “To date, the Haslam Administration has displayed an unfortunate ignorance to the threat of Sharia.  They seem willing to accept the claims and defense of the Muslim Brotherhood at face value, refusing to even consider that, perhaps, those bent on destroying Western Civilization might just be infiltrating our institutions.”\r\n\r\nThe fact that the US Constitution prohibits an official religion does not alleviate concerns that Muslims like Ms. Ali and members of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro will attempt to force Sharia law in small towns across the country.   “We don\'t want a Constitution-free zone in Rutherford County, Tennessee,” said attorney Joe Brandon, who now considers Sharia law in Murfreesboro \"a probability.\"   This would be quite a coup considering only 0.6% of Americans are Muslims and the vast majority of them say they have no interest in changing US laws.  In Turkey, where Muslims comprise 99% of the population, they recently voted to not make Islam the national religion.\r\n\r\nThis type of prejudice isn’t exactly a new phenomenon.   During the ‘Cold War’ in the 1950s, communist sympathizers were sniffed out and often prosecuted.   In World War II, Japanese Americans were rounded up and put in detention camps.   German Americans were viewed with suspicion and endured mistreatment during both World Wars.   And anyone with a British accent was probably watching his back during the Revolutionary War.   It’s human nature to distrust anyone who bares a resemblance to those we are fighting.   While Jesus tells us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), most of these aforementioned people were never our enemies; they simply had a different ethnicity or religion.\r\n\r\nMany of the most vocal opponents of Muslims and Sharia are Christians, and yet Jesus himself didn’t seem to have a problem with those who had a different faith.   The 2<sup>nd</sup> great commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves and, when asked who our neighbors are, Jesus answers by telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25 - 37).  The Jews considered Samaritans to be their enemies; however, the Samaritan is the good neighbor and, therefore, the very ones we are called to love.  That parable may have been told over two thousand years ago in the Middle East, but the message is just as relevant today in Middle Tennessee.\r\n\r\nJeff Fulmer lives in Middle Tennessee and is the author of “<a href=\"http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/\">Hometown Prophet</a>.”  You can download his e-book, “As a Christian, Why the GOP Doesn’t Speak for Me,” for free by signing up at his website, <a href=\"//www.hometownprophetbook.com/.\">http://www.hometownprophetbook.com</a>/.','Sharia!  Coming to a Town Near You','','publish','open','open','','sharia-coming-to-a-town-near-you','','','2012-10-10 19:50:27','2012-10-11 02:50:27','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7682',0,'post','',3),(7588,0,'2012-08-17 18:43:31','2012-08-18 01:43:31','I like to write about faith, running and health, music, and film.  \r\n\r\nI would like to write for you because it has always been one of my dreams to write for a magazine, and now would be my chance!\n<!--more-->\nAUTHOR: David\nAUTHOR EMAIL: djscott97@yahoo.com\nAUTHOR URL: http://djscottblog.blogspot.com\nSUBJECT: Provoketive Magazine Writing For Provoketive\nIP: 67.160.63.12\nArray\n(\n    [Name] =&gt; David\n    [Email] =&gt; djscott97@yahoo.com\n    [Existing Blog or Website] =&gt; djscottblog.blogspot.com\n    [List the topic you are interested writing about] =&gt; I like to write about faith, running and health, music, and film.  \r\n\r\nI would like to write for you because it has always been one of my dreams to write for a magazine, and now would be my chance!\n    [Current or New WordPress Login Name (We\'ll send you a password.)] =&gt; djscott250\n)\n','David - 2012-08-17 18:43:31','','publish','open','open','','ec83d21e10a1a69a2ff8e850bc9c8a6f','','','2012-08-17 18:43:31','2012-08-18 01:43:31','',358,'http://provoketive.com/?post_type=feedback&p=7588',0,'feedback','',0),(7591,1,'2012-08-19 18:01:46','2012-08-20 01:01:46','','temple','','inherit','open','open','','temple','','','2012-08-19 18:01:46','2012-08-20 01:01:46','',7555,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/temple.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7592,1,'2012-08-14 09:49:41','2012-08-14 16:49:41','<em>Today\'s post is co-authored by <a title=\"Bright Pink Razais\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/03/09/bright-pink-razais/\">Robynn Bliss</a> and <a title=\"About\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Marilyn Gardner</a>. Fast friends despite age differences (Marilyn is older!) they share many commonalities that include growing up in the Muslim world. Our hope, and indeed prayer, is that this post will build bridges and get people thinking. Thanks for reading!</em>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-13990\" src=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg?w=225\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>July 20th began the Holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. This month long period of fasting ends on Saturday, August 18 with celebration and a feast. Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is marked by fasting daily from sun up to sun down. As Christians raised in Pakistan our memories of Ramadan days are as strong as our memories of the Call to Prayer waking us at dawn.\r\n\r\nAs we think about Ramadan our minds and hearts remember what we have learned about our own faith from our Muslim friends.\r\n<div></div>\r\n1. At an early age we learned that God is not North American. He spans nation and ocean, culture and ethnicity. To bind him to one nation is idolatry. To attach Him to one country elevates our own perceptions of that country. Secretly believing that God is North American justifies our private beliefs that we are superior. It\'s not true.\r\n\r\n2. We learned that Christians are not the only ones with deep faith. Indeed the Muslims that we were surrounded by were zealous of keeping to the tenants of their faith. They were sincere. They were devoted.\r\n\r\n3.We learned that worship has little to do with pews or worship bands; versions of scripture or language. Worship has everything to do with the heart.\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n4. We learned that as women with white skin we had arrogant tendencies, as though we had  birthrights. When our behavior reflected that it was ugly.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n5. We learned that caring for women and children, the poor and the broken was never to be separated from the love of God and his call to holiness. We learned that the invitation of the Father that extends to the those in the \"highways and byways\" included the beggar woman, the street children, the dismembered, the leper.\r\n\r\n6. We learned that the mud huts and dusty streets of Pakistan were far closer to the streets walked by Jesus than the clean suburbs and white steeples that we encountered every four years in the United States. Our Jesus was brown and slightly sweaty with dusty calloused feet; he wasn\'t pink and pressed and clean. Blue eyes he did not have.\r\n\r\n7. We learned that Christian community comes in all denominations and many interpretations, that sprinkling and dunking could be argued with equal passion but would ultimately not change our need for a Saviour. We learned that the strong cultural value of individualism in the west could make it harder to selflessly love. When Jesus reiterated that the greatest commandment was loving God and the second greatest was loving each other he meant it. Love is the language of the community. Any other dialect is suspect.\r\n\r\n8. We learned that the word \"Allah\" is the Arabic word for God and, while one can argue character qualities of God, to be afraid of that word was not wise. Fear rarely motivates faith and holy conversation.\r\n\r\n9. We learned that people are not the enemy. And costumes, like book covers, are not to be judged.\r\n\r\n10. We learned that bridge-building often means drinking 25 cups of tea and serving 100. Hospitality fleshes out acceptance and leads to friendship and deep loyalty. Those are strong bridges built of steel and concrete.\r\n\r\n11. We learned that Muslims make the best of friends; that to share our hearts with them grew our understanding and faith. We were shown kindness, generosity and acceptance. We grew to understand their love for a good joke;their loyalty, their devotion.  We learned that once you have a Muslim friend, you always have a friend.  They will grieve your losses as if they were their own. They will enter your celebrations with abandon!\r\n\r\n12.  We learned that being invited to break the fast was a gift, not something to refuse because of difference in belief, but something to enter with joy and prayer - prayer for our friends and prayer for their land. A land we called home.\r\n\r\nAnd as we close this post we offer you a taste through words of breaking the fast. It is going from the simplicity of daily life and the discipline of fasting to the joyous contrast of colour, noise and taste of celebrations! It is deep-fried sweet sticky gulab jamin. It is colour infused sweet rice with chunks of fresh coconut and plump raisins; plain rice suddenly dressed up with fatty morsels of meat and sticks of cinnamon. Bread normally made on a flat dry pan-fried in oil and served with sweet oily cream of wheat cereal. Muslims knew how to celebrate. Christians in Pakistan learned that from their neighbors.\r\n\r\n<em>And we learned by heart </em><em>through the richness of our lives, watching all unfold at weddings, at Eid celebrations, and at the breaking of the fast. </em>\r\n<h6 class=\"zemanta-related-title\" style=\"font-size: 1em\">Related articles</h6>\r\n<ul class=\"zemanta-article-ul\">\r\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/ramadan-top-ten_n_1676639.html\" target=\"_blank\">Ramadan 2012: History, Dates, Greeting And Rules Of The Muslim Fast</a> (huffingtonpost.com)</li>\r\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a title=\"A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/08/01/a-look-at-ramadan-from-an-outsider/\" target=\"_blank\">A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider</a></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px;height: 15px\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/?px\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none;float: right\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=607555fa-0e3b-4f03-b2f9-ff9a43f842f0\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>','What Growing Up in a Muslim Country Taught Us About Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7555-revision-6','','','2012-08-14 09:49:41','2012-08-14 16:49:41','',7555,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7555-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7595,1,'2012-08-19 18:16:38','2012-08-20 01:16:38','','good and evil','','inherit','open','open','','good-and-evil','','','2012-08-19 18:16:38','2012-08-20 01:16:38','',7575,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/good-and-evil.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7593,1,'2012-08-19 18:02:23','2012-08-20 01:02:23','<em>Today\'s post is co-authored by <a title=\"Bright Pink Razais\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/03/09/bright-pink-razais/\">Robynn Bliss</a> and <a title=\"About\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Marilyn Gardner</a>. Fast friends despite age differences (Marilyn is older!) they share many commonalities that include growing up in the Muslim world. Our hope, and indeed prayer, is that this post will build bridges and get people thinking. Thanks for reading!</em>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-13990\" src=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg?w=225\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>July 20th began the Holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. This month long period of fasting ends on Saturday, August 18 with celebration and a feast. Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is marked by fasting daily from sun up to sun down. As Christians raised in Pakistan our memories of Ramadan days are as strong as our memories of the Call to Prayer waking us at dawn.