"We Shall Morph Indeed" Pt. 5

"I Yam What I Yam"

"This is why Jesus came. That is what spiritual life is about. This is your calling -- to become what Lewis called an 'everlasting splendor'" -- John Ortberg

I am continuing to journal the study questions from Chapter 1 of John Ortberg's The Life You've Always Wanted. For some "look ahead" at the book, I have posted the chapter titles at the index link at the bottom.I didn't finish the chapter 1 questions yesterday - I will take another shot today. Again, about the pace of my journaling on this book

the way the study group is supposed to work we are to be ready for the full chapter this coming Thursday - but may take whatever time is necessary, comfortable, and the Spirit leads us to "get through" the questions. When our group finishes the chapter 1 discussion, and we are told to get ready for chapter 2 - I will journal the chapter 2 questions. I may read the book ahead, but I do not want to answer the questions until after the discussion on the previous chapter - I want to leave the ability of the discussion to transform my understanding, and answers, as I go.

I finished the main seven questions - now for the

Additional Small-group Questions

Before Question 1 I will have to explain part of the text. The author talks about one of Popeye's favorite lines - "I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam" - when he was frustrated, wasn't sure what to do, or felt inadequate. The author always thought there was a note of sadness in this: while Popeye definitely "owned his story"

"It was generally offered as an explanation of his shortcomings. It does not anticipate much growth or change. It doesn't leave him much of a shot at getting to be what he yam not" - John Ortberg

Question 1:

What can make people feel like Popeye and simply resigned to saying, "I yam what I yam and that is all that I yam"?

Read this quote by C.S. Lewis from "The Weight of Glory":

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization--these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.

Question 3:

If you truly believed that " You have never talked to a mere mortal," how might your behavior change toward one of the following people:

• A close friend
• A bitter enemy
• Your spouse
• A parent
• A co-worker or schoolmate

For personal reflection:

What is one area of your life you know God wants to transform but you honestly do not want to change (or have given up hope of ever changing).

Prayer focus:

Take time to pray for the Holy Spirit to give you a renewed desire to be changed in this area of your life and to give you hope in his power to bring transformation.

This finishes chapter 1. Chapter 2 will come someday.

Next in series: "Surprised by Change" Pt. 1
Index to Series

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"We Shall Morph Indeed" Pt. 4

Mabel

"For anyone who really saw Mabel - who was willing to "turn aside" - a hospital bed became a burning bush; a place where this ordinary and pain-filled world was visited by the presence of God" -- John Ortberg

I am continuing to journal the study questions from Chapter 1 of John Ortberg's The Life You've Always Wanted. For some "look ahead" at the book, I have posted the chapter titles at the index link at the bottom.

I am home sick today, so I am going to try to finish the chapter 1 questions. The way the study group is supposed to work we are to be ready for the full chapter this coming Thursday - but may take whatever time is necessary, comfortable, and the Spirit leads us to "get through" the questions. When our group finishes the chapter 1 discussion, and we are told to get ready for chapter 2 - I will journal the chapter 2 questions. I may read the book ahead, but I do not want to answer the questions until after the discussion on the previous chapter - I want to leave the ability of the discussion to transform my understanding, and answers, as I go.

* * * * *

Question 6a & 6b:

Describe a time when you felt a deep desire to see God transform your life so that you would "morph" and become more of who God wants you to be?

How is this desire becoming a reality?

Right now. I am struggling with an activity I know separates me from God (a sin); that I know dishonors my wife and my marriage; and that objectifies a whole group of people God created in His own image: viewing pornography. I need God to transform and renew my mind because I am in rebellion almost daily against what I know is His will for me. I have had enough but my flesh seems not to have:

Romans 7:14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

This answer leaves me in a quandary for the small group: do I "out myself" in essentially the first meeting of a group of people I do not know (I have outed myself at SP before); and deal with all the good and bad implications of that action; do I just keep my mouth shut when we discuss this question; or do I find a different, more innocuous (as in less relevant) answer by Thursday.

