Icoc-Subculture on pinakidion

For the Love of Mike

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000

1994 Called

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Strange Religion

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Out of the Blue

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000

A New Forum

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Stresiand Who?

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Beware the Streisand Effect

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Gang of Nine Retires

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The Return of the UPC

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000

One of Those Things

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The Bully Pulpit

Wed, 23 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Who's First?

Wed, 23 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Civil War

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Denial, Not Just a River in Egypt

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000

In Central America

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Coming for a Visit

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Bite the Hand that Feeds You

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

After Six Months Off

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Unenviable Position

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

What TTK Said

Sun, 22 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Could Be

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Last Weekend

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Not Wordpress

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Last of the Feelgood Thrills

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Hawaii

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Dialogue with Edgar - I & II

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Out of Thoughtful Reponses

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Not that anyone is keeping track

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Fun with Numbers

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Membership Has Its Privileges, Too

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000

About 40 Days

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Membership Has Its Privileges

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

What the Future Holds

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

And Now for Something Completely Different

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000

FWIW

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Right Thing

Wed, 31 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Quote of the Day

Sat, 27 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Bruce on the Unity Plan

Mon, 22 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

No Surprise

Mon, 22 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Now the Truth Comes Out

Tue, 16 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Unity Plan Postscript

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Recent Events

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The List

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Tough Place to Be

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Day After

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The First Shot

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Theological Issues

Tue, 14 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

I am famous for my more-later’s. It usually means that I had a series of complete thoughts, but not a complete idea, or the time to develop the complete idea. Well, this time, I think I have the time to finish at least one of these more-later’s. This one pertains to the theological issues in the Unity Proposal. It is long.

The theological issues are:

The inconsistency of our overall theology.
Unresolved issues regarding Control and Obedience

The Final Final Plan

Sun, 12 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

A Different Look

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Two Copies

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Just to Let You Know

Thu, 02 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

A Time to Build

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Other ICC

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

How We Understood the Bible

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Our Hermenutic - Rough Thoughts

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Interesting Developments

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

ICoC Missions

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Three Years

Thu, 02 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

On Interdependence

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Something soon

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Kipism on the Rise

Tue, 10 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Split of a Split...

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

And Now for Something Completely the Same

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Attack of the Clones

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Not Surprised

Mon, 05 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Upcoming Conference

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

A Kinder, Gentler ICoC

Thu, 10 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Tierra Del Fuego and Northward

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Disciples Creed

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Be My Guest

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Something I Need to Say

Wed, 19 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000

That's Saying Something

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000

No News Is Good News

Tue, 04 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Guiding Hand of God

Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Interesting Book

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Eye of the Storm

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Labor Day

Tue, 06 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

The Only Thing to Add

Tue, 06 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Unity and Its Pursuit

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Now What?

Mon, 29 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Say Something, Say Anything

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

A Calling of the Remnant

Tue, 23 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Thou Shalt Kill Foreign Leaders

Tue, 23 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Waiting for Godot

Tue, 23 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Troublemakers

Fri, 19 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

International Church of Starbucks

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Parable of the Minas

Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000

A Look Back at MOAC 2004

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Correction to Letter

Fri, 22 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Hope from MOAC 2005

Fri, 22 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Letter to DisciplesToday

Tue, 19 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

An article appeared on DisciplesToday called the New Frontier asking for feedback. I am going to post what I wrote back, but before I do, I felt like some explanation is in order.

You’d probably expect that I would dive in guns blazing going after these folks like I do others. However, I did not do any such thing and I want to explain why.

There is a difference between a threat and an invitation. A threat is our divisive brother in Portland demanding discipling. It is his way or the highway. He has already sought to reconstruct other churches and create division between evangelists and elders in Atlanta. His writings are intended to show that God is on his side, but not on yours, so get in line.

An invitation is something like what Roger wrote. It explains the problem as he sees it and asks for feedback in the way ahead. This is constructive and positive. We can be civil and talk about what we need to do. I think we need to do a lot, but there’s no sense in blasting an invitation, even if I disagree with Roger in certain matters. This is the kind of invitation I have been longing to see because I still have hope that the former ICoC can be something good. As it is, there is not much good in the ICoC subculture at all, but I believe that can change.

MOAC 2005

Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Where is the World is Henry Kriete?

Tue, 12 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

One Other Thing

Sat, 09 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

This May Be Unfair

Sat, 09 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Divisive Brother in Portland

Thu, 07 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

How to Achieve Ugly

Wed, 22 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Disciple as Verb III

Mon, 09 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

History of the ICoC Template?

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Disciple as Verb II

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Note: This has now been finished. This is the link to Part One

Discipling According to … What does discipling mean? It is not unique to the ICoC at all. The Navigators use this terminology and Mark Dever uses the term as a part of his Nine Marks of a Healthy Church ministry. It even appears in many baptist churches and in the Shepherding Movement amongst charasmatic churches. With so many variations, it presents a problem as the word discipling means different things to each group.

Disciple as a Verb

Mon, 18 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

When Was This Spoken?

Thu, 14 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

As for those who continue to oppose us, they are lost– not because their baptism became invalid, but the Scriptures are clear that those who oppose and grumble against God’s leaders and divide God’s church are, in fact, opposing God (Exodus 16:8; Numbers 16). Thus, the rebellious become lost because they do not have a true faith.

a) 2005 - Critics by Thomas McKean b) 2002 - Revolution through Restoration III - From Babylon to Zion by Thomas McKean c) 1994 - Revolution through restoration II - The 20th Century Church by Thomas McKean d) 1988 - Denver reconstruction by Thomas McKean

Two Concerns

Tue, 22 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

The Ministry Fair

Sun, 20 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Today was a lot of fun. A lot of this comes from the insight of my wife, to whom I want to give tons of credit. I’ve been looking forward to this for two weeks. My intial reaction wasn’t so positive, but after some time of prayer and reflection, I saw this as the potentially good idea that it turned out to be.