\r\n\r\nAs we think about Ramadan our minds and hearts remember what we have learned about our own faith from our Muslim friends.\r\n\r\n1. At an early age we learned that God is not North American. He spans nation and ocean, culture and ethnicity. To bind him to one nation is idolatry. To attach Him to one country elevates our own perceptions of that country. Secretly believing that God is North American justifies our private beliefs that we are superior. It\'s not true.\r\n\r\n2. We learned that Christians are not the only ones with deep faith. Indeed the Muslims that we were surrounded by were zealous of keeping to the tenants of their faith. They were sincere. They were devoted.\r\n\r\n3.We learned that worship has little to do with pews or worship bands; versions of scripture or language. Worship has everything to do with the heart.\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n4. We learned that as women with white skin we had arrogant tendencies, as though we had  birthrights. When our behavior reflected that it was ugly.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n5. We learned that caring for women and children, the poor and the broken was never to be separated from the love of God and his call to holiness. We learned that the invitation of the Father that extends to the those in the \"highways and byways\" included the beggar woman, the street children, the dismembered, the leper.\r\n\r\n6. We learned that the mud huts and dusty streets of Pakistan were far closer to the streets walked by Jesus than the clean suburbs and white steeples that we encountered every four years in the United States. Our Jesus was brown and slightly sweaty with dusty calloused feet; he wasn\'t pink and pressed and clean. Blue eyes he did not have.\r\n\r\n7. We learned that Christian community comes in all denominations and many interpretations, that sprinkling and dunking could be argued with equal passion but would ultimately not change our need for a Saviour. We learned that the strong cultural value of individualism in the west could make it harder to selflessly love. When Jesus reiterated that the greatest commandment was loving God and the second greatest was loving each other he meant it. Love is the language of the community. Any other dialect is suspect.\r\n\r\n8. We learned that the word \"Allah\" is the Arabic word for God and, while one can argue character qualities of God, to be afraid of that word was not wise. Fear rarely motivates faith and holy conversation.\r\n\r\n9. We learned that people are not the enemy. And costumes, like book covers, are not to be judged.\r\n\r\n10. We learned that bridge-building often means drinking 25 cups of tea and serving 100. Hospitality fleshes out acceptance and leads to friendship and deep loyalty. Those are strong bridges built of steel and concrete.\r\n\r\n11. We learned that Muslims make the best of friends; that to share our hearts with them grew our understanding and faith. We were shown kindness, generosity and acceptance. We grew to understand their love for a good joke;their loyalty, their devotion.  We learned that once you have a Muslim friend, you always have a friend.  They will grieve your losses as if they were their own. They will enter your celebrations with abandon!\r\n\r\n12.  We learned that being invited to break the fast was a gift, not something to refuse because of difference in belief, but something to enter with joy and prayer - prayer for our friends and prayer for their land. A land we called home.\r\n\r\nAnd as we close this post we offer you a taste through words of breaking the fast. It is going from the simplicity of daily life and the discipline of fasting to the joyous contrast of colour, noise and taste of celebrations! It is deep-fried sweet sticky gulab jamin. It is colour infused sweet rice with chunks of fresh coconut and plump raisins; plain rice suddenly dressed up with fatty morsels of meat and sticks of cinnamon. Bread normally made on a flat dry pan-fried in oil and served with sweet oily cream of wheat cereal. Muslims knew how to celebrate. Christians in Pakistan learned that from their neighbors.\r\n\r\n<em>And we learned by heart </em><em>through the richness of our lives, watching all unfold at weddings, at Eid celebrations, and at the breaking of the fast. </em>\r\n<h6 class=\"zemanta-related-title\" style=\"font-size: 1em;\">Related articles</h6>\r\n<ul class=\"zemanta-article-ul\">\r\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/ramadan-top-ten_n_1676639.html\" target=\"_blank\">Ramadan 2012: History, Dates, Greeting And Rules Of The Muslim Fast</a> (huffingtonpost.com)</li>\r\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a title=\"A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/08/01/a-look-at-ramadan-from-an-outsider/\" target=\"_blank\">A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider</a></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/?px\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none; float: right;\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=607555fa-0e3b-4f03-b2f9-ff9a43f842f0\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>','What Growing Up in a Muslim Country Taught Us About Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7555-revision-7','','','2012-08-19 18:02:23','2012-08-20 01:02:23','',7555,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/19/7555-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(7594,1,'2012-08-19 18:02:50','2012-08-20 01:02:50','<em>Today\'s post is co-authored by <a title=\"Bright Pink Razais\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/03/09/bright-pink-razais/\">Robynn Bliss</a> and <a title=\"About\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Marilyn Gardner</a>. Fast friends despite age differences (Marilyn is older!) they share many commonalities that include growing up in the Muslim world. Our hope, and indeed prayer, is that this post will build bridges and get people thinking. Thanks for reading!</em>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-13990\" src=\"http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/minarets.jpg?w=225\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>July 20th began the Holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. This month long period of fasting ends on Saturday, August 18 with celebration and a feast. Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is marked by fasting daily from sun up to sun down. As Christians raised in Pakistan our memories of Ramadan days are as strong as our memories of the Call to Prayer waking us at dawn.\r\n\r\nAs we think about Ramadan our minds and hearts remember what we have learned about our own faith from our Muslim friends.\r\n\r\n1. At an early age we learned that God is not North American. He spans nation and ocean, culture and ethnicity. To bind him to one nation is idolatry. To attach Him to one country elevates our own perceptions of that country. Secretly believing that God is North American justifies our private beliefs that we are superior. It\'s not true.\r\n\r\n2. We learned that Christians are not the only ones with deep faith. Indeed the Muslims that we were surrounded by were zealous of keeping to the tenants of their faith. They were sincere. They were devoted.\r\n\r\n3.We learned that worship has little to do with pews or worship bands; versions of scripture or language. Worship has everything to do with the heart.\r\n<div>\r\n\r\n4. We learned that as women with white skin we had arrogant tendencies, as though we had  birthrights. When our behavior reflected that it was ugly.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n5. We learned that caring for women and children, the poor and the broken was never to be separated from the love of God and his call to holiness. We learned that the invitation of the Father that extends to the those in the \"highways and byways\" included the beggar woman, the street children, the dismembered, the leper.\r\n\r\n6. We learned that the mud huts and dusty streets of Pakistan were far closer to the streets walked by Jesus than the clean suburbs and white steeples that we encountered every four years in the United States. Our Jesus was brown and slightly sweaty with dusty calloused feet; he wasn\'t pink and pressed and clean. Blue eyes he did not have.\r\n\r\n7. We learned that Christian community comes in all denominations and many interpretations, that sprinkling and dunking could be argued with equal passion but would ultimately not change our need for a Saviour. We learned that the strong cultural value of individualism in the west could make it harder to selflessly love. When Jesus reiterated that the greatest commandment was loving God and the second greatest was loving each other he meant it. Love is the language of the community. Any other dialect is suspect.\r\n\r\n8. We learned that the word \"Allah\" is the Arabic word for God and, while one can argue character qualities of God, to be afraid of that word was not wise. Fear rarely motivates faith and holy conversation.\r\n\r\n9. We learned that people are not the enemy. And costumes, like book covers, are not to be judged.\r\n\r\n10. We learned that bridge-building often means drinking 25 cups of tea and serving 100. Hospitality fleshes out acceptance and leads to friendship and deep loyalty. Those are strong bridges built of steel and concrete.\r\n\r\n11. We learned that Muslims make the best of friends; that to share our hearts with them grew our understanding and faith. We were shown kindness, generosity and acceptance. We grew to understand their love for a good joke;their loyalty, their devotion.  We learned that once you have a Muslim friend, you always have a friend.  They will grieve your losses as if they were their own. They will enter your celebrations with abandon!\r\n\r\n12.  We learned that being invited to break the fast was a gift, not something to refuse because of difference in belief, but something to enter with joy and prayer - prayer for our friends and prayer for their land. A land we called home.\r\n\r\nAnd as we close this post we offer you a taste through words of breaking the fast. It is going from the simplicity of daily life and the discipline of fasting to the joyous contrast of colour, noise and taste of celebrations! It is deep-fried sweet sticky gulab jamin. It is colour infused sweet rice with chunks of fresh coconut and plump raisins; plain rice suddenly dressed up with fatty morsels of meat and sticks of cinnamon. Bread normally made on a flat dry pan-fried in oil and served with sweet oily cream of wheat cereal. Muslims knew how to celebrate. Christians in Pakistan learned that from their neighbors.\r\n\r\n<em>And we learned by heart </em><em>through the richness of our lives, watching all unfold at weddings, at Eid celebrations, and at the breaking of the fast. </em>\r\n<h6 class=\"zemanta-related-title\" style=\"font-size: 1em;\">Related articles</h6>\r\n<ul class=\"zemanta-article-ul\">\r\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/ramadan-top-ten_n_1676639.html\" target=\"_blank\">Ramadan 2012: History, Dates, Greeting And Rules Of The Muslim Fast</a> (huffingtonpost.com)</li>\r\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a title=\"A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider\" href=\"http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/08/01/a-look-at-ramadan-from-an-outsider/\" target=\"_blank\">A Look at Ramadan from an Outsider</a></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/?px\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none; float: right;\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=607555fa-0e3b-4f03-b2f9-ff9a43f842f0\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>','What Growing Up in a Muslim Country Taught Us About Christianity','','inherit','open','open','','7555-revision-8','','','2012-08-19 18:02:50','2012-08-20 01:02:50','',7555,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/19/7555-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(7639,160,'2012-08-29 08:00:37','2012-08-29 15:00:37','I will admit it, when I read <em>Atlas Shrugged</em> several years ago, I got caught up in the scrawling epic with bigger than life characters.  Apparently, Paul Ryan enjoyed it too; so much so that in 2005, at a banquet honoring the author, he said, \"The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand.”  While he has since tried to walk back from those remarks, it’s clear that the Vice Presidential candidate’s political ideology has been heavily influenced by Alisa Rosenbaum, the Russian immigrant otherwise known as Ayn Rand.