Showing all posts tagged christian

In In Focus

On Kevin Spacey

Author Jesse SteelePosted on

I won’t share my opinion about Kevin Spacey because that would be cheating. People need to think for themselves. But, I will say what I think about the situation. Mostly, it’s entertaining. Poetically, Spacey is an entertainer.

I’m all for owning problems, which Spacey did in getting help with addiction. I’m all for truth and honestly when coupled with redemption, which has yet to be seen either way—even though America is supposed to be this “Christian” nation—whatever that is. And, that’s why this is so entertaining.

There is nothing wrong with being either Christian or non-Christian. But, their is a big problem with Christians and non-Christians taking their Ps and Qs from each other. Christians should guide Christians; non-Christians should guide non-Christians. That should make sense, but in America it hasn’t been that way. The two have been trying to boss each other since the nation was founded. And, Kevin Spacey exposed that for what it is.  · · · →

In Faith

Since I Quit Sunday Morning

Author Jesse SteelePosted on

Since I quit Sunday morning…

Other people understand me better. Maybe that’s because I stopped using strange words and wrong grammar just because it made sense to the 200 same people I saw every Sunday.

Since I quit Sunday morning…

Jesus got a lot bigger and a lot more real. I started to believe that all the buildings in town aren’t enough to hold all the people who are interested in a Jesus who can’t fit into Sunday morning.

Since I quit Sunday morning…

I started rolling with the punches more. Surprises didn’t upset me quite so much. Maybe that’s because Jesus didn’t have to arrange everything he wanted to do and say into the Sunday morning schedule.

Since I quit Sunday morning…

I realized that God’s sovereignty meant that I’m not allowed to blame others for my difficulties. Maybe that’s because I wasn’t around a weekly culture of one denomination or congregation always blaming the other.  · · · →

In Faith

A REAL critique of IHOPKC

Author Jesse SteelePosted on

Dear International House of Prayer in Kansas City:

Critiques come best from friends.

You are rich with potential. You have done so many things that the Church needs. You have kept the flame on the altar. You have not caved to pressure from culture spare one thing.

The Great Commission is not yet complete. The Church is full of corruption and bad teaching, which you yourselves have tried to confront over the past few years. Not every Christian enjoys the convenience of being able to rubber stamp the pulpit. The obligation placed on Christians to “attend anywhere as long as you attend” led them to leaders such as Rob Bell when nothing might have been preferable.

The young preachers, especially over the past few weeks, have been exceptionally sharp-tongued in critiquing so-called “churchless Christians”. Have you not considered that the purpose and the funding of your webstreams depend directly on the idea that there is still more work to be done?  · · · →

In Faith

Statements about Specific Debates

Author Jesse SteelePosted on

Eternal Security Debate

The problem with the Eternal Security paradigm is that Christian Eternity was decided when the Book of Life was written. Eternal Security debates, from both sides, assume that a Chrsitian’s Eternity is determined in this lifetime rather than discovered in this lifetime.

Lordship v Grace Theologies

IMHO, nearly all concerns surrounding these topics would be satisfied if we preached a paradigm of a “wise-friend-and-King” view of Jesus. This would mean abandoning any tones of “mostly Lord-ruler” or “mostly friend” views of Jesus, which are unintended, yet consequential from both paradigms of teaching. Little teaching comes from either side concerning the wisdom of God’s commands. This debate surrounds “to should or not to should” in regard to God’s commands, rather than “to be wise or not to be wise” in obeying the good, perfect, and empowering commands from our loving ruler-Creator.

Church Government

It’s organic. If it has any tax exempt or non-tax exempt status, it may be wonderful, it may be terrible, but it’s not the Church.  · · · →