Tuesdays with Todd Friel

Folks, I just have to say that if you don't listen to Way of the Master Radio on a daily basis...you're missing out. No one does Christian Radio like these guys! In this segment of Way of the Master Radio, Todd talks with an ex-muslim who is now a Christian (very interesting history) also Todd brings in Ray comfort to talk with Atheist Dan Barker (yes this is the one Todd debated with at the University of Minnesota about a month ago) It gets crazy! Todd was a pastor for 17 years! What would you have said to Dan Barker? Click on the link, listen and let us know!
http://www.wotmradio.com/page/4/ You will be looking for podcast May 29th, Hour 1

Monday's with McLaren

Monday's quote from Brian McLaren in his book- A Generous Orthodoxy:

"I don’t mind if you think I’m wrong. I’m sure I am wrong about many things, although I’m not sure exactly which things I’m wrong about. I’m even sure I’m wrong about what I think I’m right about in at least some cases. So wherever you think I’m wrong, you could be right."

Would we accept such direction and leadership from a general???
“Alright troops, now we’re going to have to take this objective; ah, er…but maybe it’s the other one. Well, I’m not sure exactly which thing I could be wrong about, so I guess we’ll take um, the first one after-all…that is, ah, if you don’t mind. Anyway, we’ll attack by–oh, I think maybe we should use a flanking maneuver; or not, because I’m even sure I’m wrong about what I think I’m right about…at least I’m sure that is what I think…ah, I think…unless of course you think I’m wrong, you could be right.”

This is what makes it hard for me to accept McLaren's teachings about anything...His books are a good read and seem to be engaging and definite page turners, however, I do not want to feel like I am reading a Dan Brown book trying to decipher fact from fiction. When it come to books about spiritual truths, direction, and living, I should not have to read it as a mystery!

Way of the Pastor,
Joe

New Way of the Pastor Summer Showdown Schedule

First of all, let me say Thank You to the team of people who make "Way of the Pastor" possible day in and day out. Having such a network, "The Team" has informed me through your many emails and phone calls, of what you want more of in a blog! So because we care here at Way of the Pastor, here is a list of what you can look forward to in our brand new 2006 Way of the Pastor Summer Showdown:


Mondays with McLaren
Tuesdays with Todd "Freakeshly Tall" Friel
Wednesdays Ways to Witness
Thursday Night Theology Throw-Down
Fridays Freek Peek

I am looking forward to a wonderful summer with all of you who put the WAY in "Way of the Pastor.blogspot.com! Look there goes another minute...now go out and seek and save the lost!

Way of the Pastor,
Joe

Thursday Night Theology Throw-Down

Just a few quesitons to throw out there to those of you who "must have an opinion!" Please take your time to answer these questions and feel free to debate and challenge each other...as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another! If you have never posted before...here is your chance!



1. What must someone do to enter into heaven? Or if you don't like the way that question is phrased...how do we end up spending eternity in heaven?

2. What would you tell someone who said, "Why should I be a Christian (follower of Christ)?

3. What are you doing right now to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 27:18-20)?

New Caption of the Week

What do you think is going on in this picture?

The Devil’s Beatitudes

1. Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians - they are my best workers.
2. Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked-I can use them.
3. Blessed are the touchy who stop going to church -- they are my missionaries.
4. Blessed are the trouble makers-they shall be called my children.
5. Blessed are the complainers-I'm all ears to them.
6. Blessed are those who are bored with the minister's mannerisms and mistakes-for they get nothing out of his sermons.
7. Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church-for he is a part of the problem instead of the solution.
8. Blessed are those who gossip-for they shall cause strife and divisions that please me.
9. Blessed are those who are easily offended-for they will soon get angry and quit.
10. Blessed are those who do not give their offering to carry on God's work-for they are my helpers.