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/rand-ryan.jpg\"><img class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-7640 alignleft\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/rand-ryan-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>What I initially missed in <em>Atlas Shrugged</em> was the underlying themes of superiority of the successful and a disdain for the less fortunate.  In Ms. Rand’s novels, the poor are basically lazy dullards who deserve their lot in life.  Actually, they deserve worse, if only the government would get out of the way and stop propping them up with hand-outs.  The Paul Ryan budget proposal, which propelled him to national prominence, reflects the same basic belief system.  If the Ryan plan were passed, it would deny eight million people food stamps, thirty million people access to healthcare, and send two million kids into poverty; all the while giving even more tax cuts to the wealthiest in society.\r\n\r\nBehind Mr. Ryan’s budget is the ‘Ayn Randian’ notion that taxes and regulations reduce the incentive for the best and brightest in our society.   What we have actually seen is that reduced tax rates on the upper end of the economic scale have only created wider ‘wealth chasms.’   We got a tiny taste of laissez faire capitalism when an under-regulated financial industry nearly took down the whole economy.   And post-Katrina New Orleans gave us a glimpse of life without government intervention.   While the notion of carving out our destiny without government interference may sound rugged and romantic, in the real world, it would be a pretty chaotic place.\r\n\r\nEven more difficult to defend than the economic feasibility of Paul Ryan’s budget is its morality, or lack thereof.  When Mr. Ryan (a Catholic) spoke at Georgetown University, 90 Georgetown professors wrote a letter protesting his \"continuing misuse of Catholic teaching to defend a budget plan that decimates food programs for struggling families, radically weakens protections for the elderly and sick, and gives more tax breaks to the wealthiest few.\"  Mr. Ryan responded by saying, “I do not believe that the preferential option for the poor means a preferential option for big government.\"  That begs the follow-up question, if not from the government, from where will the needed assistance come?\r\n\r\nThat question, at least in part, is what prompted four nuns, who have devoted their lives to working with the poor, to get on a bus and take their message to the heartland of America.  It was outside of Ryan’s office in Wisconsin that Sister Simone Campbell told her audiences that if every church and synagogue and faith community in the nation were to try to do what federal programs now do, it would cost them each an additional $50,000 a year for the next 10 years.  While Ryan would not want to admit it, the only logical conclusion to his plan is that millions of struggling Americans will slip through the cracks.\r\n\r\nAyn Rand was much more open and honest about her belief system; publicly condemning the notion of ethical altruism, preferring her own “virtue of selfishness.”  A self-described atheist, she accepted this was contrary to Christ’s teachings to ‘take care of the least of these.”   Her religion was capitalism, and she unabashedly wrote that the individual “should exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others, nor sacrificing others to himself.”   Of course, Jesus did not “shrug” off the world like the heroes of <em>Atlas Shrugged.</em>  Instead, he became the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life for everyone.  That’s a very different message than the one you will find in Ayn Rand’s books or Paul Ryan’s budget.\r\n\r\nJeff Fulmer lives in Brentwood Tennessee and is the author of the book <a href=\"http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/\">Hometown Prophet.</a>   For a free copy of his new e-book, “As a Christian, Why the GOP Doesn’t Speak for Me,” simply subscribe to the Hometown Prophet Newsletter at <a href=\"http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/\">http://www.hometownprophetbook.com/</a>.\r\n\r\nPhoto Credit: by Win McNamee','The Radical Agenda of Ryan and Rand','','publish','open','open','','the-radical-agenda-of-ryan-and-rand','','','2012-08-28 13:13:29','2012-08-28 20:13:29','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7639',0,'post','',1),(7598,35,'2012-08-14 07:18:11','2012-08-14 14:18:11','<strong>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God Workshop </strong>will be offered online September 10 – October 12, 2012.  This course is about the spiritual practice of discussing everything with God, risking honesty to gain intimacy through loving, trusting conversations.  It’s wrestling through anger, faith, pain, hope about every aspect of our lives.  No topic, language, or feeling is unholy.  It will cover how to know you’re hearing from God and explores a variety of ways to pray. This course is an opportunity to discover for yourself the redemptive freedom that comes from being totally honest with yourself and the One who loves you best.  As you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, you will begin to experience confidence in speaking freely with God in ways that are uniquely yours.\r\n\r\nThe instructor, Joy Wilson, is the author of <em>Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God</em> (Civitas Press, 2011).  Prior to starting the workshop, participants need to order the book from Amazon.com.  The five-week online class is self-paced so you can participate at any time during the week.  It includes readings in the textbook, prayer practice exercises, and online interactions with other students.\r\n\r\nThe cost of the course is $69.  For additional information, go to the following link:  <a href=\"http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer\">http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#UncensoredPrayer</a> .  Class size is limited, so register early.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Uncensored Prayer: The Spiritual Practice of Wrestling With God Workshop','','inherit','open','open','','7546-revision-3','','','2012-08-14 07:18:11','2012-08-14 14:18:11','',7546,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7546-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7599,35,'2012-08-14 07:28:47','2012-08-14 14:28:47','Being single is not alone.\r\n\r\nWhether by choice, or force,\r\n\r\nor no other option,\r\n\r\ntimes of solitude aren’t isolated.\r\n\r\nWe all have – in fact, need –\r\n\r\ntimes in our lives\r\n\r\nwhere solo is “what is” –\r\n\r\nchances to reinvent,\r\n\r\nor reverse what’s wrong,\r\n\r\nre-fill our “giving well”.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBut restoration never happens\r\n\r\nwhen we buy the lie of isolation:\r\n\r\nno one else is there.\r\n\r\nNot only is God ever with us,\r\n\r\nbut other hearts are eternally intertwined\r\n\r\nwith ours, with laces of love,\r\n\r\nor horror, or sweetness\r\n\r\nor penetrating pain\r\n\r\nthat never goes away.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe were created connected\r\n\r\nwith the right to choose\r\n\r\nwho we let in our sanctuary,\r\n\r\nand sometimes it seems only loneliness\r\n\r\nwill be our soul-mate for life.\r\n\r\nAnd yet lonely isn’t alone.\r\n\r\nGod said, “I will never leave you”\r\n\r\nand always partners us with people\r\n\r\nwho understand that separation\r\n\r\ncan be a place of healing or hell.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe are the only ones who decide\r\n\r\nwhere we visit, hide, or abide.\r\n\r\nGod, help us reach out of our pain,\r\n\r\nor at least stand in the open door.','For Every Single One of Us','','inherit','open','open','','7549-revision-3','','','2012-08-14 07:28:47','2012-08-14 14:28:47','',7549,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/14/7549-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7609,12,'2012-08-24 08:31:09','2012-08-24 15:31:09','<a href=\"http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CYC_ARMSTRONG_DOPING?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2012-08-23-23-18-23\">It\'s being reported that famed American cyclist Lance Armstrong is being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by the U. S. Anti-Doping Agency</a>. He is arguing that has passed all of his tests before.  The USADA says since he did not follow their system of arbitration, he is basically confessing guilt.\r\n\r\nThe best I can figure, (and trust me, blood doping tests are not in my wheelhouse of knowledge), it\'s kinda like refusing to take a breathalyzer when you get pulled over by the police for being suspected for driving under the influence. Once you refuse, it\'s called implied consent and you\'re considered guilty.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Armstrong\">Lance Armstrong</a> says the whole thing is a witch hunt and that he refused because he\'s tired of jumping through the hoops of drug test after drug test. All of this really isn\'t the point.\r\n\r\nThe point is we now have a fallen hero. Lance Armstrong will have his supporters and detractors over the coming weeks and months. It will definitely be an interesting time to see the sociological response.\r\n\r\nHere\'s what his supporters will say, most likely: <em>\"Here is a guy who beat testicular cancer a few years ago. Out of it rose the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestrong_wristband\">\"Livestrong\" movement in 2004</a> in which many people started wearing yellow wristbands to raise awareness for cancer research. He had stage three cancer that spread to his lungs and brain. He fought through it and became a winner again. That\'s why he\'s still a hero.\"</em>\r\n\r\nHere\'s probably what his detractors will say, maybe: <em>\"He\'s a man who won because he cheated. I feel bad for him because he had to deal with cancer, but that doesn\'t change the fact that he cheated.\"</em>\r\n\r\nOthers will be in the middle and say, <em>\"He may have cheated and if he did, he gets what he deserves, but he still overcame some great odds.\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhat do we do with a fallen hero?\r\n\r\nBlood doping may not be in my wheelhouse, but fallen people are. I am a fallen pastor and counsel a lot of them as well. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/armstrong.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7611\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/armstrong-300x184.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"184\" /></a>What do we do with people we hold in such high regard and then suddenly, we find that they have fallen a great distance? What do we do when our heroes, those we look up to all of  a sudden seem human like the rest of us?\r\n\r\nOne of the first things we can do is remind ourselves how imperfect we are. None of us are immune from a fall. Many of us have skeletons in our own closets that we wouldn\'t want splattered across the front page, much less lingering as gossip in our communities. We have heroes for a reason. They are there for us to look up to, to admire, to give us hope and to inspire us. But heroes are also vulnerable people, just as we are. They fail, they fall, they sin. They make horrible mistakes.\r\n\r\nAfter their races are won, after they\'ve scored touchdowns for us, after they\'ve served in office, after they\'ve preached - and then they get caught in a transgression, are they no longer our heroes once we\'ve seen their dark side? Not usually. Once we\'ve seen that chink in their armor, we are quick to dismiss them, doubt their entire career and cast them aside quickly.\r\n\r\nI might pose this question: Do you have any heroes from the bible? Maybe Paul, Peter, King David? Someone you can relate to? Each of those men did extraordinarily sinful things, yet we hold them in high regard. Why? Because after they sinned, they lived a life of holiness and repentance.\r\n\r\nWhat now for Lance Armstrong? I might ask you, <em>\"If Lance Armstrong was your hero, why was he your hero? Was it because he overcame cancer?\"</em> Then let him continue to be your hero. Nothing will change the fight he undertook to overcome cancer.