‘Do We Really Need to Wage War Against Fellow Believers?’

‘It seems to be a rather common thing,’ says Carla Rolfe, ‘that when Believer A disagrees with Believer B, they take to blogging or facebook, twitter or myspace and just chew them up and spit them out.’

“Choose ye: argue or intercede”

Jan at the view from her questions the contentious debate she has observed among Christians of late:

“How will all men ‘come to a knowledge of the truth’ when we’re occupied arguing ‘truth’ as our personal position on the Iraq war or abortion or gay marriage - amongst ourselves?”

On a related note, John MacArthur has posted this article at Pulpit Magazine on the dangers of political distraction:

“God is not calling us to wage a culture war that would seek to transform our countries into “Christian nations.” To devote all, or even most, of our time, energy, money, and strategy to putting a façade of morality on the world or over our governmental and political institutions is to badly misunderstand our roles as Christians in a spiritually lost world.”

Talking to postmoderns

C. Michael Patton shares a strategy for engaging with someone of a postmodern mindset, using an illustration taken from Millard Erickson’s Postmodernizing the Faith:

“Horse=postmodern
Water=the Gospel
Rope=method of delivery

Question: How do we lead a postmodern horse to water?”

Paul, the enigma

Reformation scholar Timothy George ponders the life and influence of the Apostle Paul at First Things:

“Paul and his ideas have been controversial throughout the history of the Church. Paul’s teaching has stirred many reforms and renewals led by great theologians such as Augustine, Luther, Pascal, Wesley, and Barth; but Paul has also been derided and denounced. Nietzsche called Paul a dysangelist, a preacher of bad news, and this opinion has been echoed by many others. Jesus, some say, preached a simple message of love and brotherhood which was perverted by Paul with his legalism and intellectualism—justification, predestination, and all that.”

And Colin Adams reflects on the marks of Paul’s preaching.

Think again

Michael A. G. Haykin, Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, draws timely political insight from the controversial English puritan figure, Oliver Cromwell:

“The gospel touches on political and economic realities for sure—not one square inch of this universe is not owned by King Jesus, and we look forward to a glorious theocracy one day in the new heavens and the new earth in which there will be true liberty—but till then, we must learn as Christians to disagree in love on such secondary issues. Yes, have convictions; but love all who love the Lord Jesus.”

And David Gushee, writing in The Baptist Standard, urges evangelicals to move beyond traditional approaches in the coming election:

“For some, it is about their comfort and sense of identification with the conservative evangelical faith of Sarah Palin. … That’s not good enough. We need a more mature Christian vote.”

Participate in a test

… of theological essentials and non-essentials at Parchment and Pen:

“I am going to give a list of doctrinal and moral issues. I want you all to rank them 1-6. Think hard about them. In your answer, give your tradition to which you identify most (e.g. Evangelical, Baptist, Brethern, Catholic, Orthodox, etc.). This way we can test the unity and diversity of those who call themselves Christian.”

And speaking of debate …

A funny (doctored) church marquee sqaubble posted at Parchment and Pen by Michael C. Patton:

“HOW TO HAVE CROSS-TRADITIONAL THEOLOGICAL CONVERSATION THAT TRULY EDIFIES”

Make your own with the Church Sign Generator (HT: Aaron Rathburn).