I am trying to make it a reality through activities like this; and my FMO group and the book we are reading there - Pure Desire.

* * * * *

First, read about Mabel: Mabel 1; Mabel 2; and Mabel 3.

Now, "question" 7:

Though blind and nearly deaf, Mabel was a staggering example of the power of Jesus to transform a life. Tell about a person in your life who exemplifies the power of Jesus to bring beautiful and lasting change.

My wife. Through all of her serious physical and mental challenges, she has continued to grow in faith, joy and hope without a real material reason to do so. She has overcome these obstacles by the power of God in her life: she would never take credit for anything she has accomplished.

I will pause now to allow my daughter to finish a science project on the computer. I may just come back and add to this diary; or I may do another.

Prayer focus:

1. Lift up prayers of thanks and praise for the many ways God has brought transformation in your life as you have followed Jesus
2. Pray for continued morphing experiences where God will move, transform, and shape your life

Next in series: We Shall Morph Indeed" Pt. 5
Index to Series

Read more!

"We Shall Morph Indeed" Pt. 3

More Moses

"God said He wanted to begin a new community of human existence, and He wanted Moses to lead it. He wanted Moses to go to Pharaoh, the commander-in-chief of a superpower, and tell him his vast Israelite labor force is no longer available" -- John Ortberg

Continuing to journal the study questions from Chapter 1 of John Ortberg's The Life You've Always Wanted. For some "look ahead" at the book, I have posted the chapter titles at the index link at the bottom

Now read Exodus 3:11-15; 4:1-17

* * * * *

Question 5a & 5b:

Moses and God have an enlightening conversation in these passages. What arguments does Moses present to God to explain why he should not lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?

How does God respond to each of Moses' efforts to avoid this calling for his life?

Moses' objections:

1. I am a nobody - who am I to do this
2. They will ask me your name and I do not know it (I hear a fine whine here myself)
3. They won't believe me or listen to me
4. I do not talk well or eloquently;
5. Come on God, send someone else who talks better

God's answers:

1. Relax, I will be with you - this burning bush should be a sign to you that I am with you
2. "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God then tells Moses exactly who to go to and what to say; assures Moses that they will listen to him; and then gives him the rough draft of what he and the elders of Israel will say to Pharaoh - as we say in the car business he "loaded his lips". He tells him that God knows Pharaoh will not listen; and that God will do great miracles in Egypt and that they Israel will be let go.
3. See your staff: you will be able to do a miracle with it in order to prove that you come with my authority
4. Didn't I make your mouth? I will be your mouth and teach you what to say (trust me).
5. (in God's pissed voice): OK. Your brother Aaron is eloquent. Right? He speaks well. Right? I am sending him to meet with you - he will do the talking. He does the talking and you do the miracles. OK?

An interesting exchange on so many levels to me. Moses is more afraid of going than of the God he is arguing with. Is this because God exudes love and he really didn't fear him. I do not think so. I think it is because the God speaking to us (even out of a burning bush) is just not as real and directly threatening as the real world Pharaohs standing between us and what God wants us to accomplish in our lives. Even talking to God in this dramatic a fashion still did not give Moses the faith (yet) that God would give him the power to do what God wanted him to do

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Prayer focus:

1. Lift up prayers of thanks and praise for the many ways God has brought transformation in your life as you have followed Jesus
2. Pray for continued morphing experiences where God will move, transform, and shape your life

Next in series: "We Shall Morph Indeed" Pt. 4
Index to Series

Read more!

"We Shall Morph Indeed" Pt. 2

Turning Aside

"The truth is the term spiritual life is simply a way of referring to it - every moment and facet of it - from God's perspective. Another way of saying it is this: God is not interested in your "spiritual life". God is interested in your life. He intends to redeem it" -- John Ortberg

Continuing to journal the study questions from Chapter 1 of John Ortberg's The Life You've Always Wanted. For some "look ahead" at the book, I have posted the chapter titles at the index link at the bottom

First, read Exodus 3:1-15.