\r\n\r\nWhat if he was your hero because he was a cyclist? You might feel betrayed or a little lost. You might even be angry at him. Learn to let it go. If he was your hero, learn to forgive. He gave you something to aspire to, something to aim for. Hopefully you can be great at something some day and be a hero to someone else. Learn how fragile it can be to be at the top. Pray for the man while he\'s down just as hard as you cheered for him while he was at the top.\r\n\r\nFinally, as a  fallen pastor, I can speak to something very important. Don\'t let one transgression mar all that you think about Lance Armstrong. If he did engage in blood doping for years, he\'s definitely got a problem. But he did spend a career practicing hard, raising cancer awareness, engaging in humanitarian activity, and he apparently had success before he engaged in blood doping.\r\n\r\nI tell people not to forget the good their pastors did over the years because of the sin he committed at the end. It\'s hard to do that, but it is possible.\r\n\r\nDo we cut Lance Armstrong loose as a hero? That\'s for each person to decide. But it\'s more important to remember that each of our heroes are amazingly human just as we are.\r\n\r\n_______________________\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345787765&amp;sr=8-1\">\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.\"</a> He blogs at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','Lance Armstrong: When To Cut A Hero Loose','','publish','open','open','','lance-armstrong-when-to-cut-a-hero-loose','','','2012-08-24 08:31:09','2012-08-24 15:31:09','',0,'http://provoketive.com/?p=7609',0,'post','',2),(7610,12,'2012-08-23 22:58:46','2012-08-24 05:58:46','','livestrong','','inherit','open','open','','livestrong','','','2012-08-23 22:58:46','2012-08-24 05:58:46','',7609,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/livestrong.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7611,12,'2012-08-23 22:59:28','2012-08-24 05:59:28','','armstrong','','inherit','open','open','','armstrong','','','2012-08-23 22:59:28','2012-08-24 05:59:28','',7609,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/armstrong.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7612,12,'2012-08-23 22:57:37','2012-08-24 05:57:37','<a href=\"http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CYC_ARMSTRONG_DOPING?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2012-08-23-23-18-23\">It\'s being reported that famed American cyclist Lance Armstrong is being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by the U. S. Anti-Doping Agency</a>. He is arguing that has passed all of his tests before.  The USADA says since he did not follow their system of arbitration, he is basically confessing guilt.\n\nThe best I can figure, (and trust me, blood doping tests are not in my wheelhouse of knowledge), it\'s kinda like refusing to take a breathalyzer when you get pulled over by the police for being suspected for driving under the influence. Once you refuse, it\'s called implied consent and you\'re considered guilty.\n\n<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Armstrong\">Lance Armstrong</a> says the whole thing is a witch hunt and that he refused because he\'s tired of jumping through the hoops of drug test after drug test. All of this really isn\'t the point.\n\nThe point is we now have a fallen hero. Lance Armstrong will have his supporters and detractors over the coming weeks and months. It will definitely be an interesting time to see the sociological response.\n\nHere\'s what his supporters will say, most likely: <em>\"Here is a guy who beat testicular cancer a few years ago. Out of it rose the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestrong_wristband\">\"Livestrong\" movement in 2004</a> in which many people started wearing yellow wristbands to raise awareness for cancer research. He had stage three cancer that spread to his lungs and brain. He fought through it and became a winner again. That\'s why he\'s still a hero.\"</em>\n\nHere\'s probably what his detractors will say, maybe: <em>\"He\'s a man who won because he cheated. I feel bad for him because he had to deal with cancer, but that doesn\'t change the fact that he cheated.\"</em>\n\nOthers will be in the middle and say, <em>\"He may have cheated and if he did, he gets what he deserves, but he still overcame some great odds.\"</em>\n\nWhat do we do with a fallen hero?\n\nBlood doping may not be in my wheelhouse, but fallen people are. I am a fallen pastor and counsel a lot of them as well. What do we do with people we hold in such high regard and then suddenly, we find that they have fallen a great distance? What do we do when our heroes, those we look up to all of  a sudden seem human like the rest of us?\n\nOne of the first things we can do is remind ourselves how imperfect we are. None of us are immune from a fall. Many of us have skeletons in our own closets that we wouldn\'t want splattered across the front page, much less lingering as gossip in our communities. We have heroes for a reason. They are there for us to look up to, to admire, to give us hope and to inspire us. But heroes are also vulnerable people, just as we are. They fail, they fall, they sin. They make horrible mistakes.\n\nAfter their races are won, after they\'ve scored touchdowns for us, after they\'ve served in office, after they\'ve preached - and then they get caught in a transgression, are they no longer our heroes once we\'ve seen their dark side? Not usually. Once we\'ve seen that chink in their armor, we are quick to dismiss them, doubt their entire career and cast them aside quickly.\n\nI might pose this question: Do you have any heroes from the bible? Maybe Paul, Peter, King David? Someone you can relate to? Each of those men did extraordinarily sinful things, yet we hold them in high regard. Why? Because after they sinned, they lived a life of holiness and repentance.\n\nWhat now for Lance Armstrong? I might ask you, \"If Lance Armstrong was your hero, why was he your hero? Was it because he overcame cancer?\" Then let him continue to be your hero. Nothing will change the fight he undertook to overcome cancer.\n\nWhat if he was your hero because he was a cyclist? You might feel betrayed or a little lost. You might even be angry at him. Learn to let it go. If he was your hero, learn to forgive. He gave you something to aspire to, something to aim for. Hopefully you can be great at something some day and be a hero to someone else. Learn how fragile it can be to be at the top. Pray for the man while he\'s down just as hard as you cheered for him while he was at the top.\n\nFinally, as a  fallen pastor, I can speak to something very important. Don\'t let one transgression mar all that you think about Lance Armstrong. If he did engage in blood doping for years, he\'s definitely got a problem. But he did spend a career practicing hard, raising cancer awareness, engaging in humanitarian activity, and he apparently had success before he engaged in blood doping.\n\nI tell people not to forget the good their pastors did over the years because of the sin he committed at the end. It\'s hard to do that, but it is possible.\n\nDo we cut Lance Armstrong loose as a hero? That\'s for each person to decide. But it\'s more important to remember that each of our heroes are amazingly human just as we are.\n\n_______________________\n\nRay Carroll is author of <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345787765&amp;sr=8-1\">\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.\"</a> He blogs at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','Lance Armstrong: When To Cut A Hero Loose','','inherit','open','open','','7609-revision','','','2012-08-23 22:57:37','2012-08-24 05:57:37','',7609,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/23/7609-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7613,12,'2012-11-16 19:34:26','2012-11-17 03:34:26','<a href=\"http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CYC_ARMSTRONG_DOPING?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2012-08-23-23-18-23\">It\'s being reported that famed American cyclist Lance Armstrong is being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by the U. S. Anti-Doping Agency</a>. He is arguing that has passed all of his tests before.  The USADA says since he did not follow their system of arbitration, he is basically confessing guilt.\n\nThe best I can figure, (and trust me, blood doping tests are not in my wheelhouse of knowledge), it\'s kinda like refusing to take a breathalyzer when you get pulled over by the police for being suspected for driving under the influence. Once you refuse, it\'s called implied consent and you\'re considered guilty.\n\n<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Armstrong\">Lance Armstrong</a> says the whole thing is a witch hunt and that he refused because he\'s tired of jumping through the hoops of drug test after drug test. All of this really isn\'t the point.\n\nThe point is we now have a fallen hero. Lance Armstrong will have his supporters and detractors over the coming weeks and months. It will definitely be an interesting time to see the sociological response.\n\nHere\'s what his supporters will say, most likely: <em>\"Here is a guy who beat testicular cancer a few years ago. Out of it rose the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestrong_wristband\">\"Livestrong\" movement in 2004</a> in which many people started wearing yellow wristbands to raise awareness for cancer research. He had stage three cancer that spread to his lungs and brain. He fought through it and became a winner again. That\'s why he\'s still a hero.\"</em>\n\nHere\'s probably what his detractors will say, maybe: <em>\"He\'s a man who won because he cheated. I feel bad for him because he had to deal with cancer, but that doesn\'t change the fact that he cheated.\"</em>\n\nOthers will be in the middle and say, <em>\"He may have cheated and if he did, he gets what he deserves, but he still overcame some great odds.\"</em>\n\nWhat do we do with a fallen hero?\n\nBlood doping may not be in my wheelhouse, but fallen people are. I am a fallen pastor and counsel a lot of them as well. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/armstrong.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7611\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/armstrong-300x184.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"184\" /></a>What do we do with people we hold in such high regard and then suddenly, we find that they have fallen a great distance? What do we do when our heroes, those we look up to all of  a sudden seem human like the rest of us?\n\nOne of the first things we can do is remind ourselves how imperfect we are. None of us are immune from a fall. Many of us have skeletons in our own closets that we wouldn\'t want splattered across the front page, much less lingering as gossip in our communities. We have heroes for a reason. They are there for us to look up to, to admire, to give us hope and to inspire us. But heroes are also vulnerable people, just as we are. They fail, they fall, they sin. They make horrible mistakes.\n\nAfter their races are won, after they\'ve scored touchdowns for us, after they\'ve served in office, after they\'ve preached - and then they get caught in a transgression, are they no longer our heroes once we\'ve seen their dark side? Not usually. Once we\'ve seen that chink in their armor, we are quick to dismiss them, doubt their entire career and cast them aside quickly.\n\nI might pose this question: Do you have any heroes from the bible? Maybe Paul, Peter, King David? Someone you can relate to? Each of those men did extraordinarily sinful things, yet we hold them in high regard. Why? Because after they sinned, they lived a life of holiness and repentance.\n\nWhat now for Lance Armstrong? I might ask you, <em>\"If Lance Armstrong was your hero, why was he your hero? Was it because he overcame cancer?\"</em> Then let him continue to be your hero. Nothing will change the fight he undertook to overcome cancer.\n\nWhat if he was your hero because he was a cyclist? You might feel betrayed or a little lost. You might even be angry at him. Learn to let it go. If he was your hero, learn to forgive. He gave you something to aspire to, something to aim for. Hopefully you can be great at something some day and be a hero to someone else. Learn how fragile it can be to be at the top. Pray for the man while he\'s down just as hard as you cheered for him while he was at the top.