Author: Fred Shope

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TGIF

I tried to think of something clever to say, and failed miserably, so I’ll just get right to the good stuff:

Will technology be the death of preaching? Jake Belder says that life is not a circle. Dan Edelen is writing a three act tragedy. Part 1 is here. Pam doesn’t want to be normal, and thinks that small is good. imonk asks why more churches aren’t being planted in the inner cities. These aren’t the tree houses you remember from your youth. (HT: Scot McKnight)

Brant Hansen has some ideas for T-shirts. Jeff McQ is doing a series on love. Part 1 is here. The perfect Christian dating profile. I tried to link to Brother Maynard’s blog, but something’s gone terribly wrong. Generosity and fear. Simplicity and simpleness. Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman on the American dream.

That’s it for this week. Enjoy your weekend.

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Hi. My Names’s Fred and I’m a…

…recovering Pharisee. There should be a group named P.A. (Pharisees Anonymous). I would join. Growing up in fundamentalism, I was taught that the only ones who were right were independent fundamental Baptist. I fully believed that. I can remember being judgemental of those that used the RSV as their Bible. After all, they left out some things that were in the King James, which we knew was the only correct interpretation. Those who baptized infants, learned catechisms, venerated saints, or believed in the “social gospel” were somewhat lesser Christians than we were, if they were Christians at all. Even in the midst of my teenage rebellion, I still believed that I had been taught THE TRUTH, and everyone who disagreed with that was wrong. The attitude persisted through Bible college and I graduated fully ready to defend the Faith.

Fast forward twenty or thirty years. Through those years God has been working in me and teaching me that many of the things I had been taught were either not Biblical at all, distinctives of a particular group, or simply cultural. I began to experience real grace for the first time as I learned that the Father loves me no matter what. He is pleased with me and there is nothing I can do to make him any more or any less pleased with me. I desire to follow Jesus out of a heart full of gratitude and love rather than a need to “stay right with God” (I did a lousy job of that).

The problem is that I still struggle with being a Pharisee. I still have a tendency to judge people. The difference is that now I am not judging liberals or any of the ones I used to judge. Now, I tend to be judgemental of other people who are judgemental. I tend to look at fundamentalists, especially independent Baptists with a much too critical eye. I am realizing more and more that this attitude is nothing less than it was when I was younger. It’s sin. I am no better than those I criticize for being critical.

I read an interview in which Brain McLaren was asked about those who criticize him and call him heretic, etc. His response was that he believed that those critics loved Jesus and were trying to follow him the best they could, and that he simply disagreed with their methods as well as some of their theology. It was one of the most gracious responses I’ve ever seen. He did not condemn them, but accepted them as brothers, even though they disagree. That’s the kind of response I want to have in my life toward those who are critical. May God grant that to all of us.

My name’s Fred and I’m try to leave Phariseeism behind.

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TGIF

For those of you who are superstitious, today is Friday the 13th. For the rest of you, it’s just Friday. I’m tired. Tired of school and tired of winter. Oh well. Like a kidney stone, this too shall pass.

I know how much everyone looks forward to the links of the week, 🙂 so here they are:

Karen Swank writes a letter to Bible study ladies. Death by Church? Todd Hiestand is feeling limited. How “Lost” would handle the economic crisis. Encouraging words from Jared Wilson.
Brother Maynard revisits the church doors. This is great photography, as well as being in the right place at the right time. (HT: Brother Maynard).

Jeff McQ does man thing. Grace on fasting. The search for Noah’s Ark. imonk writes about compartmentalizing.

Enjoy your Valentine’s Day tomorrow.

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TGIF

It’s been an interesting week here in the sunny South. We missed our second day of school due to “snow” and “ice”. I think we had maybe a half inch of ice on certain spots on the road, but it was all gone by the afternoon. It was a nice day off, but now we have to make up two days. That means no break from now until April. 🙁

Enjoy these links:

Jared Wilson quotes Ed Stetzer. Good thoughts from Bob Hyatt. Dan Edelen tells a tale of four churches, and Robbymac writes about guys and trucks. Is strategic planning a good thing for the church today? Is cinema the new cathedral? (HT: Jonathan Brink). Jonathan also asks how we can be faithful to scripture.

Jeff McQ writes about fences and wells. Do you want to be cool? Scot McKnight on Obama and God’s sovereignty. imonk writes about believing the Bible, and gives us a list of 25 things. Some might think this is shocking (HT: imonk). This is funny.

That’s it for this week. It’s going to be sunny and in the 60s here this weekend. I hope you enjoy your weekend.

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Availability of the Kingdom

In The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard asserts that the Beatitudes are something far different than what I was taught as a young Christian, and even through a good deal of my adult life. I think he is correct in his interpretation. Rather than a set of characteristics of people in some future millennial kingdom or a set of characteristics necessary in order to be a good Christian, the Beatitudes are Jesus’ way of turning the first century attitudes toward who was blessed upside down. The general attitude then was that those who were “religious”, wealthy, and powerful were the ones who were blessed. The religious leaders taught this and the common folk believed it. There was a long list of folks who weren’t blessed and who never would be.