* * * * *

Question 3b:

How might Moses' life, and the history of Isreal, been different if he had not bothered to turn aside when God spoke to him?

I really hate these kind of questions. Would God even have picked Moses if Moses would have said no - God knew Moses's heart and character. Assuming Moses didn't turn aside, would God have tried again with him; or found someone else? God's plans would not have been frustrated.

Isreal's liberation from Egypt might have come later and in a different way - but it would have come: God's heart was aching at their suffering.

Moses' life certainly would have been different if he had not "turned aside" - and he would have missed the opportunity to powerfully impact an entire nation's life through God's power. He would have also missed a intense and deep relationship with God available to him if he "turned aside"

* * * * *

Question 4a

Describe a time when you slowed down and turned aside to see what God was doing

When I was still an unbeliever, I was a student at a community college - still an agnostic/atheist. My next door neighbor was a single Korean mother who was a seminary student at one of the Portland seminaries.

How she passed the "proof of English" test to get accepted into seminary is a mystery (or not) - but she was taking "Introduction to the Old Testament" and was struggling with writing her papers and assignments.

She knew I was in school and asked me to help her with her papers - she didnt ask if I was a Christian. For some unknown reason (ok, not really unknown) I said yes - even though I did not believe in the Bible or God.

I had been a editor of an Oregon/Washington chess magazine, so I knew how to keep my "voice" and opinions out of other people's writing. For that term, as her English writing skills improved, I helped her write her assignments and papers.

She was from a different culture involved in a religion I rejected and fought against. God called me to help her and I did. She was a friend of the family for years. And God had put me back in the Word.

* * * * *

Question 4b

How did slowing down and turning toward God impact your life?

This was one step in a transition from non-believer to believer - it was one of those pieces that led me to a relationship with God and a savior in Jesus.

Prayer focus:

1. Lift up prayers of thanks and praise for the many ways God has brought transformation in your life as you have followed Jesus
2. Pray for continued morphing experiences where God will move, transform, and shape your life

Next in series: "We Shall Morph Indeed" Pt. 3
Index to Series

Read more!

Journal: The Life You've Always Wanted

This book by John Ortberg is the focus of my community group's current study. Until it is obvious no one cares, I am going to journal on the study questions over at Street Prophets. I am not cross-posting at Brain Cramps for God.[I changed my mind]. Hopefully, as you answer these questions for yourself - and perhaps join in the discussion of your answers with others - you too can join in the transformation the book envisions.

Our community group is only committed to finishing this over the next 9 months: it may be faster or slower. If you want to keep up with my journaling here, bookmark this index and come back from time to time to see if I have answered more questions.

Chapter 1: "We Shall Morph Indeed": The Hope of Transformation

• Introduction and questions 1 & 2. [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• Turning Aside: Questions 3 & 4. [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• More Moses: Question 5. [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• Mabel: Question 6 & 7. [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• "I Yam What I Yam": Additional Small-group questions. [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]

Chapter 2: Surprised by Change: The Goal of Spiritual Life

• Part 1: Main Questions [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• Part 2: Additional small group questions [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• Part 3: Personal stuff [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]

Chapter 3: Training vs. Trying: The Truth about Spiritual Disciplines

• Part 1: Main Questions [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• Part 2: Additional small group questions [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• Part 3: Personal stuff [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]

John Ortberg now begins to look at specific spiritual disciplines.

How do we know what spiritual disciplines to practice? In a sense, the answer comes from thinking backwards

• First, we must understand clearly what it means to live in the Kingdom of God. Jesus spent much of his time helping people see what true spirituality looks like. [Get a vision, from God, for our life]


• Second, we must learn what particular barriers keep us from living that kind of life.