\n\nFinally, as a  fallen pastor, I can speak to something very important. Don\'t let one transgression mar all that you think about Lance Armstrong. If he did engage in blood doping for years, he\'s definitely got a problem. But he did spend a career practicing hard, raising cancer awareness, engaging in humanitarian activity, and he apparently had success before he engaged in blood doping.\n\nI tell people not to forget the good their pastors did over the years because of the sin he committed at the end. It\'s hard to do that, but it is possible.\n\nDo we cut Lance Armstrong loose as a hero? That\'s for each person to decide. But it\'s more important to remember that each of our heroes are amazingly human just as we are.\n\n_______________________\n\nRay Carroll is author of <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345787765&amp;sr=8-1\">\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.\"</a> He blogs at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','Lance Armstrong: When To Cut A Hero Loose','','inherit','open','open','','7609-autosave','','','2012-11-16 19:34:26','2012-11-17 03:34:26','',7609,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/24/7609-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7615,1,'2012-08-23 23:00:33','2012-08-24 06:00:33','<a href=\"http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CYC_ARMSTRONG_DOPING?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2012-08-23-23-18-23\">It\'s being reported that famed American cyclist Lance Armstrong is being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by the U. S. Anti-Doping Agency</a>. He is arguing that has passed all of his tests before.  The USADA says since he did not follow their system of arbitration, he is basically confessing guilt.\r\n\r\nThe best I can figure, (and trust me, blood doping tests are not in my wheelhouse of knowledge), it\'s kinda like refusing to take a breathalyzer when you get pulled over by the police for being suspected for driving under the influence. Once you refuse, it\'s called implied consent and you\'re considered guilty.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Armstrong\">Lance Armstrong</a> says the whole thing is a witch hunt and that he refused because he\'s tired of jumping through the hoops of drug test after drug test. All of this really isn\'t the point.\r\n\r\nThe point is we now have a fallen hero. Lance Armstrong will have his supporters and detractors over the coming weeks and months. It will definitely be an interesting time to see the sociological response.\r\n\r\nHere\'s what his supporters will say, most likely: <em>\"Here is a guy who beat testicular cancer a few years ago. Out of it rose the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestrong_wristband\">\"Livestrong\" movement in 2004</a> in which many people started wearing yellow wristbands to raise awareness for cancer research. He had stage three cancer that spread to his lungs and brain. He fought through it and became a winner again. That\'s why he\'s still a hero.\"</em>\r\n\r\nHere\'s probably what his detractors will say, maybe: <em>\"He\'s a man who won because he cheated. I feel bad for him because he had to deal with cancer, but that doesn\'t change the fact that he cheated.\"</em>\r\n\r\nOthers will be in the middle and say, <em>\"He may have cheated and if he did, he gets what he deserves, but he still overcame some great odds.\"</em>\r\n\r\nWhat do we do with a fallen hero?\r\n\r\nBlood doping may not be in my wheelhouse, but fallen people are. I am a fallen pastor and counsel a lot of them as well. <a href=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/armstrong.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7611\" src=\"http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/armstrong-300x184.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"184\" /></a>What do we do with people we hold in such high regard and then suddenly, we find that they have fallen a great distance? What do we do when our heroes, those we look up to all of  a sudden seem human like the rest of us?\r\n\r\nOne of the first things we can do is remind ourselves how imperfect we are. None of us are immune from a fall. Many of us have skeletons in our own closets that we wouldn\'t want splattered across the front page, much less lingering as gossip in our communities. We have heroes for a reason. They are there for us to look up to, to admire, to give us hope and to inspire us. But heroes are also vulnerable people, just as we are. They fail, they fall, they sin. They make horrible mistakes.\r\n\r\nAfter their races are won, after they\'ve scored touchdowns for us, after they\'ve served in office, after they\'ve preached - and then they get caught in a transgression, are they no longer our heroes once we\'ve seen their dark side? Not usually. Once we\'ve seen that chink in their armor, we are quick to dismiss them, doubt their entire career and cast them aside quickly.\r\n\r\nI might pose this question: Do you have any heroes from the bible? Maybe Paul, Peter, King David? Someone you can relate to? Each of those men did extraordinarily sinful things, yet we hold them in high regard. Why? Because after they sinned, they lived a life of holiness and repentance.\r\n\r\nWhat now for Lance Armstrong? I might ask you, <em>\"If Lance Armstrong was your hero, why was he your hero? Was it because he overcame cancer?\"</em> Then let him continue to be your hero. Nothing will change the fight he undertook to overcome cancer.\r\n\r\nWhat if he was your hero because he was a cyclist? You might feel betrayed or a little lost. You might even be angry at him. Learn to let it go. If he was your hero, learn to forgive. He gave you something to aspire to, something to aim for. Hopefully you can be great at something some day and be a hero to someone else. Learn how fragile it can be to be at the top. Pray for the man while he\'s down just as hard as you cheered for him while he was at the top.\r\n\r\nFinally, as a  fallen pastor, I can speak to something very important. Don\'t let one transgression mar all that you think about Lance Armstrong. If he did engage in blood doping for years, he\'s definitely got a problem. But he did spend a career practicing hard, raising cancer awareness, engaging in humanitarian activity, and he apparently had success before he engaged in blood doping.\r\n\r\nI tell people not to forget the good their pastors did over the years because of the sin he committed at the end. It\'s hard to do that, but it is possible.\r\n\r\nDo we cut Lance Armstrong loose as a hero? That\'s for each person to decide. But it\'s more important to remember that each of our heroes are amazingly human just as we are.\r\n\r\n_______________________\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345787765&amp;sr=8-1\">\"Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World.\"</a> He blogs at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.','Lance Armstrong: When To Cut A Hero Loose','','inherit','open','open','','7609-revision-2','','','2012-08-23 23:00:33','2012-08-24 06:00:33','',7609,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/23/7609-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7617,48,'2012-08-24 11:47:09','2012-08-24 18:47:09','Victim.\n\nThink about that word for a minute. What does it bring to mind? Do you picture someone being threatened? Someone who has been attacked or brutalized or otherwise harmed? Does it bring about feelings of empathy or compassion, a longing to help them? Or do you picture someone who blames everyone else for their hardships?  Do you see them as a weak, whiny pathetic example of a human being?\n\nIf you think the latter, you may have been a victim yourself- an unknowing victim of a spin doctor. It happens every day in politics, in business, and, unfortunately, in the Church. Anyone with power can come to fear losing it, and the voice of injustice or dissent is a threat that must be silenced. The easiest way to do that with those who have been hurt or wounded is to blame them. If we can shift the blame to the one who has been hurt, even just a little bit, then the eyes come off the abuser. This happens in the Church every day. If a pastor or someone in Church leadership hurts someone and they cry out, they receive hallow \"I\'m sorry you took offense\" apologies, which are really an accusation not an apology. Never mind (quote about not giving offense unnecessarily).  If someone has been truly harmed by a minister or pastor, they are told to be silent, because to speak out is to dare to \"touch the Lord\'s anointed\".\n\nSadly, this silencing tactic is used in by many churches and ministries. One such church, Beaverton Grace Bible Church in ___, Oregon even went so far as to sue former disgruntled members for defamation, in order to silence them. The focus of the suit, as well as the publicity surrounding it, centered particularly on Julie Anne Smith, who blogs about her experience  at ------. Julie Anne created the blog after her negative reviews of BGBC were deleted from the Google. After re-writing the ad multiple times, only to have it deleted again, she created her own blog to write about the abusive practices at the Church. It was at least in part because of the negative reviews and Julie Anne\'s personal blog, that the church brought about the defamation suit. However, while Church\'s may try to silence members in their congregations, apparently they can\'t continue to do so when they leave. The Court dismissed the case, and ordered BGBC to pay the defendants\' court fees.\n\nDuring my time at a rather authoritarian Ministry, which I wrote about in \"The C Word\", I regularly experience the head of the ministry mocking those who had been wounded for their \"victim mentality\". If you had been legitimately hurt, you were told to \"get over it\". Those who left the ministry and told anyone about their bad experience were labeled as being in sin or having an offended spirit. It didn\'t matter if what they said was true, you just weren\'t supposed to talk about it. There was this idea that ministers were untouchable, accountable only to God.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nApparently the head of the aforementioned ministry was pretty angry when he stumbled across my article about his ministry and some of my experiences there. But you know what, my point in writing that article was not to damage him or the ministry. I never named the ministry, and it is not listed in my author biographer, nor is it on the public profiles of  any of my other social media sites. I even took great pains to try to remove any associations that could come up by web searches. My point was not to harm them, but to tell my story, and for good or ill, and despite my greatest attempts at erasing it from my web presence, my experience there will always be a part of my story.\n\nIn the words of one of my favorite Christian writers, Anne Lamott, \" quote about telling your story \". People, you have a right to tell your story. Telling your story can bring healing, as well as possibly save others from similar pain. And hopefully, it can convict others of the pain they are causing or at least make it less likely they can victimize again. But also? It is YOUR story.\n\nWhat bothers me the most is that victim silencing and blaming has become such a normal occurence in the world and, more distressingly, in the Church. Is this really Christ\'s response to the wounded and victimized? To silence their voices and pat the backs of the church leadership? Hardly! Christ was compassionate to the \"sinners\" and to the oppressed. Christ didn\'t tell the wounded to  \"get over it\". He healed them. Christ didn\'t tell the oppressed and victimized to be quiet. Instead, he confronted the Pharisees, the religious leaders who held the power.  In fact, was it not the Pharisees that Jesus was the hardest on?\n\nThis is not to say that there are times when both parties are to blame for things. And this is not to say that even those who have been greatly harmed may also hold some responsibility in their pain. But at this point in time, the pendulum has swung too far; we are much quicker to side with the abuser than the victim.I mean,  it\'s easier to blame the victim, isn\'t it? There\'s no mess to clean up, no work for us to do, if they just need to get over it. But, to comfort those who have been harmed and to seek justice? That is where the real work of love is. Is that not what God asks of us..... seek justice, mercy... walk humbly VERSE!