It’s election time. No, not in the Calvinist sense, but in the political sense. Though there are some that would argue that who the next president will be has already been determined buy “them”. But I digress.

Much is being made of the candidates faith, especially in light of the recent whoop-tee-doo at Saddleback. Particularly Sen. Obama’s statements on abortion and gay marriage commingled with his professed Christian faith. I’ll get to those responses in a moment. What is being portrayed in the media and some books regarding Obama’s faith is the sincerity of his faith. As if sincerity is the test. They say that his faith permeates his politics. If that is the case then his sincere Christian faith isn’t a Biblical one.

(Before I get into this I want to point out that this isn’t an anti-Barak for president, nor is it a pro-McCain statement. It’s more of a commentary about how faith is lived out as well as how what it means to be a Christian has become skewed from the days of Jesus, Paul, and Peter to what it is today. This really isn’t a political rant, it just happens to be a good example of what’s happening in Christendom today.)
continue reading "Is sincere faith what matters most?"

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Well, we made it down here. So far the most I’ve paid for gas is $4.15/gallon. Still shocking. The car is getting descent millage for what is is. About 21mpg. The trip was incident free PTL. However, here is the not-so-calm part.
continue reading "The not-so-calm before the storm"

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Monday starts the CC Senior Pastors Conference. Having some social anxiety disorder means that I’m not as excited about going to this thing as others might be. Kelley Taylor actually had to bribe me to go this year. Personally, I can get as much out of the DVDs as being there. But I guess there is something to be said for getting your name and face out there. But here is what bugs me the most. I don’t like eating with other people. That’s just true in general but especially in a room full of yakity-yak pastors. I don’t like having the same conversation at every meal. “What’s your name? Where you from? Where is that? How long have you been there? Did you start it? How many are you running?” I guarantee that I will be asked that set of questions at every meal. 10 times I’m going to have to talk about the same thing. At least.
continue reading "Here we go!"

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So far as I know I’m not a prophet like Daniel or Ezekiel, people whom God used to convey facts about the future. Still, watching words and thoughts and books that are all the buzz these days, I can see the potential for something to happen as it relates to the emerging and the emergent church, and of course, post-modernism. And Bible teaching, Jesus centered churches like Calvary Chapel could be be in a prime position to meet the need. That is, unless, we get sucked into allowing for or enabling re-imagined Christianity for the 21st century in our fellowships. That’s the kind where Jesus isn’t really Jesus, sin isn’t really sin, God isn’t really God, you get the idea.
continue reading "What matters, who matters"

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I’ve found myself resonating a lot with Mark Driscoll lately. Yes, I know he’s reformed and Calvinist, that’s not what I mean. I mean most everything else I’ve heard from him. His attitude towards culture, his attitude towards the church and its mission, his attitude towards compromise in the name of communication and open doors. Heck (can I say “heck”? must be Driscoll rubbing off), I’d affiliate with Acts 29 if they weren’t openly/specifically reformed and Calvinist. But I don’tcondemn or criticize them for that. I’m sure some do. They are what they are and that’s cool. But what’s even more cool IMO is that they know and openly confess what they are not.
continue reading "What we are not"

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