• Third, we must discover what particular practices, experiences, or relationships can help us overcome these barriers. . . .[And those are the spiritual disciplines we should practice]

For some of you reading this book, perhaps the single most spiritual thing you could do is put it down and take a nap -- John Ortberg

This is the most important thing I have gotten from the book so far: we do not do spiritual disciplines just so we can check them off a list. They are not, as Ortberg points out, a barometer of spirituality or a way to earn favor with God. They are a way to enable the transformation God wants to make in your life.

So, if you do not feel the hurry in your life cramps your spiritual style you can ignore that discipline. The book presents ten different spiritual practices and/or experiences which may or may not be helpful in your path to the "Life You've Always Wanted":

Chapter 4: A "Dee Dah Day": The Practice of Celebration

• Part 1: Main Questions [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• Part 2: Additional small group questions and misc. [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]

Chapter 5: An Unhurried Life: The Practice of "Slowing"

• Part 1: Main Questions [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• Part 2: Additional small group questions and misc. [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]

Chapter 6: Interrupting Heaven: The Practice of Prayer

• Part 1: Main Questions [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• Part 2: Additional small group questions and misc. [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]

Chapter 7: "Appropriate Smallness": The Practice of Servanthood

• Part 1: Questions 1-5 [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• Part 2: Questions 6-7, Add'l small group questions, Misc. [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]

Chapter 8: Life Beyond Regret: The Practice of Confession

• Part 1: Main Questions [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]
• Part 2: Add'l small group questions, Misc. [Brain Cramps; Street Prophets]

Chapter 9: The Guided Life: Receiving Guidance from the Holy Spirit
Chapter 10: A Life of Freedom: The Practice of Secrecy
Chapter 11: An Undivided Life: The Practice of Reflection on Scripture
Chapter 12: Life with a Well-ordered Heart: Developing Your own "Rule of Life"
Chapter 13: A Life of Endurance: The Experience of Suffering

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"We Shall Morph Indeed" Pt. 1

The back cover for John Ortberg's The Life You've Always Wanted:

The heart of Christianity is transformation--a relationship with God that impacts not just our "spiritual lives," but every aspect of living. John Ortberg calls readers back to the dynamic heartbeat of Christianity--God's power to bring change and growth--and reveals both the how and why of transformation

. . . It's a road map toward true transformation that starts not with the individual but with the object of the journey--Jesus Christ.

As with a marathon runner, the secret to winning the race lies not in trying harder, but in training consistently--training with the spiritual disciplines. The disciplines are neither taskmasters nor an end in themselves. Rather they are exercises that build strength and endurance for the road of growth. The fruit of the Spirit--joy, peace, kindness, etc.--are the signposts along the way.

For some "look ahead" at the book, I have posted the chapter titles at the index link at the bottom.

A word on this series (???): It will be a series if it turns into a study group/discussion. People can come and go; lurk or not - but for now a few things are obvious to me:

• This is a book about spiritual transformation from the perspective of a follower of Christ. One thing I have seen at Street Prophets is that spiritual truths for different faith communities overlap and/or rely on similiar views with different language. This discussion is not limited to Christians - but it is being led from a Christian book by a Christian.


• Like the prayer closet, this will be a safe place. If people choose to be open and vulnerable about their spiritual path, transformation, fears and struggles - they will not be slapped for it. Paul said

  Ephesians 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

• While the community may be safe, it isnt private - open and transparent is good but be discreet


• This is a group discussion - if no one participates I will end it; and have mercy on all


• As in the small group I am in, if these discussions kick off tangents we may step away from the book and pursue them, coming back later.

* * * * *

Chapter One is sub-titled "The Hope of Transformation", with these two quotes to kick it off

"Now with God's help, I will become myself" -- Soren Kierkegaard

"I could not quiet that pearly ache in my heart that I diagnosed as the cry of home" -- Pat Conroy

The first question in the study guide:

The author talks about the reality that we all live with disappointment. He talks about us having "a nagging sense that all is not as it should be". What is one disappointment you live with as you look back over your life?

I do not think about disappointment much - but I wish that I could have finished college with a degree that I could use in a career (or really vocation). I feel trapped in my current job for lack of other skills.

