Matt Moore posted a new essay, "Rob Bell, Oprah Winfrey & Other People That Don’t Speak On Behalf Of The True Church" on Feb 19, 2015, and it got me thinking. It's a response to "Former Megachurch Pastor Rob Bell Tells Oprah the Church Is 'Moments Away' From Embracing Gay Marriage." From the article: Former Mars Hill Bible Church pastor and best-selling author Rob Bell told media mogul Oprah Winfrey on Sunday that the American church is "moments away" from embracing gay marriage and thinks "it's inevitable." Matt Moore said this: But I just want to assure you guys of something, because I surprisingly haven’t seen anyone else say it yet: Christ’s Church is not on the verge of embracing gay marriage, and it never will be. I agree with both statements. I agree with both statements even beyond the obvious irony - Matt refers to "Christ's Church" and Bell refers to "the American church," as if they're different entities - and I suppose in many ways they are. One can easily be a mem … [Read more...]
Jonah and Reason
I've been studying Jonah in preparation for the men's core training, and it's been ... interesting, and something that really concerns me (and concerns me about a lot in Christian life.) Jonah's been addressed by some of the greatest minds in Jewish culture - one being the Vilna Gaon, the "Genius of Vilna." He sees Jonah through the mists not only of history, but allegory: I wrote "Yona hereafter" and then applied this transliteration very inconsistently. Bleah. Jonah ("Yona" hereafter) is Hebrew for "dove," which is a symbol for the spirit or the soul (witness the "like a dove" in Matthew 3:16, descending to say that the Father was well-pleased in the Son, for example). The allegory runs something like this: Jonah, "the dove," or the soul - the son of Amitai, "truth" - is sent the message of proclaiming Nineveh - the world - why we are here (repentance, obedience to God.) Instead of going to Nineveh, into the world, the soul refuses, and descends into a body (the boat). The sea … [Read more...]