Charis

Lin said:

http://www.sohmer.net/Velvet_Elvis.pdf
Charis, Here is something you may want to prayerfully consider.

I had a brief look. 1. I have not read that book. 2. If I went into any of 98% of Evangelical Churches in America and took a transcript of any Sunday morning sermon or if I went to your blog with the intention to critique, I could probably find quotes to lift out to make you or any pastor sound scary (and vice versa about quotes from me BTW so please don’t take offense)

I identify with this from Scot McKnight in Christianity Today

. We believe the Great Tradition offers various ways for telling the truth about God’s redemption in Christ, but we don’t believe any one theology gets it absolutely right.
Hence, a trademark feature of the emerging movement is that we believe all theology will remain a conversation about the Truth who is God in Christ through the Spirit, and about God’s story of redemption at work in the church. No systematic theology can be final. In this sense, the emerging movement is radically Reformed. It turns its chastened epistemology against itself, saying, “This is what I believe, but I could be wrong. What do you think? Let’s talk.”

God’s will for those who are His is “unity of the spirit and the bond of peace”. Jesus prayed for us ” that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one”
I think the “oneness” Jesus prays for is not about one doctrine or one denomination, but community and love between believers of differing convictions. I have a rather unique experience of having moved around a great deal and having been a member of many different denominations around the country and a little bit of the world. I was raised Catholic. I have been a member of Baptist, Nazarene, Wesleyan, Lutheran (LCMS), Episcopal, Congregational, Dutch Reformed, Presbyterian, Assemblies of God, Church of Christ (Cincinnati), and most recently an Elim church…
I have had deep Christian fellowship with people from every one of the above mentioned churches and more…. I have fellowshipped, been in community with people who had some really far out ideas doctrinally (IMHO) but we were still able to break bread together and share our love of the Lord.
We lived in Indonesia for a few years in the late 80’s. We stayed with a pastor when I was pregnant. He stopped my husband from killing a rat because it was a common belief that the baby would have whatever deformity my husband inflicted upon an animal . A baby down the street from us was a floppy baby (hypotonia?). The parents blamed it on the dad strangling a chicken when his wife was pregnant. A Christian girlfriend said her baby was dark because she drank a lot of coffee during the pregnancy. Christians, and even a pastor had what I secretly disdained as superstitious and animistic beliefs. I thought my faith was superior…. Nowadays I know better. They were onto something. We become like what we behold. Perhaps they went overboard with it in the material sense, but it is spiritual truth. We become like what we behold. And biblically, Jacob did have the sheep look at spotted branches so that they would become spotted. (Gen 30:37ff)
I don’t believe God fits in a Baptist box.
But far be it from me to disown anyone as my sister in Christ for believing that way. 🙂

If I am disowned by the sisters here, if I am seen as someone off the deep end theologically, if you want to label me a heretic… (((((Shrug)))))).
Jesus loves me, this I know. 🙂

PS. Sorry for the tangent Cheryl. I’ll shut up now.