The second question:

Looking at Soren's quote above: In the moments that you get a glimpse and vision of what God wants you to be, what do you see?

This is related to the first question: a teaching ministry.

Next in series: "We Shall Morph Indeed" Pt. 2
Index to Series

Read more!

Christian Carnvial Catchup: 139 and 140

CXXXIX

The introduction from Carl at Thoughts of a Gyrovague:

This weeks posts are not in any particular order. I am not as creative as some of you with determining themes, but here they are.

* * * * *
CXL

The introduction from Leslie at Lux Venit:

Welcome to Christian Carnival CXL! As your hostess/trainer, I hope to guide you on an uplifting tour and work-out.

The Apostle Paul likened the Christian life to that of a runner who runs in a race to win. The runner rigorously trains. Paul also used the metaphor of a soldier. Both the runner and the soldier must train and learn discipline. This week's carnival offers all that and a PowerBar! Let's get started!

About Christian Carnival:

Contributing a Post to the Christian Carnival

The Christian Carnival is open to Christians of Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic convictions. One of the goals of this Carnival is to offer our readers to a broad range of Christian thought.

Posts need not be of a theological topic. Posts about home life, politics, or current events, for example, written from a Christian worldview are welcome.

Update: As the goal of this Carnival is to highlight Christian thought in the blogosphere, entries will be limited to blogs that share that goal. Blogs with content that is focused on a business, that has potentially offensive material Christians may not want to link to on their sites, or has no reference to distinctively Christian thought may not be included in this Carnival. There are other Carnivals that would be a more appropriate venue for that material. I realize that this will be a judgment call on the part of the Carnival administrator, and being human she may make mistakes. However, as the Christian Carnival is getting quite large, and it is sometimes questionable whether the entrants are seeking to promote Christian thought, I find this necessary.

Update: We also expect a level of discourse that is suitable for a Christian showcase. Thus entries may be refused if they engage in name-calling, ad hominem attacks, offensive language, or for any similar reason as judged by the administrator.

So, if you have a post in this framework - go here to find out more: Christian Carnival Participation Instructions

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The Four Gods of America

[Crossposted from Street Prophets]

The most interesting (to me) of a number of interesting stories at World Magazine Blog is about how Americans view God:

The Gallup survey reveals that Americans hold four distinct views of God's personality and involvement in their lives: Authoritarian, Benevolent, Critical, or Distant. Says Baylor's Christopher Bader, "You learn more about people's moral and political behavior if you know their image of God than almost any other measure. It turns out to be more powerful a predictor of social and political views than the usual markers of church attendance or belief in the Bible."

From the USA Today article, "View of God can reveal your values and politics":

Forget denominational brands or doctrines or even once-salient terms like "Religious Right." Even the oft-used "Evangelical" appears to be losing ground.

Believers just don't see themselves the way the media and politicians -- or even their pastors -- do, according to the national survey of 1,721 Americans, by far the most comprehensive national religion survey to date.

Pastordan dealt with one aspect of this poll in "God Really Is Winning?"; but I think the interesting part of the poll was the breakdown of how people viewed God into four types:

• The Authoritarian God (31.4% of Americans overall, 43.3% in the South):

  is angry at humanity's sins and engaged in every creature's life and world affairs. He is ready to throw the thunderbolt of judgment down on "the unfaithful or ungodly," Bader says.

  Those who envision God this way "are religiously and politically conservative people, more often black Protestants and white evangelicals," Bader says. "(They) want an active, Christian-values-based government with federal funding for faith-based social services and prayer in the schools."

  They're also the most inclined to say God favors the USA in world affairs (32.1% vs. 18.6% overall).

• The Benevolent God (23% overall, 28.8% in the Midwest):

  still sets absolute standards for mankind in the Bible. More than half (54.8%) want the government to advocate Christian values.

  But this group, which draws more from mainline Protestants, Catholics and Jews, sees primarily a forgiving God, more like the father who embraces his repentant prodigal son in the Bible, Froese says.

