I’ve Just Read a Wonderful Book…

Well I am back from a wonderful holiday, all the better for having had the chance to share part of it with some great friends. For some time I’d been planning to read the book, ‘So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore‘, by Jake Colsen (a pseudonym for Wayne Jacobsen and Dave Coleman), and finally was able to do so while away.

What a liberating read.

It wasn’t as if I’d not come across the concepts in the book before, and many of those who’ve read this blog from time to time would be familiar with at least some of them. However, I’ve never before come across such an effective story that brings all these things together in one place, with a powerful effect on the reader. Even before I got terribly far into the book, I found myself relaxing into an enormous sense of peace and freedom about life with Jesus.

The book expresses all sorts of observations about different forms of organised ‘church’, in the form of a story about a pastor whose journey takes an unexpected turn. More importantly, it expresses so much about the love and grace of our Father.

It gives a graphic illustration of a transition from trusting in our own methods to achieve what we think are God’s purposes, to trusting in God’s work in and through us, putting aside religion along the way. It is not about putting aside things for their own sake, or fighting against them, so much as just listening to what our Father says to us on a daily basis and responding to that.

Anyway, it is impossible for me to describe the content of the book and do it justice. It really needs to be read. I intend to read it several more times. My trust in God has been enormously encouraged by the story, and I am experiencing a real peace and rest in Him.

I’d recommend it to anyone who has a sense of disquiet about their church experience for whatever reason, and for anyone who is just seeking a greater understanding of our Father, and His love for and work in us.

Possibly this book may help people heal in their relationship with God where they may have been hurt by religion or religious people in the past.

This book is available online in pdf form or may be ordered in hard copy here.

God bless you all!

RavingPente

Kevin Rudd believes in an Intelligent Designer

Will Kevin Rudd’s proposed sweeping changes to the education system include courses on Intelligent Design now that we know he believes in the Designer?

From ninemsn, an interesting interview with the Australian PM, Kevin Rudd:

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the ordered nature of the cosmos convinces him of the existence of God.

Mr Rudd, a regularly practising Anglican, was on Friday asked on Fairfax Radio in Brisbane to give his single biggest argument in favour of the existence of God.

“As you know I’m a believer and I’ve never pretended not to be and I respect those who have no religious belief – it’s a free country,” Mr Rudd said.

“For me, it’s ultimately the order of the cosmos or what I describe as the creation.

“You can’t simply have, in my own judgment, creation simply being a random event because it is so inherently ordered, and the fact that the natural environment is being ordered where it can properly coexist over time.

“If you were simply reducing that to mathematically probabilities I’ve got to say it probably wouldn’t have happened.

“So I think there is an intelligent mind at work.”

Mr Rudd said in his entire political life he had never been asked in a media interview to prove the existence of God.

“You … have a world first,” Mr Rudd said.

More sick than we knew

Lance highlights the story of Mike Guglielmucci, on his blog today:

The Mike Guglielmucci Hillsong Scandal.

Mike joins a long list of spiritual leaders who have been found to be ‘embellishing’ their personal testimonies. I wondered how this came about.

Here are some comments from a blog from 2006 onwards :

Don’t know if anyone else has heard this, but I was at worship practise this morning and out worship leader told us that Mike Guglielmucci has just found out that he has a blood disease

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when i heard he was sick, i laughed… not because i am happy he is sick, but because while he was at our church he was healed of:

Glandular Fever
Blood Clot in his brain
Brain Tumor
Burst Ear Drum

God is so going to get the glory for this one… just like the other ones. But keep praying!

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While at our church (while I was there) he was also healed of a broken leg in front of my eyes.

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I heard from Russel Evans that he has no hair on his body as of 1 week ago. I’m just wondering how the big fella is doing?

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he was preaching at church and at BIG. He currently has 33 broken bones including bothi his arms, and 8 places in his back. Mike is also in a wheelchair but his attitude is just amazing, he said that it hurts to lay down and he if he breaks a rib going to the toilet he may aswell break a bone doing something good.

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hey everyone!! The doc gave mike 9 months to live and 9½ months later here he is.. Mike preached at my youth group on friday 29th June…

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HEY GUYS!!!! INCREDIBLE NEWS!!!! THE HEALING PROCESS HAS BEGUN!!!! TODAY I WENT TO JOHN WESLEYS CHAPEL IN BRISTOL. AS I STOOD IN WESLEYS PULPIT GODS POWER TOUCHED MY BODY!!!! TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT. I LEFT MY WHEELCHAIR THERE!!!! MY BACK IS HEALED, MY HIPS ARE HEALED, MY LEGS ARE HEALED!!!! I STILL HAVE PAIN IN MY UPPER BODY BUT IT HAS STARTED!!!! PRAISE AND GLORY TO THE KING OF ALL KINGS!!!! MY SAVIOUR, MY PORTION, MY FREEDOM, MY HEALER!!!!!

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Why did people take Mike’s claims at face-value? Including people who knew him well and were experienced Pastors, like Russell Evans, and Mike’s father Danny? Including his own wife and family?

Is there an air of unreality that gets perpetuated in some churches, and in some Christian circles? Where zeal and testimony sometimes runs ahead of the facts? Was Mike healed of some affliction earlier on, and when he saw the amount of attention it brought and the increase to God’s kingdom, did he decide to replicate it?

Ju-ke-boox <<Mal-f-f-function BUMAC VITAS – ONEPA

I tried to hint for wazza to post his other hymn’s up and couldn’t find the songs he was going to post up.

So enjoy this thrilling piece of euro-ecstasy! I love it each time I listen to it, so enjoy this jukebox malfunction away from the hymns.

Are Evangelicals vulnerable to Cults

The Rev Dr Harold Bussell wrote an article in the Cultic Studies Journal in 1985 called “Why Evangelicals are vulnerable to Cults”. Writing from an Evangelical perspective he saw something in the personality and orientation of his fellow evangelicals which made them more vulnerable to cults than other Christians.

Evangelicals were not usually drawn to cults because of doctrine, but because of other factors. Doctrine was affected after a church turned into a cult, but was not the cause of turning into a cult.

Some of the factors which caused Evangelicals to be attracted to cults were :

• A foundation in identity by opposition. Ie. we oppose Islamists, the Gay lobby, Liberalism etc. etc.
• Idealised images of the Pastor, leading to covering up of sin or shortcomings
• Over-emphasis on testimonies and experiences leading to the Gospel being confused with the effects or the experience of the Gospel
• Group sharing leading to conformity, manipulation and inappropriate authority over lives
• Development of a sub-cultural spiritual language

Although written over 20 years ago, I think these points are even more relevant today especially in mega-church and pentecostal circles. Interesting that he echos a point that Lance recently made about the experience of the Gospel replacing the Gospel. Bussell says: “ If you think you or your church is not vulnerable to these dynamics, you are most vulnerable.”

The article is well worth reading at :
Why Evangelicals are vulnerable to Cults.