In the twenty-first century, have things really changed that much? So many times the gospel is a message that the ones who are blessed are those who have said a certain prayer and now follow a set of rules that make them good Christians, those who are part of a particular church or denomination and give assent to a certain set of doctrines, or those who work for social justice. The Holy Spirit does many times lead a person to a point of decision. There are doctrines that are important to believe. Social justice is something every follower of Jesus should be concerned with. These are important, but someone can do any of these without being a part of the Kingdom of God.

A large segment of Christendom presents the image of a Christian as someone who has all of their material wants taken care of, who is happy all the time, and who never struggles with the things that the great unwashed (or unsaved) masses struggle with. We give the impression that we have it all together, and that we are somehow better than those around us. In doing so, we follow along with the culture around us. The picture in American culture of one who is happy (blessed) is an individual who drives a nice new car, has white teeth and fresh breath, wears fashionable clothes, is zit free, keeps the weight off, and enjoys sex whenever the mood strikes (or within 36 hours). I wonder what Jesus would say today?

Maybe he would say that the Kingdom of God is available to the losers, to the ones who weep over a lost loved one or a lost job, to the ones who don’t have the skills necessary to even get a job. It is there for the person in pain with a terminal disease, the homeless, the drug addict who is estranged from his family. The Kingdom is available for those who are the bottom, the hopeless, even those who are the worst sinners. All that is necessary is for the person to recognize their condition and turn to the King, the one who can make them blessed.

Those of you who are already followers of Jesus and are part of this Kingdom, please remember that the message that we give is that Jesus is there for all who will follow him, whether they see everything the same we we do or not. If anyone who is not a follower of Jesus happens to come across this post, I want you to know that if you have been given the impression that only a certain class of people can be blessed by God, forget what you have seen or heard. The Kingdom is available to you, no matter what your condition. You don’t have to “get yourself right with God.” All you have to do is change your way of approaching your life and begin to follow Jesus the Christ, who is Lord over all. His way is the only way that leads to true happiness, the kind that is there regardless of circumstances.

May God make you truly blessed.

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25 Random Things About Me

I’ve been tagged by a few people to do this thing, and since this is a restful Sunday afternoon with nothing to do except watch the Puppy Bowl I thought I’d go ahead and get it done. Since this blog finds its way to my Facebook page – Eileen and Kim, here it is, even though it’s been slow in coming.

1. I have been coaching basketball for 26 years, 13 years with guys, 13 years with girls.
2. I am over-educated, with a bachelor’s degree and two master’s.
3. My third birthday party was at the White House. Sort of.
4. I once sat on a fishbowl – with the results you would expect.
5. My favorite food is Cincinnati Chili.
6. In high school, I was the third fastest senior sprinter in the Washington, D.C. area.
7. I was a Christian college All-American sprinter my senior year.
8. I’m now too out of shape to do any kind of sprinting. 🙂
9. My favorite dessert is German Chocolate Cake.
10. I like most kinds of music, except rap, heavy metal, opera, or southern gospel.
11. I love to read.
12. I have been happily married for 28 1/2 years to the best wife ever.
13. I have 2 grown children who make me extremely proud.
14. I used to play the accordion.
15. I work with students with learning disabilities.
16. I like comedies.
17. The first time I cried at a movie was in 1977, while watching “Brian’s Song.”
18. I don’t understand how someone can hate someone else enough to torture or kill them.
19. I don’t understand how folks can buy into the prosperity gospel when all they have to do is look around them and see that’s not how things work.
20. My favorite sport is basketball, followed closely by track.
21. I have googled myself. Yes, it’s true, I admit it.
22. I was born in Washington, D.C., in a hospital that doesn’t exist anymore.
23. I am a procrastinator. That’s why this has taken so long to do.
24. I am a fan of bad puns.
25. I drive a small pickup truck, but would love to own a restored MG.

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TGIF

It’s Friday again. I just got home from our basketball game where we lost by one point. We played a great game in every area except for the fact that we just couldn’t get the ball to go in the basket. We couldn’t hit the ocean from the beach. Oh well, that’s what happens sometimes. At least the girls played hard.

It’s been a busy week and I have a lot of stuff to catch up on this weekend. But, I’ll take time from my busy schedule to give you the links of the week: 🙂

The Watchman has an interesting suggestion for pastors. Bob Hyatt writes about “Dude-Theology”. Scot McKnight writes about Wisconsin Winter Habits. Jeff McQ on evangelism, and Jonathan Brink talks about relationships.

How many of these have you read? Not many, I must admit. (HT: Brother Maynard) Jared Wilson went to hear Tim Keller the other night. His thoughts are here.

Tomorrow, my team is going to spend two hours shooting the basketball. 🙂 You all have a good weekend.