  They're inclined (68.1%) to say caring for the sick and needy ranks highest on the list of what it means to be a good person.

  This is the group in which the Rev. Jeremy Johnston, executive pastor and communications director for his father's 5,000-member Southern Baptist congregation in Overland Park, Kan., places himself.

  "God is in control of everything. He's grieved by the sin of the world, by any created person who doesn't follow him. But I see (a) God ... who loves us, who sees us for who we really are. We serve a God of the second, third, fourth and fifth chance," Johnston says.

• The Critical God (16% overall, 21.2% in the East):

  has his judgmental eye on the world, but he's not going to intervene, either to punish or to comfort.

  "This group is more paradoxical," Bader says. "They have very traditional beliefs, picturing God as the classic bearded old man on high. Yet they're less inclined to go to church or affiliate seriously with religious groups. They are less inclined to see God as active in the world. Their politics are definitely not liberal, but they're not quite conservative, either."

  Those who picture a critical God are significantly less likely to draw absolute moral lines on hot-button issues such as abortion, gay marriage or embryonic stem cell research.

  For example, 57% overall say gay marriage is always wrong compared with 80.6% for those who see an authoritarian God, and 65.8% for those who see God as benevolent. For those who believe in a critical God, it was 54.7%.

• The Distant God (24.4% overall, 30.3% in the West):

  is "no bearded old man in the sky raining down his opinions on us," Bader says. Followers of this God see a cosmic force that launched the world, then left it spinning on its own.

  This has strongest appeal for Catholics, mainline Protestants and Jews. It's also strong among "moral relativists," those least likely to say any moral choice is always wrong, and among those who don't attend church, Bader says.

  Only 3.8% of this group say embryonic stem cell research is always wrong, compared with 38.5% of those who see an authoritarian God, 22.7% for those who see God as benevolent and 13.2% who see God as critical but disengaged.

  "I still believe in God," says Joanne Meehl, 56, of Barre, Mass., who wrote a book in the mid-'90s called Recovering Catholics. "But to me God is the universe, not as small as a `He' or a `She' but bigger than all of that." Humanity is on its own, she says. "People who do wrong are punished in this world, not in the next. This world is it."

About the Baylor survey:

The Baylor team will spend two years digging through the findings and releasing reports on subtopics such as civic involvement and volunteerism, then repeat the core questions in fall 2007 to track trends. The research is funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll, calls the analysis "intriguing. Baylor was able to ask many more probing questions than the usual surveys."

Others agree.

The Four Gods breakdown is helpful "if you are trying to understand religion's impact on society by how people see themselves from the inside, not by observations from outsiders," says John Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Baylor researchers determined the Four Gods breakdown by analyzing questions about God's personality and engagement.

The survey asked respondents to agree or disagree with any of 10 descriptions of their "personal understanding of what God is like," including phrases such as "angered by my sins" or "removed from worldly affairs." They could check off 16 adjectives they believe describe God, including words such as "absolute," "wrathful," "forgiving," "friendly" or "distant."

Some other reported statistics:

• "Though 12.2% overall say abortion is wrong in all circumstances, the number nearly doubles to 23.4% for those who see an authoritarian God and slides to 1.5% for followers of a distant God."


• "45.6% of all Americans say the federal government "should advocate Christian values," but 74.5% of believers in an authoritarian God do."

  Sociologist Paul Froese says the survey finds the stereotype that conservatives are religious and liberals are secular is "simply not true. Political liberals and conservatives are both religious. They just have different religious views."
  

• About one in nine (10.8%) respondents have no religious ties at all; previous national surveys found 14%. The Baylor survey, unlike others, asked people to write in the names and addresses of where they worship, and many who said "none" or "don't know" when asked about their religious identity named a church they occasionally attend.


• The paranormal -- beliefs outside conventional organized religion -- is immensely popular. Most people said they believe in prophetic dreams; four in 10 say there were once "ancient advanced civilizations" such as Atlantis.


