You have new Picture Mail!

When did this giant size become a medium? It’s next to a grande coffee from sbux. It’s huge! Seriously, huge! And It’s a medium! That means there’s a larger size. No wonder we’re a fat nation

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Guest Blogger (of sorts…): Transaction Theology

Joel Hunter (of BHT fame) responded to my question about transaction theology:

Hi there, Aaron. Michael has written a great article about this subject: http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/imonk-101-out-of-business-with-god. In general, a transaction is an exchange, a quid pro quo. It is also the basis for all religion. You do X, and the deity does Y in return.And this is certainly an element in how the God of the Bible has dealt with us. It’s all over the old covenant, for example.But: the Gospel is the death of religion (see the prodigal son for details–the older brother had a firm commitment to transactionalism, but his father wasn’t doing business that way). God declares forgiveness of sins through his Son and makes him King. You can’t *do* anything about it. You simply embrace the reality of it. (It’s like receiving a gift that comes to you with no strings attached.) The problem with thinking of repentance, believing and confessing as “our part” in the transaction of “getting saved” is that it inserts some business we have to attend to on our end in order to get our papers stamped “Saved!” by God. But I don’t think this is the Gospel that is presented to us in the NT. God is reconciling the world to himself in Christ…entirely at his own expense. God is no liar. Therefore, your sins really are forgiven and you have new life in Christ. Transactionalism induces you to make your primary concern whether or not you are in the position to say if the Gospel promises are true about you. But what the Gospel promises, it applies to you because Christ says so: “No, this really is my gift to you. It’s the bread of life. It’s living water.” So it’s not even about “your faith.” It’s about Christ’s good word. Embrace and cling to that. And let those other things (repentance, belief, confession) be a response to the reality.

Peace,
Joel

Some good thoughts here. It raises this question for me:

Joel, thanks for getting back to me. I hear what your saying, and
you’ve put it in a way that really hits where I’m at. Two questions:
can i post your email on my blog? And two, I’m struggling now with how
this reality of ‘forgiveness for the world’ doesn’t end up up at
universalism. I don’t think this is what The NT proclaims, but
if there is nothing i can do to ‘get saved’ then what must one do to
be saved, what do i tell people who want in to the community of God?
Thanks for interacting with me on this. Blessings!

And he responds:

I agree that the NT doesn’t teach universalism. However, it does teach unimaginable and superabundant grace. If we really preach and teach the grace of God that the NT presents to us, then that not-yet-dead transactional part of us will wince at what sounds like universalism. I think D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said something like “If people can’t accuse you of preaching universalism (or maybe antinomianism), then you aren’t preaching the Gospel.” Everything about the gratuity of grace militates against our religiosity that is constantly trying to get a toe in the door by works, even going so far as to reinterpret faith and trust in Christ as a work (i.e., something you can improve upon or get better at).What do you tell people who want to be in the community of God? It costs you nothing and it costs you everything. God’s forgiveness is extended to you in Christ. Receive and embrace that. Where do you find this gift? In the empty tomb. Jesus rolled the stone away not so that he could get out, but so that he could lead you in to die, and then raise you. What must you do to be saved? Be a good corpse. Be as cooperative in your own salvation as Lazarus was. Trust him at his word that you hear proclaimed and that is given to you in baptism, and be raised to new life.A blessed Easter week to you,
Joel

Again, good thoughts here. It’s actually right along the lines of what the Christology Theology Pub is I’m going to on Monday nights.

I’m sure, this is going to lead to more thoughts later.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Nothing much…

So, ya. This post is, straight up, about nothing at all.

I’m finding my self more relaxed today than I have been in a long, long, long, long while. It’s a good feeling.

There are a few long posts kicking around in this head of mine, but they might have to wait. I’m taking part in a theology pub about Christology. There is some reading involved there, so I might have to put other stuff on hold while I think about Jesus for a while.

That sounded worse on the screen than it did in my head.

Anyways, Here are a few links to check out:

Joe Thorn with a circle, triangle, and a square. Great post about whats going on at his church.

Parchment and Pen has a series starting on “Why Eastern Orthodoxy”. These guys always put out good stuff.

Have you found Twitter yet? Come on, you know you want to. It’s fun!

This is too hip for me.

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My God My God

I have a new poem/song up at savage Poetry. I would love to hear your reactions.

Letters from Kamp Krusty: In the Cubicle Next Door

Just read this.

Letters from Kamp Krusty: In the Cubicle Next Door

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One laptop per child

How cool is this? One laptop per child is a program to get a laptop into the hands of every child in developing countries.

The mission of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. In order to accomplish our goal, we need people who believe in what we’re doing and want to help make education for the world’s children a priority, not a privilege.

Now until November 26, 2007, there are doing a cool thing: when you give $399 ($200 is tax deductible) to get a laptop into the hands of a kid, they will give you one for a child in your life.

(HT: Noel Heikkinen)

NaNoWriMo

Update 11/12/07: I’m trying. 2837 words so far. I’ve hit kind of a wall with my story. Don’t know if it will be done in this month or not, but at least I’ve started writing!

.:hay’kin’en:. » Two Experiences

Noel Heikkinen shares about a couple of experiences he had yesterday. These experiences circle around the homosexual community and the Church community.  Go read it, ponder it, and please pray for the church.

.:hay’kin’en:. » Two Experiences 

Shirts for Limbs - This Site Bought Tarver A Leg

Shirts for Limbs - This Site Bought Tarver A Leg

Tarver is a guy at Evergreen. The little bit of interaction I have had with him tells me he is a rad guy.

So, help Him buy a leg (and hopefully help others buy legs and arms in the future).

Reading Scripture

bob.blog: The New in the Old and the Old in the New

Bob Hyatt has a great post about what lens he reads scripture through, or how he understands the meaning of any and all texts in the Bible. To sum it up in one word: Jesus.

I’m with Bob on this one. Whole heartedly. The whole point of the Bible is Jesus, and we need to be able to see how God is pointing us to the full revelation of Himself (Jesus) in every story, poem, and letter.

If it’s not about Jesus, then what the heck am I reading it for?

Friday Photos!

An old type writer and some Black Butte Porter… sounds like a good time to me!

Check out the rest of the Friday Photo group on Flickr.

Extra Photo Goodness!!!!

Just because I can, and because I like these shots:

 

Friday Photos

I recently was gifted with a Nikon D40 DSLR camera. I’ve been going a bit nuts with the photos.

Here are a couple from a trip to Multnomah Falls today.

Check out all my shots over on flickr. And be sure to check out the rest of the photo Friday group as well.

Another Voice

I don’t know how I feel about the whole “global warming” scare. I just have a hard time blindly believing people telling me that something horrible is about to happen, so I should join there bandwagon. I don’t know, maybe that makes me uncompassionate and “right winged” or something.

Anyway, here is a video that is giving a dissenting voice. Well put together, and interesting, I think. I hope we will all take a step back, and try to find and sort out the facts.

The Great Global Warming Swindle