We Need A Church Council

Michael Spencer September 9th, 2008

My friends will all tell you that I have, occasionally, a very strange idea or two, often inspired by my interaction with Christians of other traditions.

For example, I'd love to see some form of evangelical monasticism. I'm serious. We need to understand the vocation of prayer, and the worthiness of dedicating time and place to prayer.

When I want to pray for a day, I can go to any number of Catholic monasteries. If I had to stick with my Baptist tradition for sacred ground, I'd … (Read More)

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My Annoying Little Question About Jesus

Michael Spencer July 28th, 2008

Ah, my annoying little question. I do love it.

What question is that? Well, first a bit of background.

My experience with evangelicalism has sent me on a project that I call Jesus Shaped Spirituality. That's not a book title….yet. It is a blog title, but more importantly, it's a way of conceiving as much of Christianity as possible in a way that…

Connects directly with Jesus as presented in the Gospels and in the rest of scripture.

Imitates what Jesus would do, as best as w … (Read More)

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Finding Jesus At A.A.

Michael Spencer June 16th, 2008

I’m finishing Susan Cheever’s biography of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson, My Name Is Bill. For those who enjoy distinctively American biography and the intersection between spirituality and cultural history, Cheever’s book is outstanding and interesting.

It’s also a great prompt for those who are living through a “church crisis” and feeling spiritually homeless.

That would be me in the middle of that crisis, and best I can tell from my email, thousands and thousands of … (Read More)

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Etcetera - 05.13.08 - Dis-Orientation

Erik May 14th, 2008

Join me and Mr. Wood on this edition of Etcetera as we talk about changing sexual orientation. No…not us! Not that there's anything wrong with that. Use one of the options below to listen.

Jumping off of the discussion regarding homosexuals and evangelicals with Michael Spencer on SBE, we pulled out the list of all the other behaviors of non-inheritors of the kingdom of God. You won't find this as a surprise, but some of my junk is on that list. So we talk about that.

Here a … (Read More)

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Homosexuals & Evangelicals - The Internet Monk on SBE

Erik May 9th, 2008

The Internet Monk, Michael Spencer, joins us on Steve Brown Etc. this week to talk about gays, lesbians and evangelicals. Use one of the options below to listen.

When homosexuals listen to evangelicals, what do they hear? One friend of mine suggested that we sound like the teacher from the Peanuts cartoons, "Wa wah wa. Wah wa wa wah." But much of the time, our words are far more caustic. Join us as we discuss the subject in the context of Michael's insightful and controversi … (Read More)

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Jesus Watches Your Church Ad

Michael Spencer May 5th, 2008

Ever have a mystical experience? Mystical experiences aren’t exactly my strong point, but the Spirit has managed to get a few past my defenses over the years.

Once I was staying in the hospital with my mom. Mom was 82 and had just had a serious stroke. I stayed in the room with her for a week because she was really a mess, and as far as family went, I was it.

It was in the early hours of the morning, and mom had been awake, fighting the nurses, talking out of her head and refusing to sleep or … (Read More)

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