• *"Evangelical" may be losing favor as a way Americans describe themselves. About one in three Americans say they belong to denominations that theologians consider evangelical, but only 14% of all respondents in the survey say this is one way they would describe themselves. Only 2.2% called it the single best term. Top choices overall: "Bible-believing" (20.5%) or "born-again" (18.6%).

  "Any politician who really wants to connect with Christians should be looking at those terms, not vague abstractions like evangelical. ... They need to tap into labels that have salience," Baylor sociologist Kevin Dougherty says.
  

• Most Americans think their nearest and dearest are going to heaven. The pearly gates open widest for family (75.3% say they'll get in) and personal friends (69.3%). The survey did not ask whether people expect to go to heaven themselves.


• Religion-themed movies and books have a vast reach: 44.3% of those polled saw Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ. More than one in 10 of all surveyed say they spent $50 or more in the past month on items such as religious books, music and jewelry.

  A closer look at what people read finds that 28.5% of Americans say they've read The Da Vinci Code. Baylor also found 19%, including 25% of all U.S. women, have read the Rev. Rick Warren's Christian handbook The Purpose-Driven Life, and 19% overall have read at least one of the novels in the Left Behind apocalyptic fiction series.

What kind of God do you see? While I think God can be Authoritative, Benevolent, Critical, and Distant in HIs nature at times (and for periods of history) - my own responses to the poll would have put me in the Benevolent group. Of course, that is only a guess since I haven't seen the questions.

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Women in Ministry

Scot McKnight at The Jesus Creed begins a new series on "Women in Ministry"

. . . as long as everyone behaves. Some of these will pertain to specific issues women face who are in ministries, some will be about biblical texts and themes, and yet others will be about theological issues. The number of issues we could converse about is so vast that I'm not sure how even to begin. What I chose to do was begin with someone who ministered: Mary, mother of Jesus.

His conclusion

If we take Mary as an example of "ministry," we would say women are:

1. Empowered by God to speak prophetically in the power of the Spirit,
2. Expected to teach their children the ways of God in this world as a result of their own grasp of Scripture, and they can
3. Establish direction in the Church by bearing witness to what God is doing through them.

I'd like to say more, but I don't want to give away all my secrets.

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Christian Carnival CXXXVIII (138) is up

The introduction from Karen Marie at From the Anchor Hold:

The Kingdom Beacon Herald

Rubbing the sleepiness from your eyes, you fetch the morning paper from the porch. Opening it, there are many sections and feature departments for your information and entertainment.

and the call is out for #139: the deadline is tomorrow at midnight.

About Christian Carnival:

Contributing a Post to the Christian Carnival

The Christian Carnival is open to Christians of Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic convictions. One of the goals of this Carnival is to offer our readers to a broad range of Christian thought.

Posts need not be of a theological topic. Posts about home life, politics, or current events, for example, written from a Christian worldview are welcome.

Update: As the goal of this Carnival is to highlight Christian thought in the blogosphere, entries will be limited to blogs that share that goal. Blogs with content that is focused on a business, that has potentially offensive material Christians may not want to link to on their sites, or has no reference to distinctively Christian thought may not be included in this Carnival. There are other Carnivals that would be a more appropriate venue for that material. I realize that this will be a judgment call on the part of the Carnival administrator, and being human she may make mistakes. However, as the Christian Carnival is getting quite large, and it is sometimes questionable whether the entrants are seeking to promote Christian thought, I find this necessary.

Update: We also expect a level of discourse that is suitable for a Christian showcase. Thus entries may be refused if they engage in name-calling, ad hominem attacks, offensive language, or for any similar reason as judged by the administrator.

So, if you have a post in this framework - go here to find out more: Christian Carnival Participation Instructions.

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What is a Christian?

[Crossposted in modified form from Street Prophets]

Cross and Flame presented "Why 'Christian Wrestling' is Neither". It raises in my brain a broader definitional question that can be seen in many discussions over whether liberal or conservative Christians are "really" Christians? Or whether Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell are Christians? Or whether any particular individual acting badly is a Christian?

