http://dmccallum.net A discussion about what authenticity should mean in the Christian church. Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:58:26 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I didn’t enjoy reading this book. The early chapters were slow and strange. The long encounter with God was preachy. The theology was not good. I didn’t feel attracted to Mack (the main character) at all. He seemed like an airhead with selfish expectations. I know people turn against ... http://dmccallum.net/2008/06/is-the-shack-emergent/ Ever heard this guy before? Mark Driscoll is his name. Take a look at his crazy YouTube video to see what's coming to the Summer Institute: [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSrZVF3FEUQ] http://dmccallum.net/2008/06/macho-man-comes-to-summer-institute/ Christine Wicker's book details numerous serious problems facing the evangelical church today, as explained in earlier posts. Read Part 1 Read Part 2 One of the most ominous facts she refers to comes from Josh McDowell. Wicker quotes McDowell from his book, The Last Christian Generation, saying. "It has been estimated that between ... http://dmccallum.net/2008/05/wickers-fall-of-the-evangelical-nation-part-3/ In the last post, we saw that Wicker's book raises troubling questions about the continuing viability of the evangelical church in America. Read Part 1 She's not the only authority arguing the same case. Professor Alvin Reid shows that at least 41% of Americans are hard-core unchurched (have no clear understanding of ... http://dmccallum.net/2008/05/assessing-the-fall-of-the-evangelical-nation-part-2/ As an evangelical leader myself, reading Wicker's book was not an exercise in edification. But it is a cold dose of reality, and although I don't believe all her claims, I think the thrust of what she says must be heard. She begins with her thesis: Evangelical Christianity in America is ... http://dmccallum.net/2008/05/face-the-facts-assessing-wickers-fall-of-the-evangelical-nation-part-1/ Collins' theory of "Biologos" Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Collins' version of theistic evolution should be called deistic evolution. He only allows God a role at the very beginning, setting up the machine at the time of the big bang. Even the arrival of abstract intelligence, morality, and the desire for ... http://dmccallum.net/2008/05/my-reaction-to-francis-collins-language-of-god-part-6/ Read earlier comments inPart 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Collins on Intelligent DesignCollins' assumption that scientists would never ignore or marginalize a new view, just because it's based on theistic assumptions seems quite naïve to me. Why would scientists be any different than other humans? While they may like formulating new theories, ... http://dmccallum.net/2008/05/my-reaction-to-collins-language-of-god-part-5/ Collins' work on biblical exegesis Read Part 1Read Part 2Read Part 3Collins says, "The concern about not accepting liberal interpretations of biblical texts is understandable."8 But he also says, "…parts of the Bible, such as the first few chapters of Genesis, the book of Job, the Song of Solomon, ... http://dmccallum.net/2008/05/my-reaction-to-collins-languag-of-god-part-4/ We have considered Francis Collins' views on the 'God of the gaps' argument and his views on the fossil record in Part 1 Part 2 Now we consider his work on: Interpreting molecular similarities Collins shows compelling evidence for similarity between human and mouse DNA, even in non-functional sections. His conclusion is that such similarity ... http://dmccallum.net/2008/04/my-reaction-to-francis-collins-language-or-god-part-3/ Read Part 1 In part 1, I argued that Francis Collins' warnings against any "God of the gaps" argument are overdone. If God has ever acted in supernatural ways, there would be gaps. Also, secular science has it's own imaginary phenomena to explain gaps. This time we examine his work on ... http://dmccallum.net/2008/04/my-reaction-to-collins-language-of-god-part-2/