McLaren's brown bag special on Hell...part 2

I keep posting McLaren only because he keeps talking! So here it is! McLaren: Tony [Campolo] and I might disagree on the details, but I think we are both trying to find an alternative to both traditional Universalism and the narrow, exclusivist understanding of hell [that unless you explicitly accept and follow Jesus, you are excluded from eternal life with God and destined for hell].
Tony is presenting the inclusivist alternative. The fact is, many people who claim to be exclusivists are actually inclusivists and they don’t know it. For example, if you ask them if they believe all babies who die before or shortly after birth go to hell, they’ll say no, that children who die before the age of accountability are included in Christ’s saving work. They’ll say the same for people who are mentally incompetent, and so on. So really, strict exclusivists are rather rare.
My approach is a little different. Although in many ways I find myself closer to the view of God held by some universalists than I do the view held by some exclusivists, in the end I’d rather turn our attention from the questions WE think are important to the question JESUS thinks is most important.
We obsess on “who’s in” and “who’s out.” Jesus, however, seems to be asking the question, “How canthe kingdom of God more fully come on earth as it is in heaven, and how should disciples of the kingdom live to enter and welcome the kingdom?”


Way of the Pastor,
Joe

a "Different" kind of Church

General Motors launched its Saturn brand in 1990 with the tag line, “A different kind of company, a different kind of car.” GM believed they could carve out a market niche by addressing the collective American psyche's negative view of car dealers. They were right. Saturn’s “no-haggle” sales policy earned it awards for customer satisfaction. In the car business, it pays to be different. Dave Terpstra, pastor of The Next Level Church in Denver and a regular contributor to Out of Ur, has observed that many churches are adopting the “different is good” marketing strategy used by secular companies. (Who can forget, “Little. Yellow. Different.”?) But by championing our differences, are we treating other churches like fellow communities of Christ, or like competitors? Because my church’s primary service is on Tuesday nights, I have the opportunity to visit other area churches at least once a month. I call it my church-of-the-month club. This past Sunday I read this in the bulletin of the church I visited: “[Church Name] is a different kind of church.” They went on to explain how their church is for those who don’t like organized religion or for people who have not had their needs met by a traditional church. Another church I have visited was “different” because it was a place where there’s “no pressure or guilt.” Still another church I know claims to be different because it is for a new generation. I searched Google for “a different kind of church." Here are a few examples of what I found: “Your first impression of [church name] may be, “This doesn’t seem like a typical church.” And we think that’s good.” “[Church name] is a different kind of church, making a difference.” “Even if you didn't think you would ever feel comfortable in church, this is a different kind of church. We want to be your church.” Google returned 924 results. It seems “different” churches may not be so different after all. But that got me wondering—why do church leaders feel the need to advertise how different their church is from others? Admittedly, I have used this terminology when talking about my church. And it was in the not-too-distant past that our church used similar terminology very regularly. The simplest answer is that we are marketing to Christians. If we are targeting the “already convinced,” and if our growth is from transfers and people new in town, then we need to distinguish our product from the neighboring churches’ product. That’s not a new idea. In the past Protestant churches in America used to make distinctions based on theology. Now we do it with our ethos—captured in a snappy catch phrase. In previous generations we advertised our theology—like infant baptism, or entire sanctification, or speaking in tongues, or making it clear we didn’t believe in those things. Now we make sure the world knows our ethos—we care about families, or we stand for truth, or we are young, or we are accepting. None of the new statements are necessarily bad. My problem is when they are attached to the phrase “a different kind of church.” When we say we are different because we [fill in the blank]; what we are really doing is making a judgment about the churches around us. I hope your church does care about families. I hope you do stand for truth. I hope you are accepting. But the moment those ideas are labeled as “differences,” you have condemned other churches by making the assumption that they do not do these things. If your church is a place where there is no pressure or guilt, just say that. Why do you need to imply that my church has pressure and guilt? If your church is for a new generation—great! Let everyone know. Just don’t imply that other churches are not for a new generation. If we were selling Pepsi, I would tell you to attack Coke. But we are in the business of Christ and His Kingdom, and there is no benefit in smearing one expression of the Bride of Christ to make our version look more appealing to religious consumers.