sanctuarycg

Five Loaves, Two Fish, and Shane Claiborne

Many of our Meal Groups are midway through Shane Claiborne's book. The responses I've been hearing areas follows:

• "I can't put this book down. I love it and hate it!"
• "This is unrealistic!"
• "Ah, if he had kids he wouldn't be saying this."
• "How can I make this practical?"

Well, this Sunday night's text actually speaks a bit to all of this. We will be studying the stories of the feeding of the 5000 and the feeding of the 4000 in Matthew 14 and 15. In the stories Jesus tells his disciples to feed the crowds. They think he's nuts. His plan is unrealistic. His response? Bring me what you have and I will multiply it.  It's an amazing study and I can't wait to dig into it with you.

In addition, my Meal Group last night had a very interesting time with the discussion guide I created for Shane's chapter 6. It was so fascinating I thought I'd post it for our discussion here.

Chapter 6:

Shane speaks of an economics of the  Kingdom of God in chapter 6. 

• How might the two greatest commandments (love of God and love of neighbor, Matt. 7.12-14) affect the spending habits of those living under the “rule and reign of Christ?”

Shane notes John the Baptist’s commentary on repentance and redistribution in Luke 3:7-14.

• Read the passage and discuss why John would tie repentance so closely to money and possessions.

In response to Isaiah 58, Shane provocatively states: “True fasting is not just depriving ourselves of privilege but also sharing sacrificially to bring an end to the cycles of inequality, and end to creation’s groaning and the groaning of hungry bellies.”

• Read Isaiah 58:6-12. Why would God’s guidance and blessing be so tied to giving people what they need.
• If the people of God are  God's priestly representatives (Exodus 19:5 and 1 Peter 2:9),  what do our spending habits say about our King?

(Please don't respond if you haven't read the passages.) 

Loving Homosexuals

An interesting discussion started below in response to my post on abortion, and interestingly, the discussion moved toward the subject of homosexuality and the church's response toward homosexuals.  As we all know abortion and homosexuality tend to be hot-button topics for Christians these days, and since we wrestled a bit with abortion below, let's not shy away from  the topic of homosexuality.

Now, Jesus gave His followers a mission:

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

The church certainly has gone all over the world sharing the good news of Jesus with all types of people hoping these people would become disciples of Jesus. How do we then reach out to men and women living the homosexual lifestyle? CrossRoads financially supports a ministry called Outpost. Outpost boldly seeks to help people find freedom from the homosexual lifestyle through the power of Jesus Christ. Outpost is a subsidiary of an international ministry called Exodus. But we cannot expect a couple para-church organizations to do all the ministry. What should we do?

A quick story. When I was living in Denver, I stopped at a home that was advertising an estate sale. For reasons I won't go into now, I soon learned the men inside were selling the goods of a male friend of theirs who had died of AIDS.  As I left, I was saddened with the thought those men probably felt there was no church where they could go and seek solace as they mourned.

I personally feel our first responsibility to all people is to introduce them to the love of Jesus. It is only the Spririt of Jesus that can transform a heart. Yet, too often the church has said to people: "Stop sinning and then maybe we'll tell you about the grace of our King." Instead of speaking to homosexuals first about their same-gender attraction, should we not first help them come to know the Son of God who gave His life for them?

Much to say. What do you think? How are you seeking to be Jesus to the homosexuals you know?

Note: For an excellent perspective on the Bible and Homosexuality, I point you to an article written by one of my seminary professors, Dr. Peter Vogt. And for our denomination's stance on human sexuality go here.

Let us dialogue, imagine, and love

Well, we just finished our evening with Shane Claiborne, and I know we were all challenged by what his words and presence. I had the opportunity to be with him for a bit longer than most and found myself loving his presence and was very impressed with the great respect and love he gave my kids.

Sometime in the next two days we will post Shane's talk on the site so those of you who missed  it, might hear it. FYI: you can also see some of his talks by searching his name on www.youtube.com

Now, let's converse, imagine and dialogue. For those who comment, I ask you to do so with love and grace. It would be helpful if comments are limited to people who either listened to the talk or have read the book or listened to Shane online elsewhere. AND, we can assure the dialogue will be edifying if we seek to speak from a biblical perspective, using the scriptures to support what we might say.

So...comments please.

Is torture wrong?

Posted part of an interesting article on my personal blog: Intimate Gnosis. I would be interested in your feedback.