For the argument I will bow to C.S. Lewis in the "Preface" to Mere Christianity:

Far deeper objections may be felt - and have been expressed - against my use of the word Christian to mean one who accepts the common doctrines of Christianity. People ask: 'Who are you, to lay down who is, and who is not a Christian?': or 'May not many a man who cannot believe these doctrines be far more truly a Christian, far closer to the spirit of Christ, than some who do?' Now this objection is in one sense very right, very charitable, very spiritual, very sensitive. It has every available quality except that of being useful. We simply cannot, without disaster, use language as these objectors want us to use it. I will try to make this clear by the history of another, and very much less important, word.

The word gentleman 'originally meant something recognisable; one who had a coat of arms and some landed property. When you called someone 'a gentleman' you were not paying him a compliment, but merely stating a fact. If you said he was not 'a gentleman' you were not insulting him, but giving information. There was no contradiction in saying that John was a liar and a gentleman; any more than there now is in saying that James is a fool and an M.A. But then there came people who said - so rightly, charitably, spiritually, sensitively, so anything but usefully - 'Ah but surely the important thing about a gentleman is not the coat of arms and the land, but the behaviour? Surely he is the true gentleman who behaves as a gentleman should? Surely in that sense Edward is far more truly a gentleman than John?' They meant well. To be honourable and courteous and brave is of course a far better thing than to have a coat of arms. But it is not the same thing. Worse still, it is not a thing everyone will agree about. To call a man 'a gentleman' in this new, refined sense, becomes, in fact, not a way of giving information about him, but a way of praising him: to deny that he is 'a gentleman' becomes simply a way of insulting him. When a word ceases to be a term of description and becomes merely a term of praise, it no longer tells you facts about the object: it only tells you about the speaker's attitude to that object. (A 'nice' meal only means a meal the speaker likes.) A gentleman, once it has been spiritualised and refined out of its old coarse, objective sense, means hardly more than a man whom the speaker likes. As a result, gentleman is now a useless word. We had lots of terms of approval already, so it was not needed for that use; on the other hand if anyone (say, in a historical work) wants to use it in its old sense, he cannot do so without explanations. It has been spoiled for that purpose.

Now if once we allow people to start spiritualising and refining, or as they might say 'deepening', the sense of the word Christian, it too will speedily become a useless word. In the first place, Christians themselves will never be able to apply it to anyone. It is not for us to say who, in the deepest sense, is or is not close to the spirit of Christ. We do not see into men's hearts. We' cannot judge, and are indeed forbidden to judge. It would be wicked arrogance for us to say that any man is, or is not, a Christian in this refined sense. And obviously a word which we can never apply is not going to he a very useful word. As for the unbelievers, they will no doubt cheerfully use the word in the refined sense. It will become in their mouths simply a term of praise. In calling anyone a Christian they will mean that they think him a good man. But that way of using the word will be no enrichment of the language, for we already have the word good. Meanwhile, the word Christian will have been spoiled for any really useful purpose it might have served.

We must therefore stick to the original, obvious meaning. The name Christians was first given at Antioch (Acts 26) to 'the disciples', to those who accepted the teaching of the apostles. There is no question of its being restricted to those who profited by that teaching as much as they should have. There is no question of its being extended to those who in some refined, spiritual, inward fashion were 'far closer to the spirit of Christ' than the less satisfactory of the disciples. The point is not a theological or moral one. It is only a question of using words so that we can all understand what is being said. When a man who accepts the Christian doctrine lives unworthily of it, it is much clearer to say he is a bad Christian than to say he is not a Christian.

A related discussion occurred in "Prosperity Theology" where I took issue with labeling this theology as "the anti-thesis of the Christian faith".

So, what is the Godly way to disagree with followers of Christ who we think "have it wrong"? What say you all.

[Here is another related post at Cerulean Sanctum: "Has the Christian Blogosphere Lost Its Collective Mind?"]

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