It is Friday… Link Time.
Something I Liked
A cool article about how to discern vocational calling.
This is a few months old, and describes the weekly rehearsal plan for the bands Northpoint Community Church. Lesson-Practice makes better than no practice.
I have been waiting to post this until the election is over.
Our church staff just made a leadership structure transition similar to the one described here.
I think it is common knowledge that Mark Driscoll is a little crazy. (kind of a compliment from me) But his assessment of what the election reveals about the human heart is spot on.
Something Free You Can (must) Download
Phil Wickham is great. He made a live acoustic album. It is free. Click Here.
Something That is Awesome (maybe) or Crazy (definitely) or Both
This is gutsy.
Something That is David Crowder and I Still Wish I Was Him
Look at This.
Have a Great Day,
LMac
Categorized as: From Luke, Luke's Links
November 7th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Hey Luke,
I’m having a hard time with this whole thing about “being political” Are we talking about whether we think abortion is a sin? If it’s just being “political” then how can you say that ANYTHING is a sin? It’s just a personal opinion, right? I’m really sick to death of hearing that abortion is a personal opinion. I’m sorry, but I think the murder of unborn babies is a sin specifically in the bible.
November 10th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Greetings in Christ,
This comment is sent with much love from a sister who has been encouraged and edified by the Walk in the Word ministries. I listen almost daily, and am always impressed with Dr. MacDonald’s love for the Word and have pointed many people to your program and resources.
I was disappointed, however, to see the link to the pastor’s blog to the very partisan commentary in the Worship Leader blog about Barack Obama. I am not a partisan person, I am not “in the tank” for our president elect by any means, but I have grown so weary of the partisan politics in the church, and the narrow-mindedness of the Christian right in our country (eg yes, Obama is pro-abortion, and I despise that. But McCain is pro-war, which I also despise, and if soeone can tell me exactly how war is “pro-life”, I’d love to hear it) and believe so strongly that the church needs to remain non-partisan. Can the church speak out about moral issues? Of course, that is her duty. But getting behind one candidate or party, and demonizing another, and implying that a Christian in a postion of leadership aught not retain that right if her child is pro-Obama, is beyond the pale.
The link to Mark Driscoll’s article was much more on the mark as far as the kind of commentary I hope to see from ourc hurch leaders, pointing us all back to Christ, and not twards partisan, divisive politics and name-pointing. In truth and in love I expect more from Dr. MacDonald and Walk in the Word and I hope not to see such opnions lifted up in the future.
Your sister in Christ,
Nicole Mueller
November 10th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Nicole,
Thanks for your thoughts. The author of the link you mention is clearly not in favor of Obama. But I think you missed the larger point of the piece. At the end of the article, the author was making the point that the Worship Magazine should not have posted a photo of a Christian leader’s daughter wearing a political shirt supporting either party. In other words, the piece was about not mixing politics with corporate worship. I doubt the author of the piece would have been any happier with the young lady wearing a McCain T-shirt. So it was pretty much in the same spirit as the Driscoll article.
At least that’s how I read it.
blessings,
November 10th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
So my wife is in Israel with Dr. MacDonald. Can you get a message to her? Just tell her all is well here and Death Valley was great.
Dan Traxler
wife is Julie
November 12th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
“I doubt the author of the piece would have been any happier with the young lady wearing a McCain T-shirt.”
That, Gerald, is not true and I think we all know it. There is no way a McCain t-shirt would have attracted this kind of predictable knee-jerk reaction from Christians.
The original article (I have not seen it) was about children leaving the church. Do we wonder why? Of course there are many reasons but I assure you that the mentality that says “Good Christian girls don’t wear Obama t-shirts” is right up there. I share Nicole’s disappointment.
November 12th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Richard,
Actually, if I didn’t think what I wrote was true, I wouldn’t have written it. (That would be lying.) The part of the piece I was referring to was this final paragraph:
You should NEVER make a public endorsement of ANY candidate in a publication targeted at worship leaders, regardless of their values. Politics brings out the worst in a lot of people.”
He’s clearly not a fan of Obama, and thinks that Obama and Christianity doesn’t mix. My point wasn’t to try to argue that the author was politically neutral in this particular piece, but to point out that author of the post is not in favor of any political T-shirts in a corporate worship context (as I mentioned above), regardless of party. That was my point. And I’m fairly certain that was Luke’s original intent in linking to the post at all.
Anyone who has been around Harvest for a while–particularly this election season–knows that we don’t get ramped up about who needs to be in office, nor is there any attempt made to impose a certain political agenda on our people. Zero. Zip. Politics barely get mentioned from the pulpit at all except to say that there are mature Christians in both major parties, and that Jesus is bigger than politics.
Hope his helps to clarify the spirit in all of this.
November 12th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Sorry Dan, you’re on your own
.
November 12th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Thanks for the clarification, Gerald, and please forgive me for my uncalled-for words. No slight was intended.
I will maintain, however, that despite the paragraph you quote, had the young lady been wearing a pro-Republican t-shirt the protest article would not have been written. The writer makes a valid point about not endorsing any candidate but seems evident that what provoked him was the “endorsement” of a particular candidate.
November 12th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Richard,
I agree with you. While not liking the connection between politics and worship, the author probably wouldn’t have been so worked if it gone the other way.
No hard feelings. Many blessings,
November 15th, 2008 at 2:55 am
I don’t think it is any more possible to seperate politics from religion than it is to seperate a limb from your body and retain use of it. To attempt to seperate religion and faith is really dancing around the subject. Politics is the application of our faith in a social or collective manner. I honestly don’t understand how any Christian who weighs all the issuse against the scripture can voter for democrats or republicans. Democrats want to the destroy the foundation of our society and all laws which, like it or not, is in fact scripture and Christian values. This is demonstrated in their stance on Gay marriage, Trans-gender issues, abortion and liberty. On the other hand republicans economic policies oppress the poor, disenfranchises all oposition in a way that errodes democracy and liberty. Sadly the republicans are so good at lying they have convinced the vast majority of Christians that they are neither patriotic nor good Christians if they vote anything other than republican. As long as there are only republicans and democrats running for office, we the people will loose.
Consider the book of Acts and how the first believers and followers of Christ lived. They gave freely to any as they had need. They were not perfect but surely they were closer to right living than we are. Who would Jesus or the Apostle Paul vote for? They would surely vote the same but I don’t believe they would vote for either of those two.
November 15th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Hey guys and gals, I’m the author of the post in question (wondering if I should admit that after the beating I’m taking on it). I want to thank Luke for linking to my site.
I also want to take the time to thank all of you for reading it.
I do feel I need to clarify something. McCain stickers made me as nauseated me as much as Obama stickers did during this election. Trust me, if the girl had been wearing a McCain t-shirt, I promise I would have been just as aggravated.
While I like Obama less than McCain, I really don’t like either of the rascals.
This may come as a shock to some of you, but I actually tend to agree with Richard.
The whole point of the post was to determine what you thought of Julie’s decision to include a picture of her daughter wearing a political candidates t-shirt.
My other posts are nothing like this, I assure you. This one just happened to be super controversial and caught some attention. I apologize if anyone took me the wrong way.
Again, thank you for visiting and be blessed!