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Gag Order: Silencing the Voices of the Wounded in the Church','','inherit','open','open','','7608-revision','','','2012-08-24 11:47:09','2012-08-24 18:47:09','',7608,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/24/7608-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7618,48,'2012-08-24 13:31:55','2012-08-24 20:31:55','Victim.\n\nThink about that word for a minute. What does it bring to mind? Do you picture someone who has been attacked or brutalized or otherwise harmed? Does it bring about feelings of empathy or compassion, or a drive to help them? Or does the word “victim” make you think of someone who blames everyone else for their hardships, a weak, whiny pathetic example of a human being? Do you feel irritation and apathy, rather than empathy?\nIf you think the latter, you may have been a victim yourself- an unknowing victim of a “spin”, that is. It happens every day in business and politics: those with power fear losing it, and any voice crying of injustice or dissent is a threat to that power that must be silenced. So, how is that done? Simple: spin the facts so as to push the blame on the victim. And if that can’t be done, then bully or coerce them into silence.\nThis doesn’t just happen in politics and the business world—sadly, it’s just as rampant in the Church and the Body of Christ. If we hurt a fellow brother or sister in Christ and that person cries out, do we sincerely apologize? Or, do we give them the hallow: \"I\'m sorry you took offense”, which, come one, that’s not an apology; it’s an accusation. Never mind (quote about not giving offense unnecessarily). If the offender or abuser happens to be a minister or in Church leadership, the victim is often instructed to be silent even if their hurt is obviously legitimate, because speaking out against leadership is not only a sign of rebellion and authority issues, but it’s also the big no-no: \"touching the Lord\'s anointed.\" This teaching about not touching the Lord’s anointed comes from 1 Samuel, where David is referring to King Saul, but it is completely taken out of context to support this doctrine of silence. David isn’t saying that he shouldn’t speak out against the wrong that Saul has done, but rather that he cannot physically harm Saul (see 1 Samuel 24: 4-7; 26: 9-11). In fact, in both of those instances, David immediately goes on to publically rebuke Saul (see 24:8-13; 26:17-20).\nRecently one church, Beaverton Grace Bible Church (BGBC) in Beaverton, Oregon, even went so far as to sue former disgruntled members for defamation, in order to further enforce the code of silence. The focus of the suit, as well as the publicity surrounding it, seemed to center on Julie Anne Smith, who blogs about her experience with spiritual abuse and BGBC at BCBG Survivors. On her blog, Julie Anne states that she created it after her negative Google reviews of BGBC were repeatedly deleted. It was at least in part because of the negative online reviews and Julie Anne\'s personal blog that the church brought about the defamation suit against her and four other former church members. However, while churches may try to silence their flocks, apparently they can\'t continue to do so when they decide to leave the fold; the judge dismissed the case on all counts, and even ordered BGBC to pay the defendants\' court fees. Since gaining notoriety from the defamation suit, Julie Anne’s blog has now moved beyond a space simply to discuss her experiences at BGBC, into a platform to discuss spiritual abuse in the Church at large, as well as a community for those trying to heal from similar experiences.\nDuring my time at a rather authoritarian ministry, which I wrote about in \"The C Word\", I regularly witnessed the head of the ministry openly mocking wounded and hurting people for their \"victim mentality\". It didn’t matter how legitimate the pain or hurt, you were simply told to \"get over it\". Furthermore, those who left the ministry and dared tell anyone about their bad experience were labeled as being in sin or having an offended spirit, or worse, being demon-possessed or down-right crazy. They regularly taught that speaking out against leadership was rebellious, and they relied heavily on the clobber verses in 1 Samuel that I mentioned previously. It was as though ministers were untouchable, accountable to God alone.\nApparently my former minister was more than a little miffed when he stumbled across my article about his ministry and some of my experiences there. But, my point in writing that article was not to damage him or the ministry. I never named the ministry in the article, the ministry’s name is not listed in my author biography, nor is it on the public profiles of any of my other social media site profiles. I even took great pains to try to remove any associations that could come up via web searches. My point was not to harm them, but to tell my story, and for good or ill (and despite my greatest attempts at erasing my history with them from my web presence), my experience there will always be a part of my story.\nIn the words of one of my favorite Christian writers, Anne Lamott, \"You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should\'ve behaved better.\" Telling your story can bring healing to yourself and to others who have suffered similarly. But also? You own it; it’s your story to tell. So tell it bravely, and tell it with grace.\nWhat bothers me the most about victim-silencing and blaming is that it has become such a normal occurrence in the world and, more distressingly, in the Church. Is this really Christ\'s response to the wounded and victimized? To silence their voices and pat the backs of the oppressive church leadership? Hardly! Christ didn\'t tell the wounded to “get over it\". He healed them. Christ didn\'t tell the oppressed and victimized to be quiet. Instead, he regularly confronted the oppressive Pharisees, the religious leaders who held the power. In fact, was it not the Pharisees that Jesus was the hardest on? And yet, who are we the hardest on?\nThis is not to say that there are times when pain both parties are to blame for things. And yes, even those who have been greatly harmed may possibly hold some responsibility in their pain. And we all have the responsibility to forgive. But at this point in time, the pendulum has swung too far; we are much quicker to side with the abuser than the victim. I mean, it’s easier to blame the victim, isn\'t it? There\'s no mess to clean up and no work for us to do, if they just need to get over it. But to comfort those who have been harmed and to seek justice where there is none? That is where the real work of love is. And in the end, is that not what God requires: to “do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 NASB)?','Gag Order: Silencing the Voices of the Wounded in the Church','','inherit','open','open','','7608-revision-2','','','2012-08-24 13:31:55','2012-08-24 20:31:55','',7608,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/24/7608-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7689,1,'2012-08-30 21:45:05','2012-08-31 04:45:05','Did anyone notice that a presidential election is about to happen? I know, right?\r\n\r\nDid you know there\'s a presidential election right around the corner? You couldn\'t have guessed. It\'s not like it\'s in the news/ads/television/radio/blogs/internet or anything.\r\n\r\nI just wanted to write a note real quick about a great podcast that you should be listening to called \"<a href=\"http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/hsw-shows/stuff-you-should-know-podcast.htm\"><em>Stuff You Should Know</em></a>.\" I\'ve been listening to it for about six months or so and it has some great material.\r\n\r\nI listened to one yesterday about the electoral college and how it effects the presidential elections. I had no idea. I thought I knew, but I didn\'t. It goes into great detail about the history, some of the conflicts, and the nitty gritty of it all. Here is the <a href=\"http://podcasts.howstuffworks.com/hsw/podcasts/sysk/2012-08-28-sysk-electoral-college.mp3\">direct link for listening online</a>, but you can also go into iTunes and just search for \"Stuff You Should Know.\" <a href=\"http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/electoral-college.htm\">The article is here if you want to read it.</a>\r\n\r\nWhether you\'re a Libertarian, Republican, Democrat, Socialist, Green Party, or disinterested voter, it\'s a great episode to listen to.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuff_You_Should_Know\">The podcast is run by Josh Clark and Charles Bryant</a>. It\'s a must listen to. I\'ve learned more about shark attacks, beheadings, lobotomies, other faiths, the Musketeers, the economy, Scooby Doo, icebergs, roller derby, gas prices, oil spills and whatever by listening. Go check them out.\r\n\r\n______________\r\n\r\nRay Carroll is author of \"<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1346388174&amp;sr=8-2\"><em>Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Fallen World</em></a>.\" He blogs regularly at <a href=\"http://www.fallenpastor.com\">www.fallenpastor.com</a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','How The Electoral College Works: \"Stuff You Should Know\"','','inherit','open','open','','7678-revision-2','','','2012-08-30 21:45:05','2012-08-31 04:45:05','',7678,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/30/7678-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7620,48,'2012-08-24 18:23:46','2012-08-25 01:23:46','','silence','','inherit','open','open','','silence','','','2012-08-24 18:23:46','2012-08-25 01:23:46','',7608,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/silence.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7621,48,'2012-08-24 18:25:06','2012-08-25 01:25:06','','silence','','inherit','open','open','','silence-2','','','2012-08-24 18:25:06','2012-08-25 01:25:06','',7608,'http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/silence1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7622,48,'2012-08-24 18:25:39','2012-08-25 01:25:39','Victim.\n\nThink about that word for a minute. What does it bring to mind? Do you picture someone who has been attacked or brutalized or otherwise harmed? Does it bring about feelings of empathy or compassion, or a drive to help them? Or does the word “victim” make you think of someone who blames everyone else for their hardships, a weak, whiny pathetic example of a human being? Do you feel irritation and apathy, rather than empathy?\n\nIf you think the latter, you may have been a victim yourself- an unknowing victim of a “spin”, that is. It happens every day in business and politics: those with power fear losing it, and any voice crying of injustice or dissent is a threat to that power that must be silenced. So, how is that done? Simple: spin the facts so as to push the blame on the victim. And if that can’t be done, then bully or coerce them into silence.\n\nThis doesn’t just happen in politics and the business world—sadly, it’s just as rampant in the Church and the Body of Christ. If we hurt a fellow brother or sister in Christ and that person cries out, do we sincerely apologize? Or, do we give them the hallow: \"I\'m sorry you took offense”, which, come one, that’s not an apology; it’s an accusation. Never mind (quote about not giving offense unnecessarily). If the offender or abuser happens to be a minister or in Church leadership, the victim is often instructed to be silent even if their hurt is obviously legitimate, because speaking out against leadership is not only a sign of rebellion and authority issues, but it’s also the big no-no: \"touching the Lord\'s anointed.\" This teaching about not touching the Lord’s anointed comes from 1 Samuel, where David is referring to King Saul, but it is completely taken out of context to support this doctrine of silence. David isn’t saying that he shouldn’t speak out against the wrong that Saul has done, but rather that he cannot physically harm Saul (see 1 Samuel 24: 4-7; 26: 9-11). In fact, in both of those instances, David immediately goes on to publically rebuke Saul (see 24:8-13; 26:17-20).