Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are … Continue reading »
If nothing else Christians should be positive. Looking back over the past year of Semi-Theologian I think it’s safe to say that the overwhelming majority of my posts have approached topics, such as the Church and how we engage culture, with an exceedingly critical eye. It’s easy to do, quite honestly. And while I don’t … Continue reading »
I know that sounds dramatic. “The end is nigh!” “The sky is falling!” I could’ve gone with something much more gut wrenching, such as “The Death of the Church!” Provocative though that may be, it simply isn’t accurate. The Church is not dead, nor is it dying. But it isn’t all-together well. We evangelicals are … Continue reading »
I love The Three Stooges. Sure the humor is immature and ridiculous, and of course if someone got smacked in the head with an iron bar or had their nose twisted with a pair of pliers, someone would really get hurt or killed. But I’m still going to laugh because it’s entertaining. One of my … Continue reading »
I’m kind of a weird protestant. I participate on the worship team with my electric guitar; I love contemporary worship music, but I also enjoy hymns, which is probably out of the ordinary for 30-something Christians. But it doesn’t stop there. (No sir.) Even though I’m learning to preach in what will probably be a … Continue reading »
In part 1 we generally talked about how people are, more or less, interested in choosing the flavor of the message they receive from the pulpit. Of course this wasn’t a scientific study, and was based only on my experiences in how people have reacted to be being pulpit-bound. The consensus was that I should … Continue reading »
Everyone’s a critic. When people hear that you’re studying to be a pastor, it seems that all too often people want to jump in with their advice before it’s too late. You know, before you become . . . one of them. It doesn’t happen every day, but it’s happened enough times that it is … Continue reading »
I love music. Especially “churchy” music. No, I’m not talking about the manufactured, cookie-cutter Christian pop bands who are nothing but subpar imitations of the manufactured, cookie-cutter secular pop bands. No, I’m talking about the kind that is played (or used to be played) in church. With the exception of a few things (Bill Gaither … Continue reading »