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Two Natures

I’ve been thinking about something I was taught as a youngster about the Christian having two natures, the old sin nature and the new nature in Christ. I believed it and taught it. I even used the illustration of the Indian (no, not “Bowels no move”!). The one where the Indian tries to explain the two natures by saying it’s like having two dogs inside – a good dog and a bad dog. The person asks, “Which dog wins?”, and the Indian replies, “Whichever one I feed.” So, I was taught to “feed” the new nature by reading the Bible, praying, going to church, etc. I was also told to avoid certain things that would feed the old nature.

The more I think about the concept of the Gospel being about us becoming a new creation and of Jesus restoring creation and oneness with God, the less I believe that there are two natures inside the Christian. The classic passage in Romans 7 is used as a basis for this doctrine. Is it possible that Paul is not writing about the struggle that goes on in the believer between two natures? Could he be talking about the state of a person who tries to earn favor with God by keeping the Law and the despondency that would drive him to. Paul asks, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” and then answers his own question by giving thanks to God for his deliverance. In the first verse of the next chapter, Paul goes on to say that there is now now longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ. That seems to me to be saying that when we become a follower of Jesus we have a new Spirit-filled nature and are being made into the image of Christ. It takes a lifetime, but it is not a case of us “feeding” one nature or the other.

What do you all think?

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The Presence of God

Have you ever been in a church service and heard someone pray and thank God for the chance to come into his house and worship in his presence? Or maybe you’ve prayed that yourself? I have. Or maybe you’ve sung the hymn, “In the Garden.” You know, the one that talks about meeting Jesus in a particular place at a particular time and then going out on your own into the world outside the “garden.” I think songs like “In the Garden,” and prayers that speak of “coming into” God’s presence have unwittingly helped foster a dualistic way of looking at the world.

Growing up, I was always taught that it was important to have a time and place set aside to “meet with God”, to spend some time reading the Bible and praying in order to be able to face the challenges of the day. We were told that first thing in the morning was the best. On top of that we should attend church services on Sunday morning and Sunday night to be prepared for the week ahead, and also show up on Wednesday night in order to refresh your faith for the second half of the week. Behind it all was the idea that if you weren’t in church three or more times a week and having your own devotional time, you weren’t spending enough time with God.

Don’t misunderstand me. I am NOT saying that setting aside a regular amount of time to read Scripture and pray is a bad thing. I am NOT saying that a time of corporate worship and instruction is a bad thing. I AM saying that we fall short of the life that Jesus came to give us when we act as if those are the only times we are in the presence of God.

I see this in the theology that teaches that salvation is only spiritual and guarantees that one day we will escape this old world of sin and misery and go to our home in heaven. I believe that if we see heaven as “somewhere beyond the blue”, it makes sense to believe that God isn’t really with us in our day-to-day, and that it is essential that we go to church a lot and carve out a special time to “meet” with God. While folks may protest that they don’t believe that, I think the evidence in their lives shows that they really do. Having said that, I know that there are people who use the words of this theology because that is what they grew up with, yet live as if they are always in the presence of God.

If we believe that God fills all of creation and that he is not limited to a particular place, then we can realize that heaven is all around us and that God is making all things new right now, and will finally restore his creation when Jesus returns. If we really believe that, then while we may set aside a certain time and place to focus on the Father, we will live in our day-to-day aware that we are continually in God’s presence and don’t have to rely on whether or not we had our “devotions that morning. We have the Spirit in us to guide us and reveal to us what God wants us to know and do.

Yes, we need to read and know the Bible. Yes, we need to pray. But we should never think that a certain time of the day or day of the week is the only time we are in God’s presence. As the Psalmist asked, where can we go where God is not there?

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Happy Birthday, Josh

On Saturday, January 22, 1983 the Washington Redskins won the NFC championship. The next day the joy in the Shope household was increased even more when a son was born. This boy was our firstborn and little did we know how he would change our lives. We discovered quickly that he did not like to sleep, at least at night when we thought he should.

We also discovered early on what a blessing this little boy was to us. As he grew, we marvelled at how he quickly he learned things. We were also concerned, because we wanted him to be able to be educated properly and knew it would be a challenge keeping him interested. Fortunately he loved to read, so we knew that he would learn.

As he grew and became interested in sports, I had the opportunity to coach him during baseball season, and help him with his basketball skills. He even helped me out during basketball, keeping me calm on the bench. It was exciting to watch him develop his skills and his love for sports. As he grew into a teenager, he began to grow and develop those skills even more. During high school he was a multi-sport athlete.

The academic side of life was not ignored either, as this young man continued to be an excellent student, winning numerous awards and academic scholarship money. Not only did he earn good grades but learned to think and to form his own opinions. As we dropped him off at college, we knew he would do well. He did, and began to develop into even more of a unique individual.

After a couple of rough years of learning to trust God, he came back home to pursue what he feels the Father has gifted him to do. Our relationship has deepened and changed into more of a friend to friend rather than parent to child.

Josh, it has been an absolute joy watching you grow and mature. We’ve enjoyed seeing God work in you and grow your faith in him. We are treasuring the time we have with you now as we have treasured the time we’ve had since you were born. We are extremely proud of you and we love you. Happy Birthday.