These ten blog posts were not chosen by Leadership’s editors, but by the thousands of visitors to Out of Ur every month. Thanks for contributing to the conversation this year. In order of popularity, here’s a look back at the most visited and commented upon posts from ?06.
1.
Brian McLaren on the Homosexual Question
Finding a pastoral response.
The couple approached me immediately after the service. This was their first time visiting, and they really enjoyed the service, they said, but they had one question. You can guess what the question was about: not transubstantiation, not speaking in tongues, not inerrancy or eschatology, but where our church stood on homosexuality. Read more.
2.
The Haggard Truth
Gordon McDonald on soul assassins and the future of evangelicalism.
It is difficult beyond description to watch Ted Haggard’s name and face dragged across the TV screen every hour on the news shows. But as my friend, Tony Campolo said in an interview last week, when we spend our lives seizing the microphone to speak to the world of our opinions and judgments, we should not surprised when the system redirects its spotlight to us, justly or unjustly, in our bad moments. Read more.
3.
Brian McLaren on the Homosexual Question (Part 4)
McLaren’s response.
I read with interest – and some pain – the first few days’ worth of responses to my article. I thought that some readers would be interested in a few of my responses to their responses. Read more.
4.
Brian McLaren on the Homosexual Question (Part 3)
A prologue and rant by Mark Driscoll.
Before I begin my rant, let me first defend myself. First, the guy who was among the first to share the gospel with me was a gay guy who was a friend. Second, I planted a church in my 20s in one of America’s least churched cities where the gay pride parade is much bigger than the march for Jesus. Third, my church is filled with people struggling with same sex attraction and gay couples do attend and we tell them about the transforming power of Jesus. Read more.
5.
Your Own Personal Jesus
Is the language of “a personal relationship” biblical?
So how does one have a personal relationship with someone you can’t talk to, share a glass of wine with, or even email? We need to do some fundamental reflection on the whole notion of having a “personal relationship” with Jesus Christ. Read more.
6.
Nudity in Church
Is it art or obscenity?
I got a call Sunday morning as I was driving to our worship gathering. A friend informed me that the coffeehouse our church worshiped in had new artwork displayed including a number of nude drawings. He asked what we should do? No one taught me how to handle this in seminary. Read more.
7.
Is Emergent the New Christian Left (Part 2)
Tony Jones takes on Chuck Colson and “true truth”.
Colson has had a burr under his saddle about the emerging church for some time – for instance, in his last column he equated the emerging church with namby-pamby praise music (as he was bemoaning how many Christian radio stations are dropping his daily commentaries). Read more.
8.
Word for Word
What is driving pastors to plagiarize?
In recent years I’ve been alarmed by how frequently I’m hearing reports of pastors plagiarizing sermons. Clearly, the internet has contributed to the problem. Sermons in both written and audio form are quickly accessible, and the temptation to plagiarize is easier than ever before to indulge. In this regard the sin differs little from the epidemic of internet pornography. Read more.
9.
The Greatest Show on Earth
Sunday morning should be the most entertaining time of the week.
For far too long the church has been lazy?that’s right?LAZY. We have sat back on our butt and done nothing, asking God to “do it all” while claiming to be “led by the Spirit.” And then people walk into our boring, lifeless, and predictable services and we give “God all the glory,” or all the blame! Read more.
10.
Pastoral Ambition
Does success chip away at our souls?
Something has happened in the past thirty or so years that has shifted our pastoral ethic from one of faithfulness to one of productivity and success. I believe this has stirred the fires of ambition. Given the nature of our American culture, this doesn’t surprise me. It also doesn’t surprise me that the battle with ambition will be a ferocious one, for the tendency toward self-absorption plagues every one of us. Read more.
