Heresy For My Daughter's Birthday, by Scott Shirley

The internet’s social universe has been buzzing for a week over the upcoming release of Rob Bell’s new book, “Love Wins.”  Bell will apparently endorse the concept of Universalism (the idea that everyone will ultimately be saved and hell is not a real place) and, as expected, many of the bloggers and writers who find this idea heretical to the Christian faith have voiced their disapproval.  As a fan of spirited discussions, I have read many of the articles, pro and con, enjoying the dialogue immensely.  And though I don’t feel theologically qualified to burden anyone with my opinion on the topic of Universalism, I have been drug into the fray in a completely unexpected way… as a parent.  One of my daughters wants the book.

P90X Christianity, by Scott Shirley

This morning I ran across a blog article by Richard Beck, a professor from Abilene Christian University, discussing the issue of Universalism.  It was a great article.  As good as it was, however, I was continually distracted by the picture Richard had embedded within the article.  It is a haunting image of a young child so thoroughly emaciated by the ravages of starvation that he looks like something out of a nightmare.  After several restarts I finished reading the words but couldn’t shake the image.  And then I ate a protein bar.

The Parable Of The Confident Preacher, by Scott Shirley

One night a preacher had a dream and was visited by 3 people. The first of the visitors was the Apostle Paul. The preacher introduced himself and Paul did likewise. The preacher immediately began telling Paul how he had been teaching his congregation about Paul’s wisdom for many years. Paul asked him, if he didn’t mind, to give a brief summary of what he had been telling his congregation. Of course the preacher didn’t mind. He thought for a while and, as quickly as possible, gave Paul an overview of his understanding of Paul’s teachings.

When the preacher was finished Paul smiled and told him that he did a fine job but was in error on many points. Paul began to tell the preacher exactly where his errors were but was interrupted. The preacher refused to let Paul continue because he knew that if this visionary Paul was trying to correct his understanding of Paul’s teaching (an understanding gleaned from many years of Bible study) then it must not be the real Paul. So, with a dismissive wave of the preacher’s hand, Paul disappeared.

The Divisiveness Of truth, by Scott Shirley

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" - Psalms 133:1

Should everybody be allowed to read the Bible? (Spoiler alert: I think the answer is yes, but don’t stop reading yet.)

In the later part of the 14th century, John Wycliffe became the first person to translate the Bible into English. His aim was to get the Bible into the everyday language of the people. His story is complicated and full of twists but suffice it to say, his actions did not engender him to the hierarchy of the Church.

The translating of the Latin Bible into the “vulgar” English language worried Church authorities enough that by 1407 the English translation was denounced as unauthorized and translating or using translated Bibles was defined as heresy -- a crime for which the punishment was death by burning. In 1415 Wycliffe himself was denounced, posthumously, as a heretic. His remains were exhumed in 1428 and burned. His ashes were spread over the Swift River.

The lens of history does not reflect well on the way the Catholic Church handled this issue. However, the Catholic Church may have been correct about one thing. They desperately feared a scriptural translation that could be read by king and commoner alike because they believed the commoner was not capable of "rightly dividing" the word of God. Putting the Bible into the hands of people not professionally trained to interpret it would result, they predicted, in rampant divisions within the Church and loss of the unity so often implored by the New Testament.

And that is exactly what happened!

10 Difficult Quotes

See if you can match the following quotes to the person who made them from the list at the bottom.  You may find the results interesting.

1. Jesus has a very special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness are so great that I look and do not see, listen and do not hear.

2. “My whole life I have suffered from poverty and have faced many disappointments and pain, like a man is used to. That is why I want to make other people happy and want them to feel at home

3. “We want to fill our culture again with the Christian spirit… We want to burn out all the recent immoral developments in literature, in the theater, and in the press—in short, we want to burn out the poison of immorality which has entered into our whole life and culture as a result of liberal excess…”

4. They [the Jews] are nothing but thieves and robbers who daily eat no morsel and wear no thread of clothing which they have not stolen and pilfered from us by means of their accursed usury. Thus they live from day to day, together with wife and child, by theft and robbery, as arch-thieves and robbers, in the most impenitent security."

5. "I am not now, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social or political equality of the white and black races. I am not now nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor of intermarriages with white people. There is a physical difference between the white and the black races which will forever forbid the two races living together on social or political equality. There must be a position of superior and inferior, and I am in favor of assigning the superior position to the white man."

6. Comrades, through the years of bloodshed and many marches you were tried and true soldiers. So through years of peace you have been good citizens, and now that we are again united under the old flag, I love it as I did in the days of my youth, and I feel sure that you love it also.”

7. “Drinking makes you forget your responsibilities, and you mistreat the poor. Beer and wine are only for the dying or for those who have lost all hope. Let them drink and forget how poor and miserable they feel.”

8. "Tomorrow creeps its petty pace."

9. “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.”

10. "People say, well, do you ever hear any other voices other than, like, a few people? Of course I do."

Here are your choices:

- Confucius

- Abraham Lincoln 

- Adolf Hitler

- Biblical Proverb 

- Nathan Bedford Forrest (KKK founder)

- Martin Luther (the Reformer)

- Charles Manson (mass murderer)

- George W. Bush

- Jim Jones (don't drink the Kool-Aid) 

- Mother Teresa

Click Here for the correct answers
(But try to answer before you peek)
Feel free to tell how you did in the comments below!

Prophecy From A Modern Day Prophet

In anticipation of Monday's holiday I was scrolling through Youtube watching MLKjr videos.  I had never heard this speech and, given that he was assassinated the next day, it is eerily prophetic.  See if you can watch it without getting goose bumps.



If you would like to hear the whole speech (it is close to 20 minutes) you can follow the link below...
I Have Been To The Mountaintop, By Martin Luther King Jr

He Had Gatorade & I Had Haterade, by Scott Shirley

My day was going great.  It was this past Thursday and I had the day off.  I was home alone with little to do but relax and rest.  But I decided to run into town to pick up light bulbs at Lowes.  I grabbed a package of 4 bulbs and headed to the checkout line.  And then somebody made me furious.

Tell me this wouldn't make you mad...

He Will Just Spend It On Crack

Ted Williams, a man who 3 days ago was destitute and homeless, gives an inspiring and endearing interview on the Today Show, all the while thanking God for his good fortune.  For all of us who have habitually passed by a person on the streets without offering help, this clip should should suffice to riddle us with guilt for at least an hour or two. Hmmm, maybe they don't all spend it on drugs and beer...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

NEWSFLASH: Early Church fathers unanimously agree, “There are NO scriptural arguments against instrumental worship!”, by Scott Shirley

Please don’t kill the messenger. I am merely reporting history.

For most of my life, one particular argument against the use of instrumental worship held a very strong sway over me. The historical assertion that for the first 500 years (or 300, 600, 800, or 1200, depends on which scholar is talking) of the early Church’s existence, it was vehemently against the use of instrumental music. As far as I can tell, this is true. The early Church deplored the use of instruments. Here’s proof:

There's No Christ In My Christmas, by Scott Shirley

A go-kart and a trampoline.  That's what I remember.  When I think about Christmas, especially past Christmases (not sure if that is a word), I usually think about a go-kart and a trampoline.  It was my favorite Christmas year.  My brother and I were probably around 9 and 11 and, like most kids that age, had trouble sleeping the night before.  After finally convincing our parents to get up and let us open presents we headed toward the living room.  Dad went outside.