Every Member a Theologian

Thabiti Anyabwile answers the question, Why is being a theologian important for the average church member? Don’t we have seminary professors for that stuff?

"We love seminary professors, and are thankful for the gift that they are to the body of Christ. But theology is knowledge of God, and no professor can or should be asked to take our place in the privilege of knowing and savoring God! The great joy of Christianity is that we are actually brought into saving and everlasting knowledge of the marvelous Creator of all things. That knowledge of Him is “theology.”

"We’re all theologians. We’re either good or bad, hungry or lazy, grudging or joyful, accurate or sloppy theologians. But we are theologians. And I hope Healthy Member encourages the average Christian to not be afraid of the word “theologian,” to embrace it as their new birthright, and to take some practical steps in deepening their knowledge of God. For it’s as we know God more deeply, that our daily lives are changed more radically."

I would only add that every member is a theologian because even scholars and seminary professors are susceptible to fallibility. We should never look to any theologian or scholar or professor as distributors of perfect, truth. Our only guide should be the Bible. Acts 17:11: "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."

Thabiti Anyabwile has written a book called, What is a Healthy Church Member? I look forward to picking it up.

What is Real?

I'm not quite sure what to make of this. My mind keeps on racing toward the existential question, "What is real?" Mostly, I keep telling myself that this is all a hoax. Though it sounds like I am wrong.

Consumerism: It's Ok

"We are a nation of consumers, and there is nothing wrong with that."

-From a Discover Card commercial

Mr. Bean Goes to Church

Interestingly, this bit was written by a guy named Richard Curtis, who also wrote the screenplays for Knotting Hill, Bridget Jones, and, my favorite, A Girl in the Café. Curtis has also raised over a billion dollars for poverty and disease relief.

Are You an Activist or a Contemplative?

Mark Driscoll writes:

Which Are You?
The key is to discover whether you are more naturally a contemplative or an activist and then work on your area of weakness. In my years as a pastor I have found that most of us lean heavily toward the contemplative or the active disciplines at the expense of the other. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for people to read about Jesus in their Bible and only see His contemplative or activist scenes at the expense of seeing the healthy tension that Jesus lived in. As a result, when a contemplative thinks of Jesus they are prone to imagine Him sitting alone in the wilderness and silently reading Scripture and praying. Conversely, when an activist thinks of Jesus they are prone to imagine Him performing miracles, preaching, and casting out demons, never sitting down or taking a day off. The truth is that Jesus practiced every contemplative discipline and every active discipline (with the exception of lovemaking). To follow in His example means we must follow in His entire example.

Active Disciplines
Study
Fellowship
Speaking
Teaching
Activism
Work
Lovemaking
Evangelism
Service
Feasting

Contemplative Disciplines
Solitude
Silence
Meditation
Prayer
Sabbath
Chastity
Worship
Journaling
Fasting

Def: Credobaptism

Latin, credo “believe”

The belief that baptism should only be administered to those who are believers. According to credobaptists, baptism is a visible outward sign of confession, ordain by Christ in the great commission. Because it is a sign of belief, credobaptist do not practice infant or padeobaptism since an infants cannot believe. While the majority of church history practiced padeobaptism as a sign of the covenant, padeobaptist argue that the baptism of infants is unbiblical sighting examples in Scripture which, according to the credobaptist, limit baptism to believers.

For more information on credobaptism, see here.

This is also the view of GracePoint.

From: Theological Word of the Day

Fill-In Dad

From Anthony Bradley:

"Where is Michael Phelps' dad? Phelps' dad left him and his sisters when he was seven. One of his sister's tells that she would swim in the pool to escape the yelling and fighting between her mom and her dad.

"When Phelps was 11 he met Bob Bowman and the two have been together ever since. In the absence of his father, Bob Bowman became the man to offer Phelps what all boys need and no woman can provide: masculine validation and blessing from an older man to a younger one. It makes so much sense. Even with an absent father and being a child of a painful divorce, Bowman stepped in during a crucial point in Phelps' stage of development and bestowed upon him exactly what he needed."

Too Much Time on Your Hands

HT: Neatorama

8

In his pursuit of 8 gold medals, Phelps' best races by far were this one, and this one.

Salon on Rick Warren

Read the interesting article on Warren here.