\n\nRecently one church, Beaverton Grace Bible Church (BGBC) in Beaverton, Oregon, even went so far as to sue former disgruntled members for defamation, in order to further enforce the code of silence. The focus of the suit, as well as the publicity surrounding it, seemed to center on Julie Anne Smith, who blogs about her experience with spiritual abuse and BGBC at BCBG Survivors. On her blog, Julie Anne states that she created it after her negative Google reviews of BGBC were repeatedly deleted. It was at least in part because of the negative online reviews and Julie Anne\'s personal blog that the church brought about the defamation suit against her and four other former church members. However, while churches may try to silence their flocks, apparently they can\'t continue to do so when they decide to leave the fold; the judge dismissed the case on all counts, and even ordered BGBC to pay the defendants\' court fees. Since gaining notoriety from the defamation suit, Julie Anne’s blog has now moved beyond a space simply to discuss her experiences at BGBC, into a platform to discuss spiritual abuse in the Church at large, as well as a community for those trying to heal from similar experiences.\n\nDuring my time at a rather authoritarian ministry, which I wrote about in \"The C Word\", I regularly witnessed the head of the ministry openly mocking wounded and hurting people for their \"victim mentality\". It didn’t matter how legitimate the pain or hurt, you were simply told to \"get over it\". Furthermore, those who left the ministry and dared tell anyone about their bad experience were labeled as being in sin or having an offended spirit, or worse, being demon-possessed or down-right crazy. They regularly taught that speaking out against leadership was rebellious, and they relied heavily on the clobber verses in 1 Samuel that I mentioned previously. It was as though ministers were untouchable, accountable to God alone.\n\nApparently my former minister was more than a little miffed when he stumbled across my article about his ministry and some of my experiences there. But, my point in writing that article was not to damage him or the ministry. I never named the ministry in the article, the ministry’s name is not listed in my author biography, nor is it on the public profiles of any of my other social media site profiles. I even took great pains to try to remove any associations that could come up via web searches. My point was not to harm them, but to tell my story, and for good or ill (and despite my greatest attempts at erasing my history with them from my web presence), my experience there will always be a part of my story.\n\nIn the words of one of my favorite Christian writers, Anne Lamott, \"You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should\'ve behaved better.\" Telling your story can bring healing to yourself and to others who have suffered similarly. But also? You own it; it’s your story to tell. So tell it bravely, and tell it with grace.\n\nWhat bothers me the most about victim-silencing and blaming is that it has become such a normal occurrence in the world and, more distressingly, in the Church. Is this really Christ\'s response to the wounded and victimized? To silence their voices and pat the backs of the oppressive church leadership? Hardly! Christ didn\'t tell the wounded to “get over it\". He healed them. Christ didn\'t tell the oppressed and victimized to be quiet. Instead, he regularly confronted the oppressive Pharisees, the religious leaders who held the power. In fact, was it not the Pharisees that Jesus was the hardest on? And yet, who are we the hardest on?\n\nThis is not to say that there are times when pain both parties are to blame for things. And yes, even those who have been greatly harmed may possibly hold some responsibility in their pain. And we all have the responsibility to forgive. But at this point in time, the pendulum has swung too far; we are much quicker to side with the abuser than the victim. I mean, it’s easier to blame the victim, isn\'t it? There\'s no mess to clean up and no work for us to do, if they just need to get over it. But to comfort those who have been harmed and to seek justice where there is none? That is where the real work of love is. And in the end, is that not what God requires: to “do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 NASB)?','Gag Order: Silencing the Voices of the Wounded in the Church','','inherit','open','open','','7608-revision-3','','','2012-08-24 18:25:39','2012-08-25 01:25:39','',7608,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/24/7608-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7623,48,'2012-08-24 19:12:27','2012-08-25 02:12:27','Victim.\n\nConsider that word for a moment. Victim. What does it bring to mind? Do you picture someone who has been attacked or abused or otherwise harmed- someone who compels you to compassion and concern? Or does the word “victim” bring to mind a weak, whiny, and wretched example of a human being- someone who blames everyone else for their misery?\n\nIf you found yourself in the latter camp, you are not alone. Victim blaming seems to be the prevailing mind-set in many circles. It happens every day in business and politics: those with power fear losing it, and some strive keep it at all costs. Any voice crying of injustice or dissent is a threat to their power that must be hushed up. So, how is that done? Simple: spin the facts so as to push the blame on the victim. And if that can’t be done, then bully or coerce them into silence.\n\nThis doesn’t just happen in politics and the business world—sadly, it’s just as rampant in the Church. If we hurt a fellow brother or sister in Christ and that person calls us out on it, do we sincerely apologize? Or, do we give them the hallow \"I\'m sorry you took offense” apology, which is not really an apology at all. It’s an accusation. If the offender happens to be a minister or in Church leadership, the victim is often instructed to suppress their complaint, because speaking out against leadership is seen as a sign of rebellion and submission issues, as well as the big no-no: \"touching the Lord\'s anointed.\" This idea about not touching the Lord’s anointed comes from 1 Samuel, but it is completely taken out of context to support this odd doctrine of silence. Here David isn’t saying that he shouldn’t speak out against the wrong that Saul has done, but rather that he cannot <em>physically</em> harm Saul (1 Samuel 24: 4-7; 26: 9-11). In fact, directly after both incidences where David states he will not touch the Lord’s anointed, he goes on to immediately, and publically, rebuke Saul (1 Samuel 2<a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1Samuel+24:8-21\" target=\"_blank\">4:8-13</a>; <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1Samuel+26:17-22\" target=\"_blank\">26:17-20</a>).\n\nRecently one congregation, Beaverton Grace Bible Church (BGBC) in Beaverton, Oregon, even went so far as to sue former disgruntled members for defamation, in order to further enforce the code of silence. The focus of the suit, as well as the publicity surrounding it, seemed to center on Julie Anne Smith, who blogs about her experience with spiritual abuse and BGBC at BCBG Survivors. On her blog, Julie Anne states that she created it after her negative Google reviews of BGBC were repeatedly deleted. It was at least in part because of the negative online reviews and Julie Anne\'s personal blog that the church brought about the defamation suit against her and four other former church members. However, while churches may try to silence their flocks within church walls, apparently they can\'t continue to do so when the sheep decide to leave the fold; the judge dismissed the case on all counts, and even ordered BGBC to pay the defendants\' court fees. Since gaining notoriety from the defamation suit, Julie Anne’s blog has now moved beyond a space simply to discuss her experiences at BGBC, into a platform to discuss spiritual abuse in the Church at large, as well as a community for those trying to heal from similar experiences.\n\nI too, experienced silencing tactics and victim blaming during my time at a rather dictatorial ministry, which I wrote about in \"The C Word.” I regularly witnessed the head of the ministry mocking wounded and hurting people for their \"victim mentality\", both behind closed doors and in front of the pulpit. It didn’t matter how legitimate the pain or hurt, you were simply told to \"get over it\". Furthermore, those who left the ministry and dared tell anyone about their bad experience were labeled as being in sin or having an offended spirit, or worse, being demon-possessed or down-right crazy. They regularly taught that speaking out against leadership was rebellious, relying heavily on the clobber verses in 1 Samuel that I mentioned previously. It was as though ministers were untouchable, accountable to God alone.\n\nNot surprisingly, my former minister was not terribly happy to stumble upon my article. But, my point in writing it was certainly not to damage him or the ministry. That is why I never named the ministry in the article. Furthermore, the ministry’s name is not listed in my author biography, nor is it on the public profiles of any of my other social media site profiles. I even took great pains to try to remove any associations that could come up via web searches. My point was not to harm them, but to tell my story, and for good or ill (and despite my greatest attempts at erasing my history with them from my web presence), my experience there will always be a part of my story.\n\nIn the words of one of my favorite Christian writers, Anne Lamott, \"You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should\'ve behaved better.\"  Telling your story can bring healing to yourself and to others who have suffered similarly. Regardless, you own it; it’s your story to tell. Don’t let them silence your voice. Tell it bravely, and tell it with grace.\n\nWhat bothers me the most about victim-silencing and blaming is that it has become such a normal occurrence in the world and, more distressingly, in the Church. Is this really Christ\'s response to the wounded and victimized? To silence their voices and pat the backs of the oppressor? Hardly! Christ didn\'t tell the wounded to “get over it\". He healed them. Christ didn\'t tell the oppressed and victimized to be quiet. Instead, it was harsh and hypocritical religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees, whom he rebuked.\n\nThis is not to say that there are not times when pain both parties are to blame. And yes, even those who have been greatly harmed may hold some responsibility in their pain. At the very least, we all have the responsibility to forgive. But at this point in time, I believe the pendulum has swung too far in one direction; by and large we seem much quicker to side with the abuser than the victim. I mean, it’s easier to blame the victim, isn\'t it? There\'s no mess to clean up and no work for us to do if they just need to get over it. But the real work of love is found in comforting those who are in pain and seeking justice where there is none. In the end, is that not what God requires: to “do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 NASB)?\n\n&nbsp;','Gag Order: Silencing the Voices of the Wounded in the Church','','inherit','open','open','','7608-revision-4','','','2012-08-24 19:12:27','2012-08-25 02:12:27','',7608,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/24/7608-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7624,48,'2012-08-24 19:12:33','2012-08-25 02:12:33','Victim.\r\n\r\nConsider that word for a moment. Victim. What does it bring to mind? Do you picture someone who has been attacked or abused or otherwise harmed- someone who compels you to compassion and concern? Or does the word “victim” bring to mind a weak, whiny, and wretched example of a human being- someone who blames everyone else for their misery?\r\n\r\nIf you found yourself in the latter camp, you are not alone. Victim blaming seems to be the prevailing mind-set in many circles. It happens every day in business and politics: those with power fear losing it, and some strive keep it at all costs. Any voice crying of injustice or dissent is a threat to their power that must be hushed up. So, how is that done? Simple: spin the facts so as to push the blame on the victim. And if that can’t be done, then bully or coerce them into silence.\r\n\r\nThis doesn’t just happen in politics and the business world—sadly, it’s just as rampant in the Church. If we hurt a fellow brother or sister in Christ and that person calls us out on it, do we sincerely apologize? Or, do we give them the hallow \"I\'m sorry you took offense” apology, which is not really an apology at all. It’s an accusation. If the offender happens to be a minister or in Church leadership, the victim is often instructed to suppress their complaint, because speaking out against leadership is seen as a sign of rebellion and submission issues, as well as the big no-no: \"touching the Lord\'s anointed.