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Emerging Church: Bridging the Academy & Church?

Last Updated August 19, 2007 by Matt 3 Comments

This is just a quick observation that I seem to have noticed. It seems to me that popular evangelical leaders read books by people like MacArthur, Warren, Hybels, Swindol, Lucado, and Stanley: practitioners and pastors. However, it seems like emerging church leaders are reading books by Hauerwas, Wright, Brueggemann, Volf, McKnight, Moltmann, Franke, and Grenz: […]

Filed Under: Christianity, Ecclesiology, emerging church, Theology

Birthday Books

Last Updated August 17, 2007 by Matt 3 Comments

My birthday was last week. And, as birthdays go, I got some pretty decent birthday money. So, what did I do with it? Buy an iPod? Surround sound? A bluetooth earpiece? Heck no. I bought some books. And they are: The Mediation of Christ by Thomas Forsyth Torrance Principles of Lutheran Theology by Carl E. […]

Filed Under: Books, Christianity, Personal, Theology

We’re all Heretics

Last Updated August 13, 2007 by Matt 1 Comment

Wow, it’s been while. I was pretty much non-existent in July, being gone for two weeks on mission trips, taking some vacation, and spending time with my wife as she was out of school. Hopefully, I’ll get back into a semi-regular blogging pattern. Here’s my first attempt to get back at it. I remember growing […]

Filed Under: Christianity, Theology

I confess…

Last Updated June 26, 2007 by Matt 6 Comments

So, over at the Faith and Theology blog a meme has been started; it is spreading quickly. Sounded fun. I confess: I watched Kent Hovind videos as a child and argued with my fourth grade science teacher about the age of the earth. I confess: In junior high and high school I thought denominations that […]

Filed Under: Christianity, Personal, Theology, Youth Ministry

Back from our Retreat

Last Updated June 21, 2007 by Matt Leave a Comment

Well, VBS finished up last Thursday, and I was on a retreat with our youth this week from Tuesday until today.  The theme was “spiritual disciplines” finishing off what was a yearlong look at spiritual disciplines.  There wasn’t a whole lot of teaching.  Instead, I had them do intentional exercises (via scheduling and a workbook […]

Filed Under: Christianity, Personal, Youth Ministry

A Theological Test

Last Updated June 11, 2007 by Matt Leave a Comment

I try to take theology seriously. It is helpful that I enjoy reading theology and listening to boring lectures by theologians and philosophers. However, I am deeply committed to the idea that theology is not for the ivory towers, but must be imbedded into the worshiping community. I mean, as much as I have respect […]

Filed Under: Christianity, Personal, Theology

Emergent Gnosticism?

Last Updated June 3, 2007 by Matt 2 Comments

A common thread in dueling schools of Christian theological (or philosophical) thought is to characterize “them” (whoever “they” may be) as embracing some sort of heretical position. I’ve been reading a few posts recently that try to pigeonhole the emerging church as gnostic. I forget some of the other places I’ve seen this recently, but […]

Filed Under: Christianity, emerging church, Theology

Brian McLaren is a Heretic

Last Updated June 1, 2007 by Matt 19 Comments

This is an experiment in blogging. I get nary a blip of traffic on my blog, which is fine by me. As I outlined in my first post on the blog, this is really an exercise in discipline and an opportunity to keep my writing skills intact. Additionally, it is becoming a place where I […]

Filed Under: Blogging, Christianity, emerging church, Theology

Christian Fundamentalist Shenanigans

Last Updated June 1, 2007 by Matt Leave a Comment

Wow. Apparently Chuck Swindoll is too “liberal” for some folks. He was dropped by a radio station (or network, I don’t know) for using vulgar language like “crap” and “balls”. They have kept a seven-year running tally of offenses: Go here for an introduction. Go here for the full release on Slice of Laodicea. Have […]

Filed Under: Christianity, Random

Are You Infected?

Last Updated May 18, 2007 by Matt Leave a Comment

Below is the article I wrote for this month’s church newsletter.  I really struggled writing it; I just couldn’t put the words together like I wanted to.  Hopefully, it will be coherent enough that people will mildly understand what I was getting at.  As we’re trying to communicate a new way of doing youth ministry to […]

Filed Under: Christianity, Ecclesiology, Youth Ministry

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Best Youth Ministry Books

These are the books that will completely change the way you think about youth ministry, for the better. Links are to my reviews of each book.

Teen 2.0 by Robert Epstein

A psychologist makes you question every assumption you have about adolescence.

Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry by Andrew Root

Why build relationships? Root’s answer will surprise you.

Best Youth Ministry Books: Youth Ministry 3.0 by Mark Ostreicher

Yesterday I finally read Youth Ministry 3.0 by Mark Ostreicher, and since I’m one of the latecomers to the conversation I won’t summarize the book too much. Marko has linked to tons of reviews on his blog if you are interested in more in-depth summaries. If you are fairly in-tune with a lot of the […]

Best Youth Ministry Books: Postmodern Youth Ministry

Postmodern Youth Ministry by Tony Jones is the book I would recommend to youth ministers if they could just read one youth ministry book. I first read the book in my Foundations and Practices of Youth Ministry class at John Brown University. After the preface to the book there is a page titled, “The Day […]

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