Archive for the ‘Emerging Church’ Category
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Another “Submergent Church” discussion…
I do believe in the Church, but some of us in the church still are worshiping the god of growth. Yes, reach people and you will grow! But, what kind of growth? A mushroom grows in a day. An oak tree takes decades.
You have chance to read the bio of your church on her website recently? It might surprise you how common it is to list a history based on buildings rather than the stories of the people who built them.
Which is better: Growth that lasts in the changed lives of people or growth that leaves our story written by the properties we’ve built and purchased and staff we’ve hired?
Sunday, February 6th, 2011

I have a simple question for my readers about the evangelical church today. We have big churches, small churches. There is so much good that is done and yet so many stories of things gone awry as well. Today we see the local “church” as an institution, as something we go to, or as even as a bother. What do you think?
Do you still believe in the local church today? Why or why not?
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008


SeanSid is a student blogger and the son of a pastor. He is now a contributor to the worship focused Tehilla Music Blog.
Seeing as how my dad is a pastor, I have been a part of the church for my entire life. There are many things that can become old and boring on a Sunday morning after doing the same thing over and over for 16 years… such as listening to my dad for 40 minutes or “putting on a show” for some people who expect my actions to reflect my dad’s actions everywhere I go. I had kind of let these facts rule over my whole church experience not too long ago. I could not stand to go through the same routine all the time and I could not stand living under the microscope that pastor’s kids usually do.
Continue reading over at Tehilla Music Blog.
Saturday, April 12th, 2008

There has been a lot of stuff I have followed in the blogosphere about the American Idol singing the Hillsong worship song Shout to the Lord. That song has meant a lot to many in the American church, so I can see why it was picked. Here are some things people have been saying…
Shout to…who? My former pastor and author Bill Giovannetti does an incredible job reflecting on the idea of what Jesus we really are shouting to while also critiquing very soundly the emergent theologies and their origins. A must read.
Other friends of mine simply are skeptical, jubilant or cautious and with questions about why “Jesus” was omitted then not omitted. Chris Vacher, “Was that possibly the most awkward moment in the history of American Idol?“, Nathan Gaddis “WHAT!?! WOW! Then Ben Stiller came out and pooped all over a really great ending of a show..” and Fred McKinnon says “I’m blown away that this song was on American Idol.” **UPDATE by Paul Joseph, “But surely the A.I. juggernaut has enough sense to ask for permission to change a copyrighted song. Nope.” Here’s a statement from Hillsong Church on CBN.com – no one asked.
My take is that it is awkward to hear a top worship song sung on secular TV that is modern when one might expect “Amazing Grace.” What perhaps is positive is that faith really is in the public square today. My hope is that faith in the Truth would be there as well. I see this as a positive, even though the show choir deal was hard to stomach.
Your thoughts?