Linkathon 7/28
Picture from Last Days Ministries.
Twenty-eight years ago today, Christian singer, evangelist and prophet Keith Green died in a plane crash, at the age of 28. Two of his children, along with another family and the pilot, also passed away.
Jon Bloom at Desiring God has written a nice tribute to Keith.
There is also a live event happening at www.keithgreen.com tonight at 7:30 ET/4:30 PT featuring his wife Melody, along with John Dawson and Loren Cunningham.
Troy Anderson’s article on Keith at Charisma Magazine’s website.
Ted Haggard is interviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Carl Trueman comments. Scott Thomas on what repentance really means.
Tim Keller on ministry movements.
Paul Louis Metzger at Christianity Today‘s Our of Ur blog critiques Mark Driscoll’s comments on the movie Avatar.
I interviewed local blogger Marshall Jones Jr. as part of my Blogger Interviews series.
Damaris Zehner from Internet Monk on whether Christians should covet poverty.
William Black reposts the fundamentalist shorter catechism parody from the Stuff Fundies Like blog.
I discovered this parody blog, written from the view of a cool church’s “lead vision caster”.
The Orlando Sentinel profiles R.C. Sproul.
Gene Vieth on an Anglican church that served communion to a dog.
Collin Hansen on being at home in a house church.
Brad Lomenick lists 12 female church leaders under 40 you should know about.
Renee Johnson on radical grace.
What some Mars Hill Seattle women think about Mars Hill Seattle men.
Jon Acuff on pastors who read sermon notes off their iPads.
Doug Wolter on learning about community from an unlikely source.
Joe Dallas on walking away from the “gay gospel”.
Five churches David Foster could not attend.
Owen Strachan on the endless evangelical quest for ultimate transformation.
Some of the worst sermons Steven Furtick ever heard.
Lomenick’s what’s in, what’s out in leadership lists.
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ESV Bible verse of the day
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BrianD blog 
Hi Brian
The link to under 40 women we should know about did not work. That is a problem… what if I need a woman under 40 …?
Good job as usual… Hope you are well.
Dread, I’m doing great. I’ll make the fix now.
with apologies to BD, who i see is here today, so i can’t sneek this in: 😀
i’ve only read as far as the Haggard info links – sigh and d*mn and some other (guy) things that Haggard now gives himself permission to say…
you’ve become my link to what’s up with Christian,s Brian and i thank you, … i think 😉
WSJ reported that Haggard said, “Tiger Woods needs to golf. Michael Vick needs to be playing football, Ted Haggard needs to be leading a church.”
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If this quote is accurate, it sure is troubling. Talk about an apples to oranges comparison.
A better parallel would be “Tiger Woods needs to endorse products” (after all, he makes far more money doing that than golf). Vick endorses products as well, on a smaller scale than Tiger.
Now, I think most any rational person would understand why some of these big corporations would not want Tiger Woods to endorse their products anymore.
I wonder if Jesus is presently seeking Haggard’s ‘endorsement’
No, He is not looking for TH’s endorsement, just as He is not looking for our endorsement. It’s by His grace that TH is accepted despite all of his sins…just like we are accepted despite our sins if we (and TH) are in Christ.
Em, you’re welcome!
BrianD – not my point at all.
My point is about disqualification.
Haggard points to Woods and Vick and draws a foolish comparison. I would hope you would agree. I pointed out that even with these two athletes, their behavior has disqualified them from what they were previously doing in at least one area of life (their endorsing the products of others).
Yeah, they can still play their sport – and Haggard can still be a humble servant of the Lord. Let’s not confuse God’s forgiving grace and acceptance of us despite our sins with “Ted Haggard NEEDS to be leading a church”
Does Jesus NEED any of us? Or does He choose to use some of us as long as we fit the requirements laid out in Scripture.
So then the NEED must be Haggard’s (again in keeping with the Vick/Woods example). Despite what the Word might say about those whom God entrusts to lead His people – Haggard has a NEED, and he will make sure his NEED (desires) are met because deny thyself is not a lesson yet learned.
Paul worried about the possibility of being put on the shelf as to ministry. He disciplined his body due to that fear. I have that same fear, and I do the same. I’m sure you do as well. Most in the Body of Christ do so.
But this is the same old argument that has taken place many times online. Woods and Vick will only play their sports as long as they are good enough to make the cut. Somebody will stop them at some time, when age catches up to them.
There is nobody in a similar position to stop Haggard, except of course the convicting work of the Spirit and the authority of the Bible. The more Haggard speaks and does interviews, the less confidence I have that Haggard has an ear to hear.
I didn’t realize your point from your previous comment, AV. My point stands, though now not as a definitive response to you. And, Haggard’s point re: Woods and Vick is a bad comparison, agreed.
My only retort to you is that time will show if Haggard is on the up and up….and if he is not, who is to say that God is not working in the man to bring him back into line?
My only retort to you is that time will show if Haggard is on the up and up….and if he is not, who is to say that God is not working in the man to bring him back into line?
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Time shows that for us all, doesn’t it. One could say that time already showed that in Haggard’s life four years ago. If he falls again, disappears for a couple years, comes back to start a new church, do we again say ‘Time will tell if he is on the up and up’ – What has time already told us?
And if he is not, all the more reason not to pastor. That seems to be the sticking point for me on this. There are SO MANY ways to serve the Lord apart from being the top dog Pastor of one’s own ‘self-started’ church. How about investing several years in humble service under another leader, in another church, rather than once more pushing oneself into a position that Haggard was not able to handle the first time.
I just hope we aren’t going back down the slippery slope of ‘God will work it out in Haggard’s life’ because what does that say about other recent online issues our community has been discussing re: abusive pastors? Aren’t people hurt in the Lord too when their pastor falls in such a way?
What does that say about the authority of Scripture in discussion of elder eligibility.
Why do most churches do background checks on the servants?
Anyway, I will just end up repeating myself going forward, so I will likely refrain from further comment.
He’s not going to do any of that, probably. He is going to do what he’s already done. I choose to hope for the best and expect anything. I do hope that the people in that celebrity church are somehow cared for and loved.
from: FAKE PASTOR BRAD TOWERS
“I like to think of fear as a seasoning. Too much and you ruin the meal. Too little and everything tastes like sludge.”
Now that’s profound! I wonder if he is going to patent the Noah’s Ark Flood Simulation tank? Can anybody say church picnic?
I’m sure the fake pastor will patent the fake simulation tank for use in his fake church and market it to other fake churches for use in their fake youth groups or fake church picnics 🙂
Hi Brian! Thanks for the links…you rock!
Kevin, thanks!
Brian – darn. I can think of lots of great applications for a Flood Simulation tank.
I think the fear quote should be painted on the side of all church youth group vans – it sums up the whole experience of driving in a church youth van or bus.
Church youth group…never had the privilege. Read quite a few crazy stories from Mike Yaconelli and Michael Spencer, though.