I’ve been thinking about how to present the “Teaching Ministry” in a way that will engage people. My biggest concern was that folks would think that they didn’t want to stand up and teach the Bible to a large group. There’s a difference between something called a “Teaching Ministry” and an “Adult Education Ministry”. The issue I had was trying to make it accessible to as many as possible. Why? Because this ministry needs others that can edit and organize. It needs folks to manage the church website and the church library. It needs perspectives from members of the church that can serve many people. In short, it needs more than just the teachers.

Spiritual Amnesia

Tue, 15 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

I recently heard a sermon from another church about the condition coined as Spiritual Amnesia. Reading Deut 8, the minister said that there were three ways to get Spiritual Amnesia:

Through time you age or mature. (Spiritual Alzheimer’s)
Get Hit on the head really hard.(Spiritual Concussion) This was explained as being hurt within the kingodm of God
Deut 11:1 - Our Children, or even young Christians, were never taught Spiritual History

A New Word I Never Want to Say Again

Mon, 14 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Notes on a Sermon from Another City

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000

The Business Driven Church

Wed, 19 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction I’ve been thinking about Portland, lately. A lot of critics are waiting for the Postmodern Day Movement of God(R) to implode, but it’s doing the exact opposite. Granted, the way that numbers are being kept may be suspect, the fact is that the Portland International Church of Christ is growing fairly quickly, as far as can be told by outside observers. For the sake of argument, I’m going to say that Thomas’s reporting of his church’s growth is accurate. Keep in mind that I’m talking about the numbers, not the causes.

Why is this happening? What draws so many people to this church?

Looking at some new members’ comments, they seem to mention some common elements: energy, growth, commitment, vision, and family. These aren’t bad things, in fact, most churches I’ve been to would love to have energy and growth. Are these valid reasons for being a part of any church, not just Portland? I’ll concede that these are desirable traits in any church, but I do not believe that any of these are valid for placing membership in a church. These things make the gospel attractive and naturally inviting, but these are not reasons. I can go to other places to find these things. Had I been alive at the time, I could’ve gone to Woodstock. Stated in terms of churches, though, I can find all these things in the Toronto Blessing, the Latter-Day Saints, Saddleback, the UBF and various other churches.

I went looking around to other places for reasons to join a church and I found a raft of possible answers including: accountability, fellowship, a place to use your gifts, and a place to share with like-minded believers. Again, there are other places for this: these are all reasons that the Marines give for enlisting. As far as churches go, then I can still be a part of LDS, Saddleback, the UBF, the Promise Keepers, etc.

Let me take a step back to prevent a big assumption. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure of heart for they will see God.” The pure in heart will see God in a variety of places. There is not just one place to find God, his people, or proper training in doctrine. My point is that any reason for going to church should be to point to faith in God and obedience to His word, not to some great feeling or modern sensibility.

The Peanut Gallery

Tue, 21 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Recently, I went off on the ICC Discussion Forum (no link provided) on a thread about reformed ICC churches. In case you don’t know, I’m very proud of my church and how far we’ve come and how bright the future appears. We’re not better than anyone and we certainly haven’t arrived - it’s just that I feel safe going to church and have no problems inviting my friends and family to it. I thought I’d never feel that way again.

A Study Series

Wed, 08 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Those that are a part of the ICC subculture know what the phrase ‘study series’ means. I use the term because it has some meaning, but I hope to discuss it in neutral terms. In other words, I hope to discuss its utility, purpose, and necessity. It seems particularly useful now because so many people want it. Its purpose seems self-evident, it is designed to equip the Christians to help someone else become a Christian. Its necessity is debatable. Maybe a new series is a stepping stone to a hope of a mature Christian confident and competent to use the Scriptures without the fear of teaching a ‘different’ gospel from other Christians.

In any case, a draft proposal to my church’s governing board will be presented tomorrow night. As such, it will be on my blog tomorrow sometime during the day. It may change, but the outline so far is this:

40 Theses

Fri, 19 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Three years ago there was a Unity meeting in Los Angelos to discuss the future of “our churches”. It’s hard to believe that it was three years ago - it seems like an eternity of time and space from that day to this.

Recently, I reread Henry’s letter and thought about our Post-HKL-Renaissance(tm). Have we really come so far? Have we changed at all? Henry himself is no longer part of the ICC (if my information is correct), but still visits them from time to time. He even has speaking engagements in various places. The question I have is have we missed our best chance to change?

Henry mentioned four fundamental issues in the ICC and then enumerated 40 specific areas of concern.

YAChaL(tm)

Mon, 15 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

The Great Paperchase(tm)

Fri, 12 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Had to do it

Fri, 20 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

A Note about M.O.A.C. 2004

Wed, 18 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

It Case You Thought I Forgot...

Wed, 18 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Godfather 3 and me

Tue, 10 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

The mad priestess sleeps

Mon, 09 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Halifax-Dartmouth looking for a minister

Wed, 04 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

No Global Domination Here

Wed, 04 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Word substitution exercise #2

Tue, 27 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

A word about HOPE

Sun, 25 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Watching a Trainwreck in Slow-Motion

Fri, 23 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Quick OOPS! note

Wed, 21 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

The Abscam Letters

Mon, 19 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Life in Smurf Village

Sat, 17 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

The UBF - Deja vu all over again

Tue, 13 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

To the previous generation of disciples:

Sat, 10 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Voice of America principle

Thu, 08 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000