\" This idea about not touching the Lord’s anointed comes from 1 Samuel, but it is completely taken out of context to support this odd doctrine of silence. Here David isn’t saying that he shouldn’t speak out against the wrong that Saul has done, but rather that he cannot <em>physically</em> harm Saul (1 Samuel 24: 4-7; 26: 9-11). In fact, directly after both incidences where David states he will not touch the Lord’s anointed, he goes on to immediately, and publically, rebuke Saul (1 Samuel 2<a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1Samuel+24:8-21\" target=\"_blank\">4:8-13</a>; <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1Samuel+26:17-22\" target=\"_blank\">26:17-20</a>).\r\n\r\nRecently one congregation, Beaverton Grace Bible Church (BGBC) in Beaverton, Oregon, even went so far as to sue former disgruntled members for defamation, in order to further enforce the code of silence. The focus of the suit, as well as the publicity surrounding it, seemed to center on Julie Anne Smith, who blogs about her experience with spiritual abuse and BGBC at BCBG Survivors. On her blog, Julie Anne states that she created it after her negative Google reviews of BGBC were repeatedly deleted. It was at least in part because of the negative online reviews and Julie Anne\'s personal blog that the church brought about the defamation suit against her and four other former church members. However, while churches may try to silence their flocks within church walls, apparently they can\'t continue to do so when the sheep decide to leave the fold; the judge dismissed the case on all counts, and even ordered BGBC to pay the defendants\' court fees. Since gaining notoriety from the defamation suit, Julie Anne’s blog has now moved beyond a space simply to discuss her experiences at BGBC, into a platform to discuss spiritual abuse in the Church at large, as well as a community for those trying to heal from similar experiences.\r\n\r\nI too, experienced silencing tactics and victim blaming during my time at a rather dictatorial ministry, which I wrote about in \"The C Word.” I regularly witnessed the head of the ministry mocking wounded and hurting people for their \"victim mentality\", both behind closed doors and in front of the pulpit. It didn’t matter how legitimate the pain or hurt, you were simply told to \"get over it\". Furthermore, those who left the ministry and dared tell anyone about their bad experience were labeled as being in sin or having an offended spirit, or worse, being demon-possessed or down-right crazy. They regularly taught that speaking out against leadership was rebellious, relying heavily on the clobber verses in 1 Samuel that I mentioned previously. It was as though ministers were untouchable, accountable to God alone.\r\n\r\nNot surprisingly, my former minister was not terribly happy to stumble upon my article. But, my point in writing it was certainly not to damage him or the ministry. That is why I never named the ministry in the article. Furthermore, the ministry’s name is not listed in my author biography, nor is it on the public profiles of any of my other social media site profiles. I even took great pains to try to remove any associations that could come up via web searches. My point was not to harm them, but to tell my story, and for good or ill (and despite my greatest attempts at erasing my history with them from my web presence), my experience there will always be a part of my story.\r\n\r\nIn the words of one of my favorite Christian writers, Anne Lamott, \"You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should\'ve behaved better.\"  Telling your story can bring healing to yourself and to others who have suffered similarly. Regardless, you own it; it’s your story to tell. Don’t let them silence your voice. Tell it bravely, and tell it with grace.\r\n\r\nWhat bothers me the most about victim-silencing and blaming is that it has become such a normal occurrence in the world and, more distressingly, in the Church. Is this really Christ\'s response to the wounded and victimized? To silence their voices and pat the backs of the oppressor? Hardly! Christ didn\'t tell the wounded to “get over it\". He healed them. Christ didn\'t tell the oppressed and victimized to be quiet. Instead, it was harsh and hypocritical religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees, whom he rebuked.\r\n\r\nThis is not to say that there are not times when pain both parties are to blame. And yes, even those who have been greatly harmed may hold some responsibility in their pain. At the very least, we all have the responsibility to forgive. But at this point in time, I believe the pendulum has swung too far in one direction; by and large we seem much quicker to side with the abuser than the victim. I mean, it’s easier to blame the victim, isn\'t it? There\'s no mess to clean up and no work for us to do if they just need to get over it. But the real work of love is found in comforting those who are in pain and seeking justice where there is none. In the end, is that not what God requires: to “do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 NASB)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Gag Order: Silencing the Voices of the Wounded in the Church','','inherit','open','open','','7608-revision-5','','','2012-08-24 19:12:33','2012-08-25 02:12:33','',7608,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/24/7608-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7625,48,'2012-08-24 19:12:49','2012-08-25 02:12:49','Victim.\r\n\r\nConsider that word for a moment. Victim. What does it bring to mind? Do you picture someone who has been attacked or abused or otherwise harmed- someone who compels you to compassion and concern? Or does the word “victim” bring to mind a weak, whiny, and wretched example of a human being- someone who blames everyone else for their misery?\r\n\r\nIf you found yourself in the latter camp, you are not alone. Victim blaming seems to be the prevailing mind-set in many circles. It happens every day in business and politics: those with power fear losing it, and some strive keep it at all costs. Any voice crying of injustice or dissent is a threat to their power that must be hushed up. So, how is that done? Simple: spin the facts so as to push the blame on the victim. And if that can’t be done, then bully or coerce them into silence.\r\n\r\nThis doesn’t just happen in politics and the business world—sadly, it’s just as rampant in the Church. If we hurt a fellow brother or sister in Christ and that person calls us out on it, do we sincerely apologize? Or, do we give them the hallow \"I\'m sorry you took offense” apology, which is not really an apology at all. It’s an accusation. If the offender happens to be a minister or in Church leadership, the victim is often instructed to suppress their complaint, because speaking out against leadership is seen as a sign of rebellion and submission issues, as well as the big no-no: \"touching the Lord\'s anointed.\" This idea about not touching the Lord’s anointed comes from 1 Samuel, but it is completely taken out of context to support this odd doctrine of silence. Here David isn’t saying that he shouldn’t speak out against the wrong that Saul has done, but rather that he cannot <em>physically</em> harm Saul (1 Samuel 24: 4-7; 26: 9-11). In fact, directly after both incidences where David states he will not touch the Lord’s anointed, he goes on to immediately, and publically, rebuke Saul (1 Samuel 2<a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1Samuel+24:8-21\" target=\"_blank\">4:8-13</a>; <a href=\"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1Samuel+26:17-22\" target=\"_blank\">26:17-20</a>).\r\n\r\nRecently one congregation, Beaverton Grace Bible Church (BGBC) in Beaverton, Oregon, even went so far as to sue former disgruntled members for defamation, in order to further enforce the code of silence. The focus of the suit, as well as the publicity surrounding it, seemed to center on Julie Anne Smith, who blogs about her experience with spiritual abuse and BGBC at BCBG Survivors. On her blog, Julie Anne states that she created it after her negative Google reviews of BGBC were repeatedly deleted. It was at least in part because of the negative online reviews and Julie Anne\'s personal blog that the church brought about the defamation suit against her and four other former church members. However, while churches may try to silence their flocks within church walls, apparently they can\'t continue to do so when the sheep decide to leave the fold; the judge dismissed the case on all counts, and even ordered BGBC to pay the defendants\' court fees. Since gaining notoriety from the defamation suit, Julie Anne’s blog has now moved beyond a space simply to discuss her experiences at BGBC, into a platform to discuss spiritual abuse in the Church at large, as well as a community for those trying to heal from similar experiences.\r\n\r\nI too, experienced silencing tactics and victim blaming during my time at a rather dictatorial ministry, which I wrote about in \"The C Word.” I regularly witnessed the head of the ministry mocking wounded and hurting people for their \"victim mentality\", both behind closed doors and in front of the pulpit. It didn’t matter how legitimate the pain or hurt, you were simply told to \"get over it\". Furthermore, those who left the ministry and dared tell anyone about their bad experience were labeled as being in sin or having an offended spirit, or worse, being demon-possessed or down-right crazy. They regularly taught that speaking out against leadership was rebellious, relying heavily on the clobber verses in 1 Samuel that I mentioned previously. It was as though ministers were untouchable, accountable to God alone.\r\n\r\nNot surprisingly, my former minister was not terribly happy to stumble upon my article. But, my point in writing it was certainly not to damage him or the ministry. That is why I never named the ministry in the article. Furthermore, the ministry’s name is not listed in my author biography, nor is it on the public profiles of any of my other social media site profiles. I even took great pains to try to remove any associations that could come up via web searches. My point was not to harm them, but to tell my story, and for good or ill (and despite my greatest attempts at erasing my history with them from my web presence), my experience there will always be a part of my story.\r\n\r\nIn the words of one of my favorite Christian writers, Anne Lamott, \"You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should\'ve behaved better.\"  Telling your story can bring healing to yourself and to others who have suffered similarly. Regardless, you own it; it’s your story to tell. Don’t let them silence your voice. Tell it bravely, and tell it with grace.\r\n\r\nWhat bothers me the most about victim-silencing and blaming is that it has become such a normal occurrence in the world and, more distressingly, in the Church. Is this really Christ\'s response to the wounded and victimized? To silence their voices and pat the backs of the oppressor? Hardly! Christ didn\'t tell the wounded to “get over it\". He healed them. Christ didn\'t tell the oppressed and victimized to be quiet. Instead, it was harsh and hypocritical religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees, whom he rebuked.\r\n\r\nThis is not to say that there are not times when pain both parties are to blame. And yes, even those who have been greatly harmed may hold some responsibility in their pain. At the very least, we all have the responsibility to forgive. But at this point in time, I believe the pendulum has swung too far in one direction; by and large we seem much quicker to side with the abuser than the victim. I mean, it’s easier to blame the victim, isn\'t it? There\'s no mess to clean up and no work for us to do if they just need to get over it. But the real work of love is found in comforting those who are in pain and seeking justice where there is none. In the end, is that not what God requires: to “do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 NASB)?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Gag Order: Silencing the Voices of the Wounded in the Church','','inherit','open','open','','7608-revision-6','','','2012-08-24 19:12:49','2012-08-25 02:12:49','',7608,'http://provoketive.com/2012/